Kenan Social Engagement Program:
Empowering students to be community changemakers

The Kenan Social Engagement Scholarship Program provides scholarships and seed funding to Wilkes Honors College students who learn about social entrepreneurship and write business plans to start their own social enterprises. The program is designed to educate students in the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship; help them develop plans for addressing a pressing social need; and assist them in partnering with nonprofit organizations. 

Students in the program also complete twenty hours of academic service learning with a community partner. So far, the Kenan Social Engagement Program has partnered with: El Sol, Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center, The Lord’s Place, The Palm Beach County Food Bank, The Town of Jupiter, Easterseals Florida, Mind and Melody, Path to College, and Quantum House.

Some of the social ventures initiated by Wilkes Honors College students in this program include:

  • Daisy: is a nonprofit organization that aims to facilitate the donation of feminine hygiene products to homeless and at-risk women by selling “period kits” to shelters or homeless resource centers.
  • BookMe: an app that helps non-profit organizations to leverage their resources for good by providing a platform for resource sharing across organizations and businesses.
  • Zito Equestrian: a horse-boarding business that provides equine therapy for children and adults with special needs while also rescuing and rehabilitating horses from the equestrian community.
  • Joshua Landscaping: a landscaping business employing formerly homeless individuals at The Lord’s Place.
  • Let it Rot: A food-recycling program that turns food waste into high-quality fertilizer using vermiculture.
  • Mind and Melody: a 501(c) (3) organization that utilizes novel music programs at healthcare facilities, nursing homes, day centers, and assisted living facilities to improve the quality of life for individuals with and without neurological impairments like dementia.
  • Thyme for Tikes: An after-school cooking program in collaboration with the Palm Beach County Food Bank that provides fresh food to kids at the Edna Runner Tutorial Center and teaches them about healthy eating. 

Kenan Profiles

KASSANDRA LIBURD ‘25

kassandra liburd

Kassandra Liburd received $2500.00 in start-up funding for her plan to initiate the Sign and Shine Community Program to empower and enrich the lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and their families through inclusive, accessible programs, fostering community connections, personal growth, and lifelong learning in a supportive environment. Reflecting on the program, Kassandra explained that “the scholarship and grant is helping me build the foundation I needed to create a community that I wish I had when I was younger. I joined the program unsure of my post-secondary career. I now feel I have found my career and I am able to become successful.” 
ava pitts

AVA PITTS ‘24

Ava Pitts’ project, Enviro Hours is a nonprofit app that allows individuals to earn volunteer hours by removing trash from the environment. Designed with accessibility in mind, it offers students, especially those from lower-income communities, a flexible way to fulfill volunteer hour requirements for scholarships and higher education. By simply stepping outside and uploading photos of their environmental cleanup efforts, users can contribute to a cleaner, greener planet while building a brighter future for themselves. Enviro Hours makes community service more inclusive, sustainable, and impactful.

"Entrepreneurship and a deep passion for environmental conservation have always been close to my heart. Receiving the Kenan Award empowered me to launch a social venture that brings these two passions together—allowing me to pursue my goals while making a positive impact on both people and the planet.“ Ava graduated in May of 2025 with a B.S in Biological and Physical Sciences with a concentration in Marine Biology. “Apart from my social venture, I have a passion for studying and working with marine mammals, as I will be at the University of Miami this fall to pursue my master’s degree in marine mammal science.”

Matthew Pacheco '22 Matthew Pacheco

Matthew Pacheco received $2,500 in startup funding for his team’s venture, “Tutor it Forward.” “Tutor it Forward” is a one-for-one tutoring service that exists to democratize tutoring and break the long-lasting impacts of poverty on students in Palm Beach County. After graduation Matthew was hired as a research associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Matthew had this to say regarding the Kenan Program, “participating in the Kenan Program made a lasting impact on the way I approach community engagement. Learning from true community leaders like Dr. Steigenga and Dr. Strain helped me understand that global impact begins at the local scale.”

Elizabeth Pino '21elizabeth pino

Kenan Scholar

Elizabeth Pino and Sarah Hemmen (not pictured) co-founded, Princesses Against Cancer, a costumed character party company designed to bring smiles to children fighting disease. Volunteers dress as beloved characters, including Disney princesses, visit children in hospitals and other care facilities to lift their spirits and make them feel like royalty. This service is provided at no cost to the kids or their families. “We aim to bring a smile in the face of adversity,” said Elizabeth, “because no family, no child, should have to fight for their life alone.”

