One Magnolia boy’s entrepreneurial efforts are really taking him places.
At the age of 13, Joshua Puddy has already seen an impressive amount of the world. But what may be even more impressive is that he’s paid for his travels himself, through his nonprofit organization, Liger Products.
Hoping to travel to Romania this year after visiting China and Belize over the past two years, Puddy will be raising money this weekend by having a booth at the Magnolia Summerfest and Art Show on July 29 and 30, where he sells organic soaps and other products.
“It’s a lot of work,” said the eighth-grader. “But I just wanted to go around the world and it sounded like fun.”
Joshua is a student at Pathfinder K-8 and is also a member of the World Travel Club, where students study a country for a year and then visit that country for a service-learning project.
For his Romania trip, Joshua must raise nearly $3,500. It’s only been a few weeks since he began fundraising, and he already has $300.
“Our garage is full of soap, it’s all over the floor,” said his mom, Lisa Puddy.
Joshua Puddy recently began making organic soaps to sell locally. Besides the Summerfest, Puddy will be selling his wares at the Fremont Flea Market and Bothell Kids’ Fair, among others.
“My favorite is the dragon-snake soap!” Joshua said. “But there’s a bunch of different kinds.”
The soaps have virgin coconut oil moisturizer, all-natural dyes like blueberry juice, and many different scents and shapes.
Lisa Puddythinks her son has gained new perspectives through his world travels.
“It’s invaluable for him to make these connections,” she said. “The next generation is living in a global community; you can read about [other cultures] in books, but it isn’t the same.”
Joshua Puddy talked about his time in an impoverished region of China and how different it was from his home in Magnolia
“People would steal the shelves in the library,” he said, to use for firewood or shelter, destroying books in the process.
Joshua has forfeited his own birthday and Christmas presents from friends and family just to fund-raise for his service trips.
“He’s so selfless,” said his mother, proud of her son.
About 20 students go on the trips each year.
“Our Belize class started with 30, but some dropped out,” he said. The class involves extra class-time after school, cultural research, and a large capstone project. Despite the work, Joshua said the trip is worth it.
Alongside individual fundraising efforts, such as Joshua’s Liger Products soaps, the group also works together to raise money.
“We have bake sales and movie nights, we’ve done Barnes and Noble gift wrapping,” said his mother. “But how do you put a price on an opportunity like this—his empathy and understanding of different cultures?”
And what are the future plans for this young world traveler?
“I saw National Geographic’s ‘100 places to go before you die,’” he said. “I’ve seen pandas and Mayan pyramids. … I want to see France, Egypt and Stonehenge.”
As for right now, however, Joshua Puddy just hopes to sell some soap. Look for him at the Magnolia Summerfest event.
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