In addition to their entreprenerial services and gorgeous jewelry made out of wrapped-paper beads, Bead for Life also has curriculum available to help teach our kids about the kinds of challenges others may face. 

And, one of my favorite parts, they are starting a pay-it-forward campaign: "Do good, get bangled!"  Anyone that wants to get in on the movement can write in to Bead for Life to get a pack of beaded bangles.  Whenever they see someone doing something good, they write on the tag "You've been bangled for..." and hand them a bracelet! They can be tracked online and both the banglers and bangled do-gooders can share their stories!

Take a look at all Bead for Life has to offer - including kid friendly volunteer opportunities - and do some good around the world.  You may end up with a bangle for it!

Our kids made 4 big totes for 2 toddlers, a boy and girl, and two teens, a boy and girl, to decorate their rooms and make their stay a little more homey.  The bins included sheets and bedspreads (the toddler boy's theme was Toy Story!), art for the walls and accessories like fun clocks, lamps, or picture frames.

We also made name plates for the apartment doors at Brent's Place at the request of the staff.

We also made Welcome Bags...

...and wrote letters to the families and the patients at Brent's Place.

We made sure to get some inter-personal warm fuzzies in between as well!  Here we're writing things we like about each other on cards taped to our backs.  The impact this program has isnn't just on the outside organizations, but on our members too - from one to the other - and that was made very clear by the great things shared on our cards.

After completing our project, we had a Celebration Pizza Party at a nearby park. 

At the Celebration we handed out Impact Factory certificates as well as Cowboy Ethics Certificates on which the Member's 11th Principle was added.  After completing the 10 principles in the Cowboy Ethics curriculum, each Member came up with their own personal 11th principles, such as "Smile Wherever, whenever, however you can turn someone's day from bad into amazing,"  or "Be sensitive to how other people feel."

After the celebration, some of us were able to go to Brent's Place for a tour and to deliver all our goodies!

Great job Impact Factory Team!  I am so proud of the things you have done this year, and I can't wait for next year!!

The coaches informed me that the leaders on this team were truly the unusual suspects, nominated by their teachers on the guidelines that they were looking for kids that weren't part of student council or any other leadership group, and kids that needed an opportunity to shine.  Many of these leaders had frequent flyer passes to the office, and yet...in this group they were amazing! They have found their niche: power to change the world!

Part of that power comes from the fact that many of these kids are low income and are themselves recipients of help from organizations in the community.  Through this program, however, they discovered the power to be the benefactors for somebody else, and they are thriving on that new responsibility!

Today they voted on whether to give their money to one or more organizations - they voted to give to 2 - and which ones.  Their discussions around their choices were passionate and well thought out! These 4th and 5th graders chose to split their grants so they could have a bigger impact on an organization that helps the community and animals, and another one that helps rescue dogs and veterans. 

At the end of the meeting, I joined the coaches outside while the parents picked up the kids.  One of the boys came back with his mom who insisted on hugging his teachers because she said "he just told me about their decision and how excited he is over how well this went!" 

I couldn't ask for a better example of how the Penny Harvest program is supposed to work! Congratulations to coaches Laura and Meg at Leroy Dr. Elementary!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!