A 501(c)(3) organization, Princesses Against Cancer has traditionally used charitable donations and fundraising to support its mission. However, through the Kenan Program, this unique nonprofit is beginning to explore a one-for-one model, using birthday parties for healthy kids to fund hospital visits for sick kids. In this way, Princesses Against Cancer brings joy not only to paying clients but also to children and families who, feeling the financial stress of chronic illness and long-term hospital stays, might not be able to afford such a party.
Amanda Barstow

Amanda Barstow ‘20

Kenan Scholar and $5,000 winner of FAU Business Plan Competition

Amanda Barstow received a seed grant to launch her social enterprise, Daisy, which is designed to provide feminine hygiene products to at-risk clients, particularly homeless women.
 “I have always been interested in doing something that could address one of the many social problems facing women” said Barstow.  “Through the Kenan Social Engagement program, I was able to learn more about how social ventures can both do well and do good.” Structured as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Daisy facilitates the donation of feminine hygiene products from corporate sponsors to provide comprehensive “period kits” to organizations that typically serve these women-in-need such as homeless resource centers, food pantries, and domestic violence shelters.  
David Groski

David Gorski  ‘19

Kenan Scholar and $10,000 winner of FAU Business Plan Competition

David Gorski’s social venture, Life-Metrics: a mobile app platform that establishes quantitative connections between health/usage data and psychological/physical well-being.  By bringing together a wealth of data already available with cutting-edge machine learning, Life-Metrics aims to create a world in which we all know precisely how our habits affect our lives. “It feels great knowing that people believe in my vision,” Gorski said. “A lot of the work of an entrepreneur is long nights without much direct reward so it’s great to see people, especially other professionals and entrepreneurs, respond so positively to your work.
R.J. Muniz

R.J. Muniz '18

“The Kenan program accelerated the trajectory of my social venture [Southpaw Prince]. I came into the Kenan program with a passion for sports and helping children, and I left the program with a sustainable social enterprise that will now be able to make a genuine impact in the local community.

Details of the Scholarship:

All applicants will be required to complete a three-credit course in social entrepreneurship (IDS 3932: Honors Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry Seminar: Social Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship) during the Fall semester during which they will write a business plan for a social venture. Up to three students will be awarded scholarships based on their business plans. After scholarships are awarded, students will register for a 1-credit Directed Independent Study on social entrepreneurship during which they will implement their business plans; report on the projects; and develop an ongoing, sustainable plan for continuation of their social ventures. Each student may receive:

  • $1000/ per semester in scholarship money which is stackable with existing HC scholarship awards(renewable as noted above)
  • (Students receiving the Flagler, Cornell or other full scholarship cannot stack this part of the award).
  • $2500 in seed money to initiate a service project proposed by the student;

Proposals from qualified students will be reviewed and one may be selected to receive a $10,000 seed grant (rather than $2500) for the project deemed most likely to make a positive and sustainable difference in the community. Further details of the program are outlined in the application. 

 

Applicants/Recipients Must:

  • Be a full-time Wilkes Honors College student in good standing who has a minimum of two years remaining at the Wilkes Honors College at the time of application; Provide evidence of relevant skills (computer skills, website development, fundraising experience, etc.);
  • Provide evidence of a commitment to community service and an interest in social entrepreneurship;
  • Achieve and maintain a cumulative Wilkes Honors College GPA of 3.25 or above; Submit scholarship application and supportive materials to Dr. Strain and Dr. Steigenga prior to the application deadline.
  • Take IDS 3932 Honors Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry Seminar: Social Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship with Dr. Strain and Dr. Steigenga.

 

How to Apply

Simply fill out the application.

Register for IDS 3932: Honors Interdisciplinary Critical Inquiry Seminar: Social Entrepreneurship in the Fall Semester

For more information, please contact the co-directors of the program:
Dr. Timothy Steigenga (561.799.8610, HC 104)
Dr. Christopher Strain (561.799.8017, HC 103)

 

Application Requirements:

  • Completed and signed application form;
  • Official or unofficial transcripts of academic record for all college work attempted; At least one letter of recommendation that addresses the candidate s commitment to community service, critical thinking ability, work habits, and other relevant skills (the letter must be from someone who is not a member of the scholarship committee);
  • A resume detailing community service, employment history, academic achievements, skills and interests, and honors and awards;
  • A brief (not to exceed 500 words) essay detailing your interest in service;
  • A brief (not to exceed 500 words) explanation of unmet financial need.

 

About the Donor:

The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust was established in 1966 by a bequest from the estate of chemist and industrialist William R. Kenan, Jr. Learn more about the Kenan trust here.