2020 Honoree - Zoe Korff, Middleburg, VA

In the summer of 2018, then 7th grader Zoe Korff (and 8th grader Tim Hubbard) learned about WOC and returned to The Hill School (Middleburg, VA) that Fall, excited to engage the community. They recruited volunteers, secured support of the student council and faculty, and launched their collection benefitting Backpack Buddies, All Ages Read Together, The Truth 365, KaBoom, Operation Hope, and Comfort Cases.

Just a few short weeks after standing before the school and explaining their goal and how everyone could help, Zoe & Tim counted an astounding $1,749.96 in change.

According to Zoe, “my favorite part of it all came when we invited representatives from each charity to an all school assembly. As we announced the grand total, the reaction was amazing; nearly everyone in the room looked awed at how a small school of 222 JK-8th graders could collect over $1,740 through spare change.”

When Zoe decided to rally her school once again this past school year, Covid-19 struck, leaving Zoe with two options: postpone until school reopened, or shift gears and develop an alternative plan. Given the impact of the pandemic on so many, waiting for school to re-open was not an option.

In virtual meetings with other youth ambassadors from across the country, Zoe and her peers figured out ways to execute alternative plans to collect change during the quarantine period. She created a video which was shared with her entire school community, and wrote an article for her local news, announcing plans to safely collect change through curbside change drop-offs at school.

Despite the shift to virtual learning, and the school shut-down, students, families, and donors rallied to collect $2,732.41. 100% of this year’s change will be distributed to the following non-profit organizations:

Doctors Without Borders, Feeding America, Backpack Buddies, Winchester Rescue Mission, Great Harvest Warrington, and SOME (So Others Might Eat), all doing important work in this time of crisis.

Additionally, Zoe chose to designate her $2,500 HOT grant to the Caregiving Youth Project. AND, because the Founder of HOT was so moved by Zoe's reasoning behind her choice, HOT doubled its support in honor of Zoe, for a total of $5,000. Meanwhile, World of Change also granted $1,000 in undesignated change for FOOD support to Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP) for their work with Abraham House - at Zoe's direction and choosing.

In her nomination of Zoe, Kelly Johnson, Director of Enrollment at the Hill School states “While the funds she raised and work she did through WOC to benefit different organizations is admirable, it is more about what she inspires in others. She has helped create a culture where any child, no matter their age, knows that they can make a difference in someone’s life.”

We congratulate Zoe and thank her for inspiring us too!