April Thank You's Bring...

...A lot of wonderful things! I was challenged today to send a card to someone in my life that I'm thankful for - and telling them so - every day for the next 30 days.  I am quite certain that I have at least 30 people I am thankful for, and sadly not as certain that they all know it.  That changes starting today!

When I get home today, I am writing my first letter to my first person.  The friend who set this challenge also suggested that we check in with each other in 30 days and discuss our results.  Who can say all the wonderful things that can come out of this simple and yet enormously impactful project?!

Who else would like to take this challenge? 

Need a little extra inspiration?  See this video here.

The Questions We Ask

It is my favorite time of year, not just because it's light out later, and wamer, and crocus flowers are popping up in surprising places, but because our Penny Harvest kids are deciding what they're going to do with all that money they collected in the fall!  Our 54 schools are in the process of determining what to do with more than $82,000 collectively! 

For one school with a $2,000 budget, that could mean deciding between 2,000 toothbrushes for the Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, or $2,000 worth of food and veterinary care to the lions, tigers and bears at The Wild Animal Sanctuary. 

For another school with $1,000 to give, their discussions may be circling around providing 500 hot dogs for the children with cancer that attend the Fishing Derby though Joseph's Journey, or providing a camp scholarship to a child with cancer or their sibling to Camp Wapiyapi this summer.

Another school with $1,000 to give has discovered that a family within their own community is struggling with a new cancer diagnosis for one of their very own classmates and they are voting to give every penny of their grant money to help that family. 

Through all these discussions, the kids are asking great questions.  Time and time again, we hear from the organizations that have been interviewed that these are their most nervewracking sessions with potential funders, and often the best questions!

I have noticed that we are passing certain questions - and ideologies - down to our kids from a cutural mindset about how non-profits should work.  I have heard our kids ask "how much of our money will go to your programs, versus your salary?"  In the non-profit world we're used to these questions, we expect them from our funders.  So why not from our kids that have grant money to give? 

Well, Dan Palotta questions that very mentality that has us asking those questions in this intriguing Ted Talks video, The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong.  It truly has me wondering that perhaps the questions we should be talking about with our kids - as well as our funders - should take a very different tack.  Rather than "how much of this money is going to go to the programs", how about "how will our money help you make the biggest impact?"  And from organization to organization, maybe it is the toothbrushes, or maybe it's being able to hire another person to help with the avalanche of toothbrushes and donations coming in from caring kids and their families from around the country.  Maybe it's paying for food for big cats, or a much less glamourous software program that will help the staff keep track of their animals' costs and run an efficient, sustainable organization.

In any case, our kids are having great discussions, asking great questions, and I am looking forward to seeing the results of all their great debates.

Here are a couple pictures from Meiklejohn's Roundtable Meeting, on a conference call with St. Jude's.

Inter-State Service!

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting some of the very creative and compassionate students at New Foundations Charter School from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  They were here for the National Service Learning Conference and chosen to showcase service learning in action by working with one of our own Denver organizations - Judi's House.  The kids pulled aside conference-goers, myself included, to write a message or a quote for the kids at Judi's House for their podcast project here.

But that's not all! They also had us write down songs that we find inspirational or moving to create a playlist of songs that kids at Judi's House could pull from to create their own CD's on blank discs encased in decorated CD covers (another project we conventioners were invited to do).

That's not all either! If we didn't have any words of wisdom, great songs off the top of our heads, or any artistic drawing abilities, we could make bracelets to give to the kids at Judi's House. 

All these projects were done at the conference, though off site from their partner organization, and they serve as a great and creative example of service projects that our kids can do when they can't go to a site. 

Special shout out to teacher Jason Williams and his class of amazing Service Learners! And thank you so much for sharing your care and service with us as well as Judi's House, all the way from Pennsylvania!

Good Citizens Come In Small Packages

Age is nothing but a number, and kids proved this yesterday as they fought to pass a legislative bill that will make shelter animals the official state pet.  Bringing a philanthropic mindset to the Senate Education Committee these young change-makers gave a “voice to the voiceless”, vying against the supporters of the pet industry with simple, but meaningful arguments.  The bill ultimately passed 6-3, but at the end of the day it is the agency and fortitude of these students that is truly admirable.

These students showed good citizenship beyond their years, extending their concern to the silent and (often overlooked) members of our community.  Their fight proves that our youth can move mountains, and that they are more than capable of tackling issues in their community.  To read more about this story, click here.

Penny Harvest Students Reaching Out

Guest Post by Aneta Storvik, Denver Rescue Mission

You can imagine I receive lots of phone calls and emails from people asking how they can help the Mission – and it encourages me that people still care about people – without judgment! But I’d have to say that receiving a call or email from a younger student is most inspiring! Their questions and enthusiasm are remarkable. They want to be the change they wish to see in their community. We have a lot to learn from our youth!

Penny Harvest is an incredible program that empowers students to choose a nonprofit that will receive a grant and in the months of April through June, the students volunteer. Isn’t that great? And Denver Rescue Mission is honored to be a recipient of the grants and service projects from students.

In May, I will be heading to a school to pick up not only a check, but hygiene items. Students are collecting toothbrushes, combs, shampoo…for the hurting and homeless in their community because they want to be the change they wish to see. Children can’t imagine their peers without their favorite color toothbrush in the bathroom let alone without a meal – and instead of feeling sorry for them – they are acting and making change.

Thank you students for making change happen in Colorado! You rock!