Both classes of panels are over for this year of Main Street Philanthropy and I feel as all participants grew more as people. We learned about other charities, how they get money, how to volunteer and more. The charities also got to learn about each other and how much they all care about what they do. It was a great experience to learn about people and the way they respond to questions on the spot. Ultimately I am starting to feel more friendly and less inferior to adults as I start to slowly come to the conclusion that they are human too. As the program starts coming to a close, stress is building up as all of the teams try to preform their charity event and collect the money to donate to charities.

Things are looking up this week but we are not out of the woods yet. Our group has decided on what charity we would like to invite to the panel and we have also selected a fundraiser. Although last week was really stressful between schoolwork and philanthropy, things seemed to work themselves out once again. I am the team leader this week and I am going to send my email right after this blog is posted to update the progress of my team and I. In class, we talked about the efficiency of our charities and ours scored a 14/15 and also organized questions to ask at the panel.

Many things are looking to unfold soon and I can only imagine the stress that is to come. I have heard of other people quitting the course and have even thought of it myself as I fear that my grades could be struggling due to the extra work. As of now, I see myself completing the course and toughing it out to complete my quest in fundraising. Fundraising has also become an issue in my group, because our original idea was scrapped due to the school recognizing it as gambling. My group is having a hard time coming up with new ideas because most of them are either taken or just not practical. My group is close to becoming desperate and if it comes to that, many problems will surface and quickly. As a group we must work together and communicate to overcome our obstacles and raise money efficiently for charity.

During the second week of philanthropy class,  the students were split into four focus groups that had similar ideas on worldly needs. These groups were made from different choices in MAD cards that we used the class prior to this one. I was put into a group that wanted to raise money save the environment Although it was not get my first choice, I realized that I will still be making a change in the world for the better.

Last class, the brown paper bag activity helped me learn something new about all of the people I was now going to be working with. Within my group, I learned that most of the people in my group were similar in the fact that they liked adventure and thrill. I was surprised how much I could learn about people in just a short time using three items that could fit inside a paper bag. Now, researching and fundraising for our environmental charity will be the new task at hand, putting me into unfamiliar territory that I hope to come to terms with soon.

After my first class in Main street philanthropy, I was feeling a mixed set of emotions. I was happy that I was donating my time to do good in the world, but, I realized the responsibilities that came with it. Though while in the class, I felt at ease talking in front of the others knowing that we were all there out of choice, not force. The activity chosen for us was a partner exercise that had the students pick cards called MAD cards to get a general basis on what charities were important to one-another. My partner and I had a disagreement in what charities to donate but we decided that it wasn’t something to fight about but instead something to help us learn about one-another. I was focused on the veterans and medical research while my partner was focused on children from bad homes. As other people stood and presented their ideas, I realized how many had all different ideals from the last and how sincere they were.

In the short time I spent in a room with the other students, I realized that they were just like me in the sense that they were all seeking to help others. The feeling of equality I get from being inside of room 207 with such kind people will be the motivation that will continue to drive me back to each and every class held for Main street philanthropy.