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KNOXVILLE, Friday, October 23, 2020 – Running their own investment fund . . . in high school? Members of Webb School of Knoxville’s student-driven Philanthropic Investment Group (PIG) club are doing just that, and this Tuesday, October 27 at 4 p.m., Webb’s PIG students will present a check for $1,000 – part of the PIG club’s latest investment profits – to the Haslam Family Club University branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
Webb’s PIG, which launched in fall 2019, is the brainchild of Webb senior Crawford Hovis who, along with classmates and fellow club leaders Sam Beall, Eli Mayes and Harrison McCollum, approached Webb School President Michael McBrien with the idea of starting an Upper School investment club that would help to make a difference in the lives of others while providing students with real-world skills and experience.
“We started PIG out of a desire to support our local, national and global communities, and to provide Webb students with a program to learn about business, finance and economics,” says Hovis. “We felt that it was important for Webb students to have the opportunity to give back to their community and to learn while doing so.”
The student investment group, which boasts more than 75 Webb Upper School students, manages a real financial portfolio, including the researching, buying and selling of stocks. Members can become voting partners with an investment of $25 or more and/or by participating in a series of fundraising efforts. Any PIG member can pitch stock options and the voting partners then vote to buy or sell.
“At our meetings, we discuss the current status of our investments, present new trade ideas, and, most importantly, consider where we could donate next,” Hovis explains. “When a trade or donation has been proposed and discussed, we vote to determine whether or not we will execute a transaction or make a donation.”
Tuesday’s donation to the Boys & Girls Club represents part of PIG’s second round of investment profits. In February 2020, inspired by Webb teachers Beth Meyer and Frances Seiler’s story of hope and selflessness that involved Meyer donating her kidney to Seiler, the club gave its inaugural earnings through trade to the American Kidney Fund in the teachers’ honor.
Hovis notes that the decision to give to the Boys & Girls Club this fall holds special significance for the PIG members, as many of the students have had connections to Boys & Girls since Middle School through Webb School’s volunteer initiatives, including a student tutoring program at the Club and hosting parties for the Club’s children. “Having seen the Boys & Girls Club’s impressive and important work firsthand,” say Hovis, “we felt moved to support the Club during this difficult and uncertain time for many of its members.”
While so much has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philanthropic Investment Group’s commitment to helping those in need remains unwavering. “Our primary goal remains to support our communities, and our zeal for achieving this goal has only grown during this pandemic,” Hovis remarks. “We were able to maintain significant returns during the past months of market uncertainty, and we will continue to donate these profits to causes that inspire us.”
McBrien, who serves as the PIG club advisor, says he is proud of what PIG has accomplished. “There is no greater good that young people can do than to reach out and give unconditionally to others who are in need,” he says.
“These students understand and embrace the true definition of philanthropy – goodwill to others, an act or gift made for humanitarian purposes. It gives me great hope for our future, knowing that it lies in the hands of individuals like the members of our PIG club.”
ABOUT WEBB SCHOOL OF KNOXVILLE: Webb School of Knoxville was ranked No. 1 for best private K-12 school, best high school for STEM, best private high school, and best college prep private high school in both the Knoxville area and Knox County by Niche.com for 2020, and ranked among the top ten for best private K-12 schools in Tennessee. Established in 1955, Webb School is a Pre-K through 12th grade independent, coeducational day school. Webb School is the only private, independent Pre-K – 12th grade school within a 100-mile radius of Knox County. For more information, visit webbschool.org.
