By Joshua Hicks

Reporter Newspapers

As a teacher, Curtis Betzler is used to having a positive impact on those students in his care.

But Betzler, a particularly determined and compassionate man, has a vision that extends beyond his classroom.

The Beaver Lake Middle School teacher is hoping to reach the entire Issaquah and Sammamish educational community, the minds of local parents and business leaders, and resource-strapped students across the globe in Africa.

Betzler is the founder of Generation Joy, an organization that delivers educational supplies to impoverished areas of the world.

He is beginning with South Africa.

Generation Joy works with students to conduct a yearly humanitarian drive that collects items ranging from teddy bears and blankets to notebook paper.

The campaign starts with the youth volunteers, who give presentations to their peers at neighboring schools. It ends with students visiting South Africa to deliver the supplies in person.

Each year, a team of teens, parents and teachers flies overseas to help with the program.

Linda Guard took the trip to South Africa with her daughter, Beaver Lake 8th grader Harper Guard, and says she’s grateful for the lessons her child learned.

“It showed our kids that there are parts of the world that aren’t like The Plateau,” Linda said. “They see that they can have an impact on a lot of people. It empowers our kids when they see how effective they can be.”

Generation Joy traces its roots to one of Betzler’s earlier attempts at altruism. Following a trip to Ghana in 2001, he decided to collect the used textbooks from his American classrooms and ship them to schools in Africa that could use them.

Betzler realized he couldn’t afford to ship the supplies to Africa, but with help from Beaver Lake Principal Josh Almy, he connected with a man who travels frequently to South Africa and arranged to send the donations to that country instead.

His efforts grew over time until he was sending away entire freight containers with help from students, parents and teachers from the Issaquah School District.

Betzler formed Generation Joy in 2007 and enlisted a group called the Beaver Lake Outreach Community of Kids (BLOCK) to do much of the organization’s heavy lifting.

Last year, Generation Joy filled two 40-foot freight containers with supplies. Among the thousands of items packed in those vessels were 11,000 books, 170 computers, 60 bicycles, and hundreds of soccer balls.

Betzler’s efforts in youth advocacy earned him one of the 2008 SAMMI Awards, which recognize people from the Sammamish community whose passions inspire others.

The National Catholic Educational Association also named Betzler the 2009 Catholic Elementary School Distinguished Graduate because of his achievements.

Betzler said he would like to see Generation Joy grow with an increased number of students, more areas served, scholarships, and perhaps an exchange program for students and teachers.

“The potential is endless,” he said. “I think kids enjoy giving. They just need an outlet and a resource.”