When sophomore Andrew Bober returned from a service trip to the Dominican Republic, he immediately knew he wanted to help the people he met there, and thus the 7elements club was formed.

The 7elements club, created by Bober and junior Matt Heller is an extension of the Dominican Republic based, non-government organization of the same name. According to the organization’s website, the group “provides end-to-end sustainable solutions for the most in need communities of the Dominican Republic, Peru, Haiti and Belize.”

During his time there, Bober helped build schools using reusable water bottles. For Bober, it was an “enjoyable experience and I wanted to bring that here.”

The organization that send Bober to the Dominican Republic was called the Global Leadership Adventures. The Global Leadership Adventures says they, “operates summer volunteer programs for high school students, exclusively in authentic, non-tourist communities.”

“I saw on their websites they were opening chapters, so that’s when I brought the idea up to Matt Heller and started the club together,” Bober said on what he did when he came back to Glen Rock.

Bober recruited Junior Matt Heller as co-president and Latin teacher Mr. Montalbano as club adviser.  The school club is currently in communication with the 7elements team.

The club will focus on “learning about sustainable solutions to global issues and helping humanitarian crises,” Heller said.

The club is currently in its trial period, which will be about a year, until Principal John Arlotta can approve the club. To be approved Arlotta must see that the two have consistent interest in the club.

The end goal for the club is to get enough support to take members on a service trip to the Dominican Republic. The club has had three meetings with around 15 new faces showing up each time. Bober hopes to get enough support, ideally, at the end of Heller’s senior year.