Charity of the week: buildOn

For the past two decades, buildOn (build​on.org) has inspired students in struggling urban areas to give back to their communities through volunteer service. Students in the organization’s afterschool programs, which operate in more than 100 high schools in cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and Oakland, Calif., contribute hundreds of hours each week to tutoring children, renovating community centers, and volunteering at retirement homes. To instill the importance of community engagement, buildOn also takes students, many of whom have rarely traveled outside their own neighborhoods, to developing countries like Haiti, Mali, and Nepal to build schools for impoverished villages. More than 420 schools have been built, and ground is broken on a new one every six days.

Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which ranks not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.

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