When Penn Manor world history teacher Donna Brady challenged her students to give back to the community, they decided to build an ark.

Penn Manor's Young Humanitarian League raised $5,000 and used the money to purchase an "ark" of animals for Heifer International, an organization that sends livestock to impoverished areas around the globe.

It all started in world history class.

Brady had been teaching her students about poverty in Asia and Africa when she mentioned Heifer International.

She challenged her students to raise $120 for a goat, but "they kind of went for the biggest challenge they could find," Brady said. "They knocked my socks off!"

Students held a variety of fundraisers, including a sub sale, a goldfish toss, a concession stand at the school's Winter Fun Day and pony rides during Spring Fling, where one student volunteered her horses for the event.

"I was really astounded and extremely proud of them," Brady said. "They just constantly were willing to volunteer hours. They came through again and again, very dedicated to the project."

In fact, they were so dedicated that after the school year ended in 2009, Will Shipley and several other students formed the Young Humanitarian League to continue raising money for the ark.

Brady became the club's adviser, and Shipley became its first president.

"It gives us a kind of chance to identify with people all around the world and just help those that are less fortunate than we are," Shipley said.

The recent Penn Manor graduate plans to attend Vanderbilt University this fall to major in biomedical engineering.

Shipley said he hopes to continue humanitarian efforts in college and said that helping others is "very much" a passion of his.

After the students finished raising the $5,000 this spring for the Heifer International ark, they presented a check to Norma Good, area volunteer coordinator for Heifer International, and in turn received a plaque for their efforts.

"I was thrilled to hear that they're doing something like this, that world history is teaching kids to be aware of the needs of other people in the world," said Good, herself a graduate of Penn Manor.

Good said that the ark the students funded includes two of each animal sponsored by Heifer International.

The animals will be sent to different areas of the world, where appropriate.

"Heifer never feels a project is successful until the people are self-sufficient," Good said.

She said recipients of the donated livestock are taught to care for the animals and use their multiple products, as well as how to market the products that the animals yield.

"We relied really heavily on a lot of people who donated to the project and to the club," Shipley said.

One young man in particular fits this description.

Cody Diehl read in the school newspaper about the world history students' project.

"I had some money sitting around at home that I was going to invest in Heifer Intentional myself," said 16-year-old Cody, who was a high school freshman at the time.

He decided to give $500 to the club, which he promptly joined and will serve as president this fall.

"We're hoping as a club to keep helping Heifer (International) with small projects," said Cody, now a rising junior at Penn Manor.

He said that the club is looking into working with Kiva, a global organization that works to establish loans for impoverished citizens overseas to start business ventures.

Most of the founding members of Penn Manor's Young Humanitarian League have graduated, but the club, born almost two years ago, lives on.

"I just hope that they carry on the work that we've started these last couple of years," Shipley said of his successors. "I hope this is something that is passed down from year to year to year and we can educate a lot of people."

tbundy@lnpnews.com