I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of this 10 week long journey. I remember our first class like it was yesterday. These two strangers were in the classroom when I arrived. When the bell rang they started talking to us about philanthropy, what is is, how it works, and so much more. Then they got into the details, explained how we would be raising money for an organization, how there was an initial donor, and how at the end of this journey our team would be presenting the organization of our choice with one of those huge checks you always see in pictures. I remember thinking to myself “That is so awesome! I cannot wait for that day.” I remember running home after our first class, so excited to tell my mom about the journey we were about to embark upon and of course the part with the huge check!
As the classes progressed we learned so much about what philanthropy is. We learned how to be a philanthropist, how to read 990 forms to see if an organization is able to function financially and so much more. It was very fascinating. Everything I learned during our classes will be useful once I enter the real world. With these past nine weeks behind us, those two strangers who appeared in class on day one are no longer strangers, they are mentors. They have taught me how to truly have an impact on my community. They are making a difference in our world.
Which brings me to what we did today. Today was absolutely amazing. When we left school this morning I really was not sure what to expect. When we arrived at the Quantum House, the volunteers were so welcoming. There eyes were so bright and you could feel their excitement and appreciation. Allowing us to hear from a family staying at the house was one of things that stood out to me the most from this day. Hearing there story made me realize that what the Quantum House is doing is changing the lives of people receiving serious medical care in our area. Hearing this story really made me feel sincere in our option to donate our money to them. They truly our a working example of our teams mission.
As we moved onto the other sites it was so fascinating to my eyes. I was never aware of all the people in our community who volunteer so generously. There is such a variety of organization, working to achieve different goals, but all with the same mission. Every single one of these organizations is here to help people. Most often, these organizations do not know the people the are serving, but they serve out of the kindness of their hearts, which is pretty amazing.
Seeing the final dollar amounts almost blew me away. I still remember hearing that we had to raise $300 on day 1. That seemed so difficult to me because I had never experienced anything like this before. Seeing the huge check with the total amount raised was amazing. I cannot believe that we donated over $3ooo.
All in all, I could not have been more happy with the experience I had with this course. I believe that I learned so much information that I will be able to use in my life. I am so thrilled that I got to be one of the guinea pigs for the first Main Street Philanthropy course at Oxbridge.
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