Student Education Initiative Fund
When student curiosity and interest evolve into projects, it exemplifies the phrase “education is at its best when the learner initiates the learning process.” This fund will provide the resources to support student initiated academic projects that go beyond the curricular resources of our schools. It will support student initiative in the pursuit of their intellectual and personal growth and development.
Cassandra
The Westerly Innovations Network (WIN) Team is a student-led service organization which was founded in 2003 to tackle problems in the area to help our community. WEEF sponsored the team in 2005, when they examined the problem of how to recycle e-waste in Westerly. In 2008, the Junior WIN Team was established, with Cassandra Lin as a driving force behind its success. Cassandra’s story is an inspiration to all, and WEEF is pleased to have been able to partially fund one of Cassandra’s great initiatives in 2009. Here is her story.
Cassandra Lin loved the YouTube story about a young boy from Malawi who created windmills out of bicycle parts to generate electricity for his village. It was a story that inspired her to go on to create an award-winning recycling program that generates fuel for the needy in the Westerly community.
Her recycling program, called Project T.G.I.F. (Turn Grease into Fuel), encourages residents to bring their used cooking oil to the town transfer station to be
recycled. There, a contractor picks it up, along with other grease from local restaurants that also donate oil to the program. A biodiesel company then processes it into biodiesel fuel. All of the team’s proceeds are donated to help heat the homes of needy people in Westerly. To make it work, Cassandra and a team of classmates educated themselves about the biodiesel refining process and took to the streets to raise awareness about its benefits to the environment.
In 2009, WEEF partially sponsored Cassandra Lin and the Westerly Innovations Network Junior Team to go to the Community Problem Solving Conference at Michigan State University to present Project T.G.I.F. There, the five middle-schoolers found themselves amongst college student exhibitors from illustrious colleges such as Brown, MIT and Northwest Universities.
Since that time, T.G.I.F has been able to donate 21,000 gallons of BioHeat which has been used to heat 210 homes of local families in need. They have expanded their program to local communities outside of Westerly and have won various awards, one of which included a trip to the White House. Project T.G.I.F. has been recognized nationally and globally, and has put the town of Westerly on the map.
Cassandra and her teammates exemplify the phrase “education is at its best when the learner initiates the learning process.” Grant proposals from student initiatives such as the Westerly Innovations Team and the Junior WIN Team are always met with excitement at WEEF. Funding for projects like these cannot happen without your help. Please consider making a donation to WEEF so that we may provide more support to far-reaching initiatives like these. Your donation supports a vibrant future in the hands of students like Cassandra Lin.
Cassandra Lin loved the YouTube story about a young boy from Malawi who created windmills out of bicycle parts to generate electricity for his village. It was a story that inspired her to go on to create an award-winning recycling program that generates fuel for the needy in the Westerly community.
Her recycling program, called Project T.G.I.F. (Turn Grease into Fuel), encourages residents to bring their used cooking oil to the town transfer station to be
recycled. There, a contractor picks it up, along with other grease from local restaurants that also donate oil to the program. A biodiesel company then processes it into biodiesel fuel. All of the team’s proceeds are donated to help heat the homes of needy people in Westerly. To make it work, Cassandra and a team of classmates educated themselves about the biodiesel refining process and took to the streets to raise awareness about its benefits to the environment.
In 2009, WEEF partially sponsored Cassandra Lin and the Westerly Innovations Network Junior Team to go to the Community Problem Solving Conference at Michigan State University to present Project T.G.I.F. There, the five middle-schoolers found themselves amongst college student exhibitors from illustrious colleges such as Brown, MIT and Northwest Universities.
Since that time, T.G.I.F has been able to donate 21,000 gallons of BioHeat which has been used to heat 210 homes of local families in need. They have expanded their program to local communities outside of Westerly and have won various awards, one of which included a trip to the White House. Project T.G.I.F. has been recognized nationally and globally, and has put the town of Westerly on the map.
Cassandra and her teammates exemplify the phrase “education is at its best when the learner initiates the learning process.” Grant proposals from student initiatives such as the Westerly Innovations Team and the Junior WIN Team are always met with excitement at WEEF. Funding for projects like these cannot happen without your help. Please consider making a donation to WEEF so that we may provide more support to far-reaching initiatives like these. Your donation supports a vibrant future in the hands of students like Cassandra Lin.
