Raising money for Challenge Day
Help one more school feel less alone.
Challenge Day is a daylong experiential workshop for 7th to 12th graders. Participants experience powerful love and belonging, and connect across lines of difference. We raise money so that more schools can bring it to their students.
What students said this year
- 87%felt less alone
- 89%felt better connected to peers and adults at school
- 74%felt empowered to create change
- 91%were more welcoming of people unlike them
- 1,225,000+ students and adults reached
- 2,700 schools served on five continents
- 1987 the year Yvonne and Rich Dutra-St. John began
This is not a typical school day
Challenge Day gives students a chance to get past the version of each other they normally see at school. Friends become closer. People they thought they had figured out surprise them. Someone they had barely spoken to becomes someone they understand and respect.
- You actually laugh
- You get real
- You’re not alone
- You find your voice
See it for yourself
“I’m not kidding when I say it. This is how we change the world.”
“In my 30 years of teaching, I can honestly say I have never felt so moved by a school event.”
A day like this has a price. Many schools can’t cover it alone.
Challenge Day lists a program day at $6,000 for up to 100 students, plus travel. That works out to about $60 a student. Schools often piece that together from grants, local businesses and family fundraisers.
Gifts go to the Challenge Day Fund, which raises money to deliver Challenge Day to schools in need, including schools with high free and reduced lunch rates.
Based on Challenge Day’s published pricing for the 2024–25 school year.
More ways to help
Ask your employer
Many companies match charitable gifts. It can double what you give.
Spread the word
Send this page to a parent, teacher or local business that cares about kids.
Bring it to a school
Know a school that could use this? Start with Challenge Day.