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Action For Healthy Kids

08 May

Rob Bisceglie CEO of Action for Healthy KidsI recently had the opportunity to interview Rob Bisceglie, the CEO of Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK).  This organization works to fight childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can live healthier lives.  They provide resources to volunteers in schools and school health leaders across the country to learn about physical activity and nutrition best practices in school, act through programs which promote healthy lifestyles and wellness policies in schools, and transform schools to provide healthier foods, physical education and comprehensive physical activity for all students.

Blogunteer: Rob, can you start by telling me how your organization began?

Rob Bisceglie:
We were formed in response to the December 2001 special report, The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, issued by then U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher. That very sobering report examined the serious obesity problem impacting all segments of our communities and identified schools as a key setting for addressing childhood obesity.

It was such a startling call to action that in October 2002, nearly 500 experts in children’s health and education convened in Washington, D.C. at the first Healthy Schools Summit to address schools’ role in reducing childhood obesity. Out of that meeting, Action for Healthy Kids was launched with 51 State Teams (this includes Washington, D.C.) and 30 partner organizations. Dr. Satcher became the founding chair of our Board of Directors.

Since then, legions of truly dedicated AFHK volunteers – from within the ranks of our 50,000+ network – have worked diligently across the country to fight childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can be healthier. Through their efforts, we’re bringing fun physical activity and nutrition lessons and changes to classrooms, cafeterias and school playgrounds so kids can eat nutritiously and play actively every day that they attend school.
Action for Healthy Kids

Blogunteer: There are a lot of organizations working with kids, what makes Action for Healthy Kids unique? 

Rob Bisceglie:
We provide schools with everything they need – programs, grants, volunteer support and technical expertise – to create healthier environments so students can thrive.

Since our founding, Action for Healthy Kids and our 70+ partner organizations have turned the spotlight on the childhood obesity crisis so that it’s now widely acknowledged as a top priority by health and public health professionals, government leaders, school systems and the popular media.

Blogunteer: Do you have any facts you would like to share about your work?

Rob Bisceglie:
Our volunteer and constituent network has grown from fewer than 700 in 2002 to more than 50,000 (and still growing) in 2013.  Last year, our volunteers contributed more than $6 million of their time and resources to schools nationwide.  Last year, we reached more than 20,000 schools and 8 million kids through our volunteers and State Teams.

Although there are tens of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of fantastic non-profit and government organizations working every day to combat the obesity epidemic, the most recent projections around the epidemic state that by 2030, 50% of Americans may be overweight or obese, unless we reverse the trend.  So, there is still considerable work to be done.

Blogunteer: Sounds like there is still a lot of work to do!  What is a recent accomplishment of Action for Healthy Kids that you would like to share with my readers?

Rob Bisceglie:
Through our work to expand school breakfast programming this school year, we are supporting schools as they serve an additional 1 million breakfasts to hungry kids. I’m proud of that program given the importance of school breakfast on student health and academic achievement. We note in The Learning Connection: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids are Healthy and Ready to Learn, for example, that on average students who eat school breakfast have been shown to attend 1.5 more days of school per year and score 17.5 percent higher on standardized math tests.
Blogunteer: Do you have any specific stories of how your organization has made a difference? 

Rob Bisceglie:
Yes, there quite a few. One of the things I’m proudest of is how truly committed our volunteers are to fighting childhood obesity and ensuring kids and their families understand the importance of physical activity and good nutrition.

Blogunteer:
Rob shared the story of Allison Stewart, a mom who sought out ways to make a difference when her daughter shared that she was rewarded with a cookie for doing her school work.  Allison found Action for Healthy Kids online and was impressed by the number of resources available to parents who want to make a difference in the area of school wellness.  Allison says her efforts are not just about combating childhood obesity, but also about teaching kids how to be healthy.  You can read more about Allison here.

Rob also shared the story of Linda Miller, another Colorado mom who made it her mission to get all the students at her son’s elementary school a free breakfast.  Linda did her research and shared the link between a healthy breakfast and academic success to encourage school leaders to serve breakfast to every student in school.  You can read more about Linda and other AFHK success stories here.

Blogunteer: How can others get involved in Action For Healthy Kids? 

Rob Bisceglie:
Our volunteers focus their efforts on increasing opportunities for kids to play actively and eat well. These are, after all, the two proven paths to ensuring kids are healthy and ready to learn. So, volunteers, for instance, might introduce students to “healthy” foods through tastes tests using our free program Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge. They might participate in a Get in the Action event at a local school and install or refurbish playground equipment. Or, they might provide educational information to school superintendents, teachers and parents to organize statewide meetings on school health issues for legislators. Volunteer work really varies and is always based on the needs of the local schools, communities and, of course, the kids.

