NEWARK, Del., Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Empowered to Lead. Inspired to Serve. The start of a new school year marks the beginning of the fifth annual Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program. With an expected participation of more than one million middle and high school students from 3,500 schools and clubs across all 50 states, this highly recognized, free leadership curriculum brings classrooms to life by challenging students to work together to find and feed the need in their community.  The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program was created by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning and the Lift a Life Foundation, with assistance from the Yum! Brands Foundation.

Nation's Fastest-Growing Free Leadership Program Mobilizes One Million Students Across America to Lead and Serve in Their Communities.Leadership curriculum uses 21st century skills - collaboration, critical thinking, communications and creativity - to address community needs for the opportunity to win over $400,000 in prize grants. New Certified Schools and Youth Club honor announced.

Inspired and supported by David Novak, founder & CEO of OGO (O Great One!) Enterprises, and co-founder, former executive chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, Inc., Lead2Feed helps fill a gap in middle and high school education with innovative leadership lessons. Since the program's inception in 2012, more than one million student members have put their leadership skills to work, volunteering a million hours of service, providing nearly three million meals and hosting thousands of charity events to address specific community and global needs.

"Lead2Feed empowers students to become leaders and make big things happen in their community.  Every year I'm inspired to see these students form teams, set a big goal, and create and execute a plan," said David Novak. "Teaching people to lead is an invaluable skill that is lacking in academic curriculum today. The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program helps fill this gap in middle and high school education and is making the world a better place for generations to come."

Teachers/Advisors can register their student teams for the Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program and enter the Lead2Feed Challenge online at www.lead2feed.org. By working through the Lead2Feed lessons, students will select a community needs project, partner with a non-profit 501c3 and compete for a chance to win over $275,000 in charity grants and $170,000 in technology for schools and clubs.

"Feeding young minds and local community groups in need are all part of this remarkable leadership program where students enhance their literacy competencies and use 21st century skills - collaboration, critical thinking, communication and innovation - to hone their leadership talents and to benefit local nonprofits," said Diane Barrett, Executive Director of the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning, Inc. "This program has shown record-breaking growth over the past four years and we are excited to shape the leaders of tomorrow to feed the needs in their community."

As a result of active participation from schools and youth clubs across the United States, the following have earned the Lead2Feed Certified School honor in recognition for their inspiring community service work and impressive demonstrations of leadership:

  • Atlanta High School, Atlanta, Louisiana
  • Bagdad Unified School District, Bagdad, Arizona
  • Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Chicago, Illinois
  • Design and Architecture Senior High, Miami, Florida
  • Eisenhower High School, Lawton, Oklahoma
  • First Colonial High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • Flagami Elementary School, Miami, Florida
  • George Washington High School, Illinois
  • Glasgow High School, Newark, Delaware
  • Grassfield High School, Chesapeake, Virginia
  • Menchville High School, Newport News, Virginia
  • Mercy Academy, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Odessa High School, Odessa, Washington
  • Port Chester Middle School, Port Chester, New York
  • Seneca High School, Louisville, Kentucky
  • The Harbour School, Baltimore, Maryland
  • The Walter Damrosch School, Bronx, New York
  • Winton Woods Middle School, Cincinnati, Ohio

To qualify to be a Lead2Feed Certified School, schools and youth clubs must participate in Lead2Feed for two or more years with a minimum of two teachers registered. Schools and youth clubs must also actively participate by completing and submitting a leadership project, and acquire a signed confirmation from the principal or youth director.

To watch the action, get involved and learn more, follow Lead2Feed:

  • Web: http://www.lead2feed.org
  • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lead2Feed
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeadtoFeed  
  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/leadtofeed
  • Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/leadtofeed/
  • Teachers share their passion: http://www.lead2feed.org/testimonials/

Complete rules and details on the Lead2Feed Challenge are available at: http://www.lead2feed.org/how-to-participate/project-submission-rules/

About Lead2Feed
The Lead2Feed Student Leadership Program was created by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning and the Lift a Life Foundation, with assistance from the Yum! Brands Foundation, to encourage middle and high school students to hone leadership skills through a robust curriculum and by completing a service project around a community need involving a public nonprofit 501(c)(3).

About Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning
 The Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning (FILL), a 501(c)(3) organization, supports and builds alliances that enhance innovative, instructional programs and community outreach by providing the resources to promote new opportunities and participation. FILL is a supporting organization to the International Literacy Association. The foundation welcomes participation in efforts to engage, enlighten and inspire today's students and educators by opening their classrooms to the real world. The Foundation seeks funding from other foundations, private companies and organizations to help provide educational programs for elementary and secondary schools, community colleges and/or programs in specific disciplines or curriculum areas. The Foundation works with interested parties to collaborate on the creation of an educational program that promotes literacy and learning.

About Lift a Life Foundation
 The Lift a Life Foundation was established in 1999 by David and Wendy Novak. The mission of the Lift a Life Foundation is to lead the way with innovative programs that help people in need and develop future leaders. The Foundation focuses on creative partnerships that make a lasting impact in the primary areas of hunger relief, early childhood education, juvenile diabetes, military family support and leadership development. Since Lift a Life Foundation began, it has helped thousands of people in need through grants and programming support.  A renowned expert on leadership and recognition culture, David Novak, founder & CEO of OGO (O Great One!) Enterprises, and co-founder, former executive chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, Inc.,  is the author of three highly respected and critically acclaimed books, The Education of an Accidental CEO, the New York Times bestseller Taking People With You as well as his latest parable, O GREAT ONE! A LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE AWESOME POWER OF RECOGNITION.  He has been recognized as "2012 CEO of the Year" by Chief Executive magazine, one of the world's "30 Best CEOs" by Barron's, one of the "Top People in Business" by FORTUNE and one of the "100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World" by Harvard Business Review. In April 2015, he received the prestigious 2015 Horatio Alger Award for his commitment to philanthropy and higher education and became a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. He is the recipient of the 2012 UN World Food Program Leadership Award for Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief effort that raises awareness, volunteerism and funds to address this global problem. He received the national 2008 Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.
Wendy Novak serves as a member of the advisory board at the Wendy Novak Diabetes Care Center. She has a master's degree in social work from Columbia University.

About Yum! Brands, Inc.
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has nearly 43,000 restaurants in almost 140 countries and territories. Yum! Brands is ranked #218 on the Fortune 500 List with revenues of over $13 billion in 2015 and is one of the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in North America. The Company's restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Worldwide, the Yum! Brands system opens over six new restaurants per day on average, making it a leader in international retail development.

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