When John Drake ’74 shares his story about founding The Lingap Center, an emergency shelter for Filipino children, many listeners want to help by visiting the center or offering humanitarian aid to the 100 children who live there. But Drake said he doesn’t primarily need volunteers or donated T-shirts.
Drake visited Hillsdale College last Nov. 21 and told his story to a room of students as a program sponsored by Students In Free Enterprise. The Lingap Center was started in 2006 as a response to the mistreatment and suffering of children who Drake observed while travelling on business.
“In the Philippines I noticed a lot of things that didn’t make sense to me,” Drake said. “I wondered how anyone could put this together and have it make sense. I’m not sure I could.”
Drake said the shelters primary need is money to fund their different programs.
“We don’t need a clothing drive, or winter coats. We need money, specifically for the food and education budgets,” he said. “We need to find ways to appeal to a broader market.”
The Lingap Center was Drake’s response to the everyday tragedies he observed like children lying on street corners, so close to the curb that tires were just missing them. The Center opened in 2006 and soon reached its full capacity of 100 residents. It is a home for children who are orphans or whose home life is abusive. The Center primarily seeks to give the children food, shelter, and education. The Center also holds community outreaches such as a children’s mass.
For the last few years, SIFE has worked to help Drake with his project but this year they are launching a new initiative that they hope will make a positive and noticeable impact on Drake’s work.
Junior Deborah Howe, initiative director for The International Outreach Initiative, said Drake expressed a need for help in donor management and in social media as a way to reach new donors.
“We will be working to help his advertising and make it more current,” Howe said. “He has a very well-done website, but he’s not active on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube and he doesn’t have the time to figure out all of those outlets.”
Howe said the group will work on projects such as advertising videos, presenting the project effectively, and growing his cash donations.
Drake especially wants to express to donors his primary need for money instead of material donations or visits.
Executive Director of Career Services Michael Murray believes this is a great opportunity to not only help a man who has demonstrated the power in how someone can make a difference in the world, but also as a way to develop a business skillset.
“Mr. Drake has a donor management or administrative need in terms of how they interface and interact with people who want to support the center,” Murray said. “Their biggest need is money, but how do you help people understand that is the best way they can support the center without turning them off to the project altogether?”
Murray said this project has value in itself, but it is also a great way for students to gain business-type experience and to work on a project that will allow them to accomplish great things for The Lingap Center.
This project is long-term, but Howe hopes that the results will be measurable in a few years.
“We expect to have the number of website visits to increase through our social media efforts,” she said. “And as a result of new donor management, we hope to see the cash donations go up as well.”