Here’s a sampling of how people can get involved as AFHK volunteers:

  • Help schools develop and put into place wellness policies or action plans
  • Serve on or advise school wellness councils
  • Help schools understand and bridge cultural differences
  • Offer expertise and coaching to help schools put in place Action for Healthy Kids’ programs, including Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge and Students Taking Charge, that will bring their action plans to life

Anyone who is interested in volunteering with Action for Healthy Kids can do so  by clicking the “Volunteer” button right on our website.  And, starting next school year, Action for Healthy Kids will launch a new online Volunteer Center in which our volunteers will be matched to volunteer opportunities happening in their local schools.  We see this new technology as a game-changer for our field of school wellness.


Blogunteer: Any last comments you would like to share with my readers Rob?

Rob Biscegle:
Yes, please encourage your readers to visit our website, read The Learning Connection: What You Need to Know to Ensure Your Kids are Healthy and Ready to Learn and take the Every Kid Healthy Pledge. By doing so, they’ll become informed on the issues and learn how easily they can make the kinds of healthful changes that will benefit their children.

Blogunteer:
Thank you to Rob for taking the time to speak to me about Action for Healthy Kids.

If you would like to learn more, visit their website, ActionForHealthyKids.org.  You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Flickr.

 

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2013 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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Kitchen on the Street

10 Apr
Kitchen on the Street

Food trucks have become quite a trend.  There are food truck races on television, websites dedicated to where food trucks are parked for the day and even food truck festivals.  I was excited when a local food truck made a trip to the parking lot of the suburban office building I work at for a special food drive event.  Today’s organization is also using a food truck to make a difference.

In 2005 and 2006 Vince, Lisa and Taylor Scarpinato were volunteering around their community, but always left feeling a deeper calling.  In September of 2006, a family friend and local elementary school principal, Dennis Cagle, came over for dinner and shared stories of hungry children.  One second grade girl went through the school cafeteria and picked up discarded half-eaten foods from other children.  The principal went on to share that many children receive breakfast and lunch from the schools, but go hungry on the weekends.  That night, the family decided to start a non-profit and Kitchen on the Street was born.

The mission of Kitchen on the Street is “Turning Hunger into Hope”.  They fulfill this mission through several programs.  The first program they started was Bags of Hope; backpacks of individually portioned, shelf stable meal and snack foods for children to eat on the weekends.  In their first year, they served 30 children through the Bags of Hope program and have since expanded to serve many more.  The organization also partners with local growers, community gardens, and food banks to distribute fresh produce to families in need through their Fresh Food Distribution program.  They collaborate with local schools, churches, and community centers on events where low income families receive free fresh produce.

The newest program is the Kitchen on the Street Food Truck.  This truck is a traveling kitchen that feeds people, raises awareness, acts as a mobile classroom and helps raise funds for the Bags of Hope program.  The truck was purchased from a $100,000 grant provided by the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The truck is used to teach families about food and nutrition and to teach job skills to adults in need.  The truck also travels to a variety of locations and special events as a catering business that feeds money back into the other Kitchen on the Street Programs.

Kitchen on the Street's Food Truck

The video below talks more about the impacts of childhood hunger and how Kitchen on the Street is making a difference:

How can you help?

  • Become a fan on Facebook or subscribe to their e-news to receive notifications of volunteer opportunities with Kitchen on the Street such as backpack packing events, fresh food handouts, and a variety of other tasks.
  • You can volunteer or participate in the annual Hike for Hunger to raise awareness of childhood hunger.
  • You can also make a monetary donation through the Kitchen on the Street website by clicking the donate button.

Learn more about Kitchen on the Street on their website, KitchenOnTheStreet.org.  You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 
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Posted by on April 10, 2013 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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The Edible Schoolyard Project

22 Jan
The Edible Schoolyard Project

I grew up watching my mother and grandmother tend their huge gardens full of vegetables and some fruits.  In the last couple years I have started a small garden at home and have watched my kids enjoy helping and even trying the vegetables we have grown (which is a breakthrough moment for my anti-vegetable daughter).  Today’s organization has been bringing vegetables into schools for over 16 years.

