The MPCF IS the Change!

Written by Alison Costa, Community Development Manager, Michael “Pinball” Clemons Foundation. 

In August 2009, the Michael “Pinball” Clemons Foundation’s (MPCF) co-founders Michael and Diane Clemons and Natasha Borota travelled to Kenya with Free the Children to take part in a school build thus meeting the community members and students of the Masaai Mara region. They were deeply impacted by their experience and a month after returning from this trip, MPCF made a significant commitment to raise funds to build 131 schools in a five-year time period. This announcement was met with awe, amazement and even a little disbelief by the Free the Children team.

That disbelief has been replaced with admiration as three years and three months later, not only has the goal been reached, it has been significantly surpassed. To date, funds have been raised to build the equivalent of over 150 schools through the Free the Children Adopt a Village Development Model. MPCF has through this fundraising initiative also helped to support clean water projects as well as a Free the Children supported orphanage in Haiti.

This donation will impact over 5000 students in five different countries and help give these children the right to an education. MPCF believes in tangible results and having visited Kenya and Haiti, personally witnessed first-hand how the students value their education and how motivated they are to learn. This solidifies our commitment. The first pillar of MPCF is education and we believe it is the catalyst to providing success and progress. Together with Free the Children we are “being the change”.