Sophomore chose charity before college

By Sarah Clise

Community service is an undeniable facet of life at Santa Clara, an institution which strives to help the greater community.

This is a concept that has not been lost on sophomore Grace Nixon. Nixon embraced the Santa Clara value of thinking globally and acting locally before she even arrived.

A ceaseless cheerleader for the human spirit, Nixon took a year off after graduating high school, postponing college to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

From a young age, Nixon's desire to help others and her enthusiasm toward life attracted her to the career of motivational speaking.

As a high school senior from Rapid City, South Dakota, Nixon got involved with Habitat for Humanity by way of Mark Victor Hansen, one of her heroes. Hansen is a celebrated keynote speaker, as well as the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series. "He has done so much good for so many people, and he does what I want to do so well," Nixon said.

While attending one of his conferences during her senior year of high school, Nixon had the opportunity to meet Hansen.

When they met, Hansen challenged her to raise $2,000 for Habitat for Humanity International, a charity that he strongly supports.

By the third day of the conference, Nixon's enthusiasm about the project caused Hansen to up the challenge to $100,000. "He dreams big and encourages others to do the same," said Nixon, who eagerly accepted his challenge.

Nixon worked collaboratively with her sister, Leah, to create The Ladybug Ladies, the official name of her campaign.

"Our dad is a gardening fanatic, so we grew up with ladybugs. There can be a rosebush filled with aphids, but release just a few ladybugs onto it and they will take care of it," said Nixon. "We were just two little teenagers in the big garden of our community, and we were able to enlist the help of other 'ladybugs' to help us with our cause."

The biggest financial boost came from American Eagle, when they won a competition called Live Your Life that was sponsored by the clothing store.

The contest, which sought to help ambitious teenagers achieve their dreams, awarded The Ladybug Ladies $25,000 for their campaign, a shopping spree, a party in New York City and recognition on the American Eagle Web site.

One would think that winning that competition would be highlight of the year-long campaign. But Nixon cites meeting the founder of Habitat for Humanity International, Millard Fuller, as being even more exciting, while receiving recognition at a state banquet for Habitat for Humanity.

But Nixon's campaign was no easy task.

Graduating at the top of her class, Nixon admitted that her decision to hold off on college came as a surprise to her classmates. However, she remained undaunted.

"I was burned out from high school," she said, "I worked so hard, and I needed that break so much."

Throughout her efforts, Nixon faced some rejection. "The hardest part (especially in the beginning) was asking for donations from family or friends and then not getting responses from some of them -- especially those who could obviously afford it," Nixon said in a follow up e-mail.

But this apathy couldn't hinder Nixon's progress.

"I had to come to a realization that there are many variables that could affect their giving -- perhaps they already gave a huge amount to another worthy organization," she said.

"After a while, I just learned to let that go -- if someone said 'no' or didn't respond to a fundraising speech or letter, I just moved on to the next person, confident that there were plenty of people who would be willing to give."

Her ability to maintain a positive attitude ultimately led to the realization of her goal. In the year she took off from school, Nixon succeeded in raising more than $100,000.

All the money raised went directly into her own South Dakota community. The money was spread out into the building of six different homes, benefiting 17 children.

Nixon's connection to the cause is even closer to her heart due to the fact that her best friend lives in a Habitat House.

"Habitat for Humanity provides decent, affordable housing for needy families who wouldn't have a place to call home without the program," said Nixon.

Her generosity, boundless enthusiasm, and positive attitude left six families grateful that she waited a year before coming to Santa Clara.

Contact Sarah Clise at (408) 551-1918 or sclise@scu.edu.