In 1995, Alice Waters was quoted in her local paper stating that the school she passed each day looked as if no one cared about it.  The principal of that school, Neil Smith, contacted her to see if she had an idea to help.  Alice, a chef, wanted to start a garden and teaching kitchen at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.  She saw these as tools for enriching the curriculum and the life of the school community.  The idea slowly began to take to form and through the involvement of faculty and parent volunteers, The Edible Schoolyard was born.

The garden and kitchen are not just used to teach gardening and cooking.  Lessons have included teaching fractions in the kitchen and growing heirloom grains to learn about early civilizations.  In addition, students who are involved in the garden are more likely to try the foods grown there.

The mission of the Edible Schoolyard is to create and sustain an organic garden and landscape that is wholly integrated into the school’s curriculum, culture, and food program.  At Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California the Edible Schoolyard curriculum is fully integrated into the school day and teaches students how their choices about food affect their health, the environment, and their communities.

You can watch the Edible Schoolyard in action in this short video:

The Edible Schoolyard Program now supports school garden programs throughout the world by providing resources and tools for teachers, parents, and advocates.  During the summer, the Berkeley location opens their doors to host the Edible Schoolyard Academy to provide hands-on activities, presentations, guided discussions, and curriculum building sessions to provide participants with the tools for teaching edible education.

How can you become involved?

  • Explore the network of school garden programs on the Edible Schoolyard website to see if a school near you is participating.  You can also register your school program.
  • Utilize the resources for school garden programs on the organization’s website or even contribute your own resource.
  • Sign up for the Edible Schoolyard Academy to learn how to incorporate edible education into your school.
  • You can also make a monetary donation to support the Edible Schoolyard program on their website.
  • If you live in Berkeley, California, you can volunteer at the Edible Schoolyard there.  Learn more on their website.  You can also volunteer at a school program near you.  To find one, search here.

To learn more about the Edible Schoolyard, visit their website, edibleschoolyard.org.  You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, as well as their newsletter and blog.

 
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Posted by on January 22, 2013 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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The Blue Slide Project

15 Jan
The Blue Slide Project

Last summer I wrote about Dana Millington, a mom who is honoring her daughter by creating an inclusive playground in her Minnesota community.  Today’s post is about another mom who has built a playground for her son in Oregon.

When Mona Pinon’s son Isaac was just 4 months old, he was paralyzed after a cancerous tumor injured his spinal cord.  He has been in a wheelchair since he was 18 months old and is now in kindergarten.  In November of 2011, Mona visited the school where Isaac would attend kindergarten and found that he would not be able to play on the school’s playground equipment.  She met with the school principal who suggested she approach the school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA).  She went to a meeting, told them what she wanted to do, and asked for help.  They agreed to support the project and Mona agreed to be the fundraiser.  The Blue Slide Project was born.

Over the summer of 2012, Mona and her team of fundraisers held a variety of events to raise money to build a new playground at the Parkside Elementary School in Grants Pass, Oregon.  They held a Bunco Night, Zumbathon, Concerts in the Park, a car wash, yard sales and more.

In July 2012, the construction of Phase 1 began.  You can see the groundbreaking in this video from KDRV TV.  In August 2012, Isaac was able to celebrate his 5th birthday by cutting the ribbon on the new playground.

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The community really rallied around the project to make it become a reality.  One example is a 64 year old man with Parkinson’s Disease who walked 46 miles from Grants Pass to Ashland, Oregon.  He said he was “doing what Isaac can’t.”  He ended his journey with a trip down a slide with Isaac.  Mona said she believed this was possible “because a community believed that ALL children should have the freedom to play.”  She has received e-mails from local residents thanking her for making the playground possible.  Even adults with disabilities are now able to interact with their children at the playground where before they could only watch from the sidelines.

There is a second phase to the project which will resurface the remaining area of the playground.  Anyone can purchase a tile for under $20 to help support the resurfacing.   Mona hopes to work with the local parks department to help make other local parks accessible to all as well.

I asked Mona for her tips to others who want to build an accessible playground in their community and she told me to be prepared to do a lot of research and do not be too proud to ask for help.  Ask the media to share the story of what you are doing.  “Keep your eye to the end and enjoy the people you meet along the way.”

To learn more about the Blue Slide Project, connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, or via e-mail.  You can also find the link to donate to the project on their Facebook page.

Watch Isaac use his blue slide here:

Related Post: Madison Claire Foundation

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2013 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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Keys 4/4 Kids

25 Jul

Do a quick Internet search for the benefits of music education and you will quickly find long lists of benefits including better academic performance, improved creative thinking, and higher self-esteem through self-expression (just to name a few).  There are many organizations dedicated to music and today I profile one of them.

