In 2006, eleven-year-old Megan Mahdi decided to focus her love of competitive figure skating as a means to raise money for children. Project Joy, a skate-a-thon fundraiser securing pledges for laps skated was founded to support Olive Crest, a group that offers programs and services to treat and prevent child abuse. Project Joy raised $3,300 for Olive Crest the first year, collecting 45 pledges. Megan and her younger sister skated 276 laps between them. In 2007, Megan expanded the event by inviting 23 girls to join her and her sister. She also offered a point of sale program and enrolled in a web design course to create a website to publicize the event. Smile Train, an international organization that provides free cleft palate surgery for poor children in developing countries, was included as a second beneficiary. The event was renamed ‘Skate for Joy’ and raised $27,000 for Olive Crest and Smile Train with over 3,500 laps completed. In 2009 the event raised $29,000. In four years, Ms. Mahdi and Project Joy have raised over $86,000 to benefit children in need. “The potential impact to be made on behalf of children of the world by Megan Mahdi is immeasurable,” says Tina Fuertes of Olive Crest.