Our Beginnings – and how we got our funny name
SKJAJA began with a vision that all kids in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area would have access to extracurricular activities – an important aspect to a child’s growth and long-term success. With only $200, members of a Chapel Hill family started working to make that vision a reality.
How did we do it?
For the first 13 years, SKJAJA was financially supported by the local community, the work of the Board of Directors and a hardworking group of volunteers. And, there was a lot of learning on the job, laughter, and fun – with a name like SKJAJA fun is always at the forefront.
Charlotte Kirchgessner and Eric White met at Phillips Junior High School in Chapel Hill, NC and graduated from the only high school in town – Chapel Hill High School.
By 2006 they had two elementary-aged kids, Aja
and Kai, and they began the SKJAJA journey which they could never have imagined.
1980s
Eric’s sister, Kim, gave each of her family members $100 on her birthday in lieu of them giving her gifts. The catch? She asked them all to ‘pay it forward’ and use the money to do
something kind for someone else. With their gift money, Aja donated art supplies to her school and Kai provided a soccer scholarship.
2006
Eric's mom, Joan, joined forces with Eric and Charlotte and created the SKJAJA Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The mission? Remove financial
barriers and provide scholarships so that all kids in Chapel Hill-Carrboro could enjoy extracurricular activities. To incorporate the “pay it forward” concept – doing something kind for someone else without asking for anything in return.
2008
How would they carry out this mission? Eric and Charlotte did what they did best and threw a party, Eric cooked up a traditional Lowcountry Boil, and they booked a band. The first annual
Beach Shack Boil raised money for SKJAJA scholarships. The $200 Kim had gifted (again) in 2007 turned into $5,000 because of the generosity of its attendees.
Why the funny name?
Kim has always used “SKJAJA” to refer to the people in her family and Eric wanted to honor his sister for her inspiration: Scott • Kim • Josh • Ashley • Jessica • Adam
The first two scholarship awardees were able to join their school’s Girls on the Run program and gave back
to their community by cleaning up Glenwood Elementary’s campus and planting flowers at the entrance. And the SKJAJA fun began!
2009
For the first decade, SKJAJA was run by a group of dedicated volunteers, raising funds through events like the Beach Shack Boil, Color the Hill, Rock the Hill, and Shack, Rattle & Roll. Popular SKJAJA Clubs formed in high schools, with students raising funds through car washes and planning service projects. Volunteer Diana Hersh created the PLAY it Forward program, after realizing that people had instruments sitting in their closets that ought to be played. Charlotte continued managing SKJAJA alongside board member Sondra Komada, a gifted fundraiser, recruiter and manager who passionately devoted her time and energy to making SKJAJA grow and thrive. Later, longtime volunteer Susan Roth came on board as director of operations, helping guide SKJAJA into its second decade.
2009-2019
When the COVID pandemic arrived, SKJAJA took the opportunity to focus, research, and strategize about its next steps. With a generous gift from Gary Elefante, SKJAJA was able to hire Karen Kalafatas as its first executive director in 2021. With Karen at the helm, SKJAJA granted a record number of scholarships and created the "In-School Field Trip" program, bringing joy back into the schools with performances by Grammy-nominated children's musicians.
2020-2023
Today, SKJAJA provides scholarships and extracurricular opportunities for hundreds of students every year. And we're still growing! Most recently, board member Ann Daaleman helped a group of East Chapel Hill High School music students launch a program called Youth Leaders in Music, mentoring music students at Phillips Middle School - carrying on the "Pay It Forward" spirit that sparked SKJAJA's founding all those years ago.
2024-
The end – and just the beginning!
Wanna join the fun? Support SKJAJA today!