Penn One for the World branch hosts Spikeball tournament outside NCHW

On April 2, the Penn branch of One for the World — a global nonprofit that aims to end extreme poverty — hosted a Spikeball tournament on the green in front of New College House West. 

The group set up six different Spikeball nets out on the grass for the event, which cost $5 to register for. The prize for the winner was 50% of the proceeds, while the other half went to organizations such as the Against Malaria Foundation, GiveDirectly, and Evidence Action. 

One for the World, which uses “simple, cost-effective interventions” to work toward ending global poverty, centers around the idea that if more people donated small amounts of money to charity, the world would be much better off.

Penn's branch specifically focuses on encouraging students to pledge that once they graduate, they will give 1% of their income to charities that aid in eradicating global poverty. 

College first year Sanjana Patel, a member of One for the World's Penn branch, said that “we planned this whole tournament to bring awareness to One for the World and the whole club in general.”

“We work with this organization called Give Well which finds the top 16 best charities for people to donate their money to,” Patel said. “It is also just a great way for people to come out on a Saturday and have a great time. We know the weather was getting better and some people in the club love Spikeball, so it was a great way to get people out.”

The club — which has previously organized events such as a blood drive and a panel on career paths — has its mission statements and membership information on the Penn Clubs website.

College sophomore Alexander Tuller founded the Penn Roundnet Club, which organizes Spikeball games. He participated in the tournament and said that he enjoyed his experience. 

"I saw the tournament and thought it would be a good time, and it’s for a good cause," he said.