Influencing the Youth of Today to be Leaders of Global Paint Tomorrow.

Global Paint for Charity (GPC) is a nonprofit, social enterprise whose program is designed to relocate old resources and support underserved communities in a self-sustainable way. One way that Rony Delgarde, CEO and founder of Global Paint, secures the organization’s success and viability is by inspiring and influencing young minds. GPC understands the importance of younger generations and their involvement. They can introduce new and innovative ideas while ensuring that an organization’s mission stays relevant. These are generations that aid enterprises and companies, like Global Paint, to keep going, allowing them to outlast their founders’ lifetime. 

In 2018, Delgarde visited Milton High School in Milton, Georgia where he was the guest speaker for the school’s Social Innovators Academy program. At the event, Rony talked about Global Paint and the impact the organization has had on individuals, communities, and the environment. Motivated by GPC’s versatile nature, two young girls decided to approach Delgarde after the CEO completed his presentation. With the idea of organizing and hosting a paint drive for their social innovation project, Harshita Challa and Catherine Gorman successfully planned and executed their school’s first drive in May 2019. 

Although the pandemic forced the two juniors to cancel Milton’s 2020 donation drive, Harshita and Catherine began preparing for their school’s second annual drive in January 2021. The drive took place on April 25th, 2021, and it proved to be a huge success. According to the two students, the safety of the donors and volunteers was preeminent. When planning for the event, Harshita and Catherine implemented all the necessary precautions and minimized any close contact. Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, Milton residents donated a total of 1960 gallons of paint to GPC. The donations included 142 five gal. buckets, 1124 one gal. cans, and 506 quarts; and for every gallon donated, Milton volunteers raised $1 to support Global Paint’s mission.  

Both Harshita and Catherine indicated that the drive’s success heavily derived from the involvement of their school and their community. One thing they highlighted was the amount of advertisement that took place to promote the paint drive. The juniors relied on social media, fliers, and the support of GPC, local businesses, and Milton High School to get the word out. “We received a lot of help from our community – both during the planning and during the paint drive,” Harshita informed Global Paint. “One thing that I found really cool was that some people would just give us a $100 bill to donate like it wasn’t a $100. Mr. Delgarde mentioned it, but it was still something really nice to see. It truly showed how giving people can be.”

Once the pandemic is under control, Harshita and Catherine are looking into expanding the paint drive to other high schools. While the juniors are graduating next year, Catherine stated that the two girls plan on continuing to work with GPC. Both juniors are passionate about helping people, and Global Paint hopes to nurture and cultivate that passion whether it benefits Global Paint for Charity or another organization. Global Paint’s objective is to help underserved communities by bringing color to their homes and cities. Its mission is to change the world, so it is paramount that the organization inspires students like Harshita Challa and Catherine Gorman to understand their responsibilities towards the people in need and the environment.    

At Global Paint for Charity, we want people to thrive in a colorful world that promotes healthy and sustainable communities. To stay up to date on what is next for Global Paint or to learn more about how you can host your own paint drive, visit us at  https://www.globalpaints.org/organize/ or contact us at 1 (855) 853-7772 or at info@globalpaints.org.