Delivering the check was really great. The lady from habitat was so grateful that she broke down in front of our little family. We all felt good for helping her, but I’ve never seen a grown woman go from beaming graciousness to controlled blubbering. Although it was a little uncomfortable I will never forget the experience.
Week 7
Tears do not do the body nearly enough justice. Even though this is the most powerful form of emotion expressed by humans, sometimes there is just more to it than that. Now I am not really a crier but let me just say that distributing the money to the different charities was without a doubt the greatest feeling ever. Giving has never felt as good as it did when we gave to those in desperate need. I could tell by the reactions of those receiving the donations that this money was destined for good things even before we had decided where to give it. We owe a tremendous thanks to our sponsor Mr. Ed Vernon for his unmatchable generosity and outstanding trustworthiness for a group of crazy kids in way over their heads.
I personally cannot wait until Friday though, where I will finally be able to hand over my check to the Clean the World Foundation, my favorite charity in the world. I have had an excellent relationship with the staff and volunteers at this organization for three solid years now and even though I will be off to college in just a few months, I know that there will always be a place for me to help them. It makes me truly glad to see how the efforts of teenagers, normally regarded as distracted and selfish, are making a huge difference in the world of charitable giving. The lessons I have learned here at Main Street Philanthropy are invaluable to me and I cannot express the amount of emotion I have invested into this program and into giving. I would certainly recommend this program to anyone and everyone and I am humbled to have taken part in its pilot program.
I am going to remember
This program has taught me a lot about quantitative and qualitative analyst, how to look at a 990 and what it really feels like to give to others. But over all I think I am going to remember how much this program actually touched my heart. Many people think that giving money to a charity is all about the amount of money and just handing over a check when it is really a lot more than that. Seeing the looks on the organizations faces and the tears that same to their faces just gave me a warm feeling that I would like to have for the rest of my life. I think after all the research and things we have done I will donate to places as I go on and grow up. I am actually thinking about helping Habitat this summer in building a house or just repairing some houses. Also, going to Give Kids The World and volunteering would be something I would like to do.
Week 8
It is sad to see this program come to a close as it has come to be a large part of our student council class. From Main Street Philanthropy I have learned the ins and outs of how to best donate my time and money. But what I hold as the most important thing that I got from this experience was a change within myself. From this program my eyes were open to the world of nonprofits. I never realized how many nonprofits there were and the impact that they have on the people who they are for and the people who work for them. It was an amazing chance to be on the giving side of charities. I didn’t expect for the charities we donated to to be so passionate and excited about our giving. Their passion for what they do rubbed off on me and made me want to be a part of their charities by donating my time and resources in the future. I think that was the main goal of this program and I am more than grateful for being given this experience!
Picking and Choosing!
After listening and researching all of the charities we had in mind, I , myself decide to donate to Give Kids the World. Though our group did all of our research together, we each decided to donate to different organizations. We all had different interests and different passions. Working in groups has been an interesting experience. I got to learn a lot about what drives each of our team members. I found it moderately easy working with my group. We all had the same goal of making a difference, doesn’t matter what charity we ended up donating to. Luckily we didn’t have much disagreements. It was pretty obvious to all of us that if we obtained a charity with a good 990 form and if it is something that we truly cared about, any of us are welcomed to donate to it. Overall, this was such an amazing experience. And I hope everybody can have a chance to be apart of such life changing experience.
a big place in my heart
This program has such a big place in my heart. I am so thankful for this oppurtunity that we, as a class, have been given. Mr. Scott has changed my views on non-profit organizations, how to choose a good one and things you have to do to be able to donate to an organization. This experience will be one I will cherish forever. Because of this, I am now more open to donating to people and places in need, and I do plan on continuing to give to them in my lifetime. It has been just an awesome experience and I would do it all over again if I could!
Not Quite the End of Philanthropy Street
Well, we are finally wrapping up our Philanthropy project. These past 7 weeks have been such a learning experience. I went from not knowing the word Philanthropy existed, to becoming a great part of it. Through this entire experience, I think the thing I’ll remember most was when we saw all the charities come and tell our class about their organization, and have them answer our questions. I hear about these organizations all the time, but its so different actually seeing the people who committed their lives to these organization and hear about it from their point of view. After this entire experience I think I’ll save a part of my life to giving back. I’m already a volunteer angel at Give Kids The World, but I have to admit, I haven’t been going as much as I should, and I really want to, but with school it gets a bit hectic. But without out a doubt, I will be going a lot more often over the summer. I beyond excited to continue this program again next year! 😀
Happy Philanthropy!
~Tatiana Edouard
Is that your final answer?
This week we had to make the final decision. My group thought we should donate to an organization that was somewhat small and helps our own community. We decided to donate our money to Habitat For Humanity because we all knew that our donation would be used in all the right ways. I think they will be very thankful for the amount of money we are giving them because they don’t always have people who are kind enough to give up money for others. I enjoyed working with every single on of my gripe members because we all had the same likings and it was very easy to make up our minds and come to an agreement on what we wanted to do.
I cannot wait to go on our field trip and personally hand over the check to the director of Habitat. I’m sure she will be very appreciative and thankful for everything our group is doing.
What I’ve Learned
As this program is coming to an end, I get the opportunity to reflect on all I’ve learned, which is a lot! I’ve grown with my peers, getting a glimpse at their hearts, noticing what all they love, their passions, and their desires. I’ve learned about my community, and I’ve gotten to see the impact that nonprofits have on our community. I’ve been able to experience the warmth that comes with giving, which is what changed me the most.
Giving provides yourself with an overwhelming mix of emotions. It’s a combination of happiness, pride, but mostly of love. You see firsthand what you are helping, whether it’s people, animals, or the environment. You’re changing the world, maybe not drastically, but you are making a difference. Mainstreet Philanthropy has given me the chance to experience this feeling. It’s definitely nothing I’ll forget. I’ll forever look for ways to give back, ways to contribute, to change the lives of others. After seeing my impact on those around me, it’s definitely something that interests me in doing more of. Who wouldn’t want to make more people smile, more people be comforted, more people feel loved?
Lasting impression – Future effect
The thing that i will most remember about the msp program is the feeling of honest discovery. When you get to highschool you have a foundation in most academic fields, not much is authentically new. New formulas in math still use addition and multiplication, but I’d never even thought about looking up a tax record before. It was enlightening and fun.
As to this experience’s effect on my future charity, well I’m already an avid volunteer which shows just how giving i am, but it has made me less naive and given me the tools to look deeper than what is on the surface.
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