The Addis Jemari Teen Board is a group of Wake County high school students who give their time and talents to support orphaned and vulnerable children and families in Ethiopia. This year, more than 140 students from across the county have stepped up to serve. 

The Teen Board does real work. Students plan and lead fundraising events and supply drives. They also design and pack the curriculum for eight weeks of summer camp in Addis Ababa. 

Each fall, they host BBQ & Baskets, their signature event, where they handle everything from baking the desserts to running registration. In December, they led the Christmas in Ethiopia campaign. Their efforts fund school supplies, tutoring, summer camp, and Christmas gifts for the children and families AJ serves.

Some students take it a step further and travel to Ethiopia with the Teen Board mission team, serving alongside our staff and leading a week of camp in person.

Along the way, these students build leadership and service experience that stays with them long after high school, while helping families thousands of miles away move toward stability and hope.

Last school year, about 90 Teen Board members showed what students can do when they commit to a mission. Together, they:

• Gave more than 1,460 hours of service
• Raised over $18,000 at BBQ & Baskets for school supplies, tutoring, backpacks, and shoes
• Collected more than $7,856 in donated goods for AJ programs
• Raised over $4,320 through the Christmas in Ethiopia campaign
• Built all eight weeks of summer camp curriculum, including new STEM and photojournalism tracks
• Sent 11 students to Ethiopia as a Teen Board mission team in summer 2026
• Wrote more than 100 handwritten thank-you notes to donors