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On a Jamaica trip, Clare Murphy, Jorge Perez, and Charlie Weir, seniors, and Natalie Ceelen, junior, gather with their new friends.

In Riverton, Jamaica and many other parts of the world, people and families are living off of just $10 a day. That might account for a meal at a restaurant or a few coffee drinks in a suburban area, but for many people, $10 is all they have to spend for the day. These resilient people often work in unsafe conditions for long hours for this small sum of money. Currently, 6 billion people in the world live on this minimal amount each day.

This is why Pivotal Directions is working to make a difference.

Pivotal Directions, an organization founded by Jeff Wenzler, is dedicated to offering students international and domestic service and team building opportunities in impoverished areas and local leadership training. It aims to recognize the importance of helping those in need, build character, and help young participants gain perspective. In the process, many students also return with incredible memories and lifelong friendships. “The purpose is to provide inspiring programs for youth to reach beyond their comfort zone and learn about servant leadership,” Wenzler said.

This organization offers international service trips for teens and adults to Jamaica and Guatemala, which many students have participated in. “Getting the chance to go to Kingston, Jamaica with Pivotal Directions was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I feel like my perspective on life has changed. I have never experienced so many smiles within such a short period of time. I came back with a greater appreciation and a more realistic view of the world,” Hannah Speich, junior, said. 

On these trips, students engage in cultural visits around the community to meet the people and families and work on a variety of projects in the area. For example, students participate in beautification projects, such as creating gardens or painting schools to establish a more hopeful environment. Volunteers also work with members of the community to take food to undernourished children and the elderly.

Many students partake in mentoring and tutoring children as well. “My favorite memory about Pivotal Directions was when I first went to the orphanage in Spanish Town. There, I met a little boy named Curt and I hung out with him the entire time I was there. When we first met, Curt was very shy and wouldn’t want to play with any of the other kids. But after a while of playing with him and just spending time with him, he started to open up to me and the other kids. He was dancing and smiling and playing games. Curt’s transformation made me realize that what I was doing was making a difference in this world and it made me fall in love with service,” Natalie Ceelen, junior, said. 

Pivotal Directions also offers service leadership camps for middle schoolers and a mock Homeless Night to teach students about homelessness and help them step into someone else’s shoes.

Recently, Wenzler, along with two student volunteers, Ryan Anderson and Callie Donavan, senior, and her father, Keith Donavan, an Emmy-winning producer, created a documentary titled, the $10 Perspective which was chosen for the Sarasota Film Festival. The film captures parts of the service trips and people of the communities. “The film is meant to stir dialogue about the 80 percent of the globe that lives on less than $10 a day. Poverty does not define what it means to be human,” Wenzler explained.

These summer trips and camps have provided students with experiences like no other. Because of Pivotal Directions, students have gained perspective on the world and been encouraged to start the conversation about global poverty. “Pivotal Directions threw me in situations that I could never prepare for and taught me how to live life to the fullest. This special experience is something I will hold very near and dear to my heart forever. I’ve been so incredibly inspired by Pivotal Directions that I’m actually taking a year off school to do volunteer work!” Clare Murphy, senior, said.