Keys 4/4 Kids is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire young people to believe in themselves through the arts.  The primary programs are the Piano Placement program and he Paint-A-Piano program.  Both programs involve piano donations to low-income homes, churches, schools, or community centers that could not otherwise afford a piano.  The organization also promotes better access to music and the arts to all people by selling pianos and donating the proceeds to support local music and arts programs.  You can see a video about their Piano Placement program here.

Newell Hill began selling donated pianos out of his parent’s garage in 2000 to fund MUSE, an after-school music and arts program in North Minneapolis.  This program helped fill the gap in music and arts education that was created by budget cuts to schools.  He was able to successfully fund the program and felt he had a great opportunity to bring the idea of piano donations to a broader public. 

The organization is based in St. Paul, Minnesota and also has locations in Belle Plaine Minnesota, Chicago Illinois, and Kansas City Missouri.  They offer a unique opportunity to recycle used pianos rather than struggling to find a new home for a piano when moving, downsizing homes, or purchasing a new piano.  A piano donation to Keys 4/4 Kids supports local non-profits and allows you to receive a tax deduction.  It also provides a lower cost option for families looking to purchase a piano.

How can you help?

  • First, you can spread the word about this organization!  If you hear someone looking to buy a piano or trying to find a new home for their piano, please suggest they look into Keys 4/4 Kids.  You can find information about piano donations and pianos for sale on their website.
  • They are also currently looking for volunteers to help out on Saturdays to greet customers and even help them pick out pianos. 
  • They are also looking for volunteers to assist them with their social media campaigns. 

Another project that Keys 4/4 Kids has launched is Pianos on Parade (POP).  This project places ‘artistically transformed’ pianos around the Twin Cities, Minnesota in various outdoor locations for all to play and enjoy.  The idea behind this project is to spur residents and visitors to spontaneously engage with art, music, and one another, creating moments of community and highlighting the city’s exceptional commitment to music and arts.  You can learn more about this program and watch videos about it at PianosOnParade.com. 

You can learn more about the Keys 4/4 Kids organization on their website, www.keys44kids.com.  You can also connect with them on Facebook.

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2012 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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Youth Frontiers

01 Feb

It seems like bullying and poking fun are just facts of life for kids in school these days, but today’s organization doesn’t feel that needs to be the case.

In 1987, Joe Cavanaugh heard the question, “there are kids who make fun of me every day, can you do anything to stop them?” from a 10th grade girl and he took her question seriously.  Since then, Cavanaugh built an organization based on the idea of fostering safe, positive school communities where students and educators can thrive emotionally, socially and, therefore, academically.

Youth Frontiers is a Minneapolis, Minnesota based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that partners with schools to build cultures of respect where students thrive socially, emotionally and academically. They facilitate retreat programs on the values of kindness, courage, respect and responsibility.  Founder and CEO Joe Cavanaugh states, “We are not succeeding as a society if our children receive an ‘A’ in Math… and an ‘F’ in life.”

There are approximately 2.7 million students who face bullying at school every day.  Youth Frontiers is making a difference!  So far, the organization has served more than one million youth across the country, with the vision to change the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America so that today’s young people can make tomorrow’s world better.

To accomplish their mission, Youth Frontiers offers retreat programs for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. These interactive programs are designed to have the greatest possible impact and function as a catalyst for getting students to care about character. The retreats are developmentally appropriate for each age group and take into account what stressors and issues kids may be facing at school.

The programs can be described as MTV-meets-Aristotle days, featuring loud music, team-building activities, small-group dialogues, powerful presentations and large-group sharing times. Led by professional actors, musicians and youth workers, Youth Frontiers knows how to “speak kid” in a way that students understand, and challenges students to think deeply about their character and behavior.

These retreats enhance social-emotional learning competencies like empathy, perspective-taking and conflict resolution.  Eight of ten students believe that since participating in the Kindness Retreat, their peers are more likely to help someone who is being picked on.  After the Respect Retreat, more students reported feeling a part of their school than before the retreat.  And in focus groups, students reported the retreat leaders’ storytelling and other students’ remarks during the retreat’s closing activity helped them gain perspective.

Youth Frontiers retreats are just one piece of a school’s network of support.  Comprehensive follow-up materials are customized for each age level to remind students of the themes they learned on their retreat, while challenging them to continue to stand up for respect in their schools. Youth Frontiers knows it takes more than curriculum to get kids to care about issues of character and acknowledges that it takes more than one day of each year to truly change a school’s culture.  Yet, these retreats are a critical piece to the puzzle of building healthy and safe schools, and each retreat and its follow-up curriculum contribute to shaping the way students treat each other every day.

How can you help?

Youth Frontiers has opportunities for high school students and adults to be small group leaders at their retreats.  Each year nearly 15,000 volunteers support their programs by leading small groups, establishing the energy and tone of the retreat activities and influencing the student participants with positive leadership.  In addition, they have opportunities to visit a retreat to experience it first-hand. Since they work with kids, all volunteers do require an application and background check.

You can also provide financial support via the Youth Frontiers website.  Youth Frontiers maintains affordable retreat prices for the schools they serve and this would not be possible without philanthropic support from individuals, foundations and corporate donors.

You can learn more about Youth Frontiers on their website, YouthFrontiers.org.  You can also connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.

In addition, there are opportunities to stay connected with this organization though their newsletter programs.  Visit their newsletter signup page to learn about their weekly character challenge that provides an activity or thought to help us think critically about kindness, courage and respect in our lives as well as newsletters for youth educators.

 
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Posted by on February 1, 2012 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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drawchange

20 Jul

According to Americans for the Arts, the arts have a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and have proven to help level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries.  Arts education also develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.  Today’s organization is dedicated to giving children an opportunity to express themselves.

drawchange is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to aid global change by supplying the world’s children with art supplies.  Their vision is to provide the tools necessary so each child has the ability to fully express themselves.  They want to provide empowering programs that allow children to effectively visualize a better life for themselves.

drawchange started with a deep passion for the arts of the founder and CEO, Jennie Lobato.   She states, “I know what a difference the arts made in my life as a child and I want to grant that experience to as many children as possible.  I believe it so easy to help with global change.  All it takes for us is granting a child an opportunity to express themselves, thus making them feel empowered.  Some children don’t have the self-esteem to realize that they can visualize a better life for themselves-thus having no hope and even trying.  It is drawchange’s mission to change that mentality and create global change.”

The organization’s motto is “CHILDREN NEED ART”.  It comes from a deep understanding of what the arts mean to children – it helps them express themselves when they may not know the right words.

drawchange recently returned from their second of six trips to Fatima School in Costa Rica.  They we will be visiting this poor school for six consecutive years to evaluate the children’s creativity each year.  Last year the children were tested before any art experiences.  Throughout the year drawchange sent lesson plans to utilize the supplies that were left in the first trip.  This year the children’s creativity levels were re-evaluated and improvement was seen in their levels of creativity – so it is clear that drawchange is making a difference for them.  According to Jennie Lobato, “This means we are effectively giving them a skill to further their advancement in society.  If you cannot visualize your dreams or emergence from poverty, chances are you’ll just stay where you are.”

There are ways to help!  drawchange is seeking volunteers to help with fundraising and day to day operations such as grant writing, marketing, copywriting, fundraising, and more.  They are also always looking for volunteers to want to join on their unforgettable international ‘Art Beyond Borders’ trips.  You can find current volunteer opportunities and a volunteer application on their website.

Donations of supplies and materials are also appreciated.  Glitter, glue sticks, construction paper, and more can be donated.  See their website for a current list or contact  them directly for more information.  Monetary donations are also accepted directly on their website. 

You can learn more about drawchange on their website www.drawchange.org.  You can follow their blog or YouTube or connect with them on Twitter and Facebook.

 
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Posted by on July 20, 2011 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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The Bridge for Youth

04 May

High school is tough!  Kids can be mean, there is homework, and your social calendar is quite difficult to manage.  Some kids have it even harder – they are homeless.  In a recent year, the Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Schools counted 5,500 homeless children in the district.  Some of those kids are lucky to find a home with today’s organization.

Bridge for Youth is a 24-hour runaway and homeless youth program in a residential setting in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan region.  Their mission is helping youth in crisis and their vision is to be the premier resource for youth and families in crisis.  They ensure a continuum of care to provide shelter and support, to reunite families whenever possible, and when it is not, to build independent living skills in young people.  The Bridge for Youth is a community leader in the development of approaches for youth and their families to resolve problems and develop healthier relationships.

The Bridge for Youth was founded by Sister Rita Steinhagen in 1970 as one of the first runaway youth shelters in the nation.  Sister Rita was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Catholic order.  She and her fellow sisters noticed that homeless youth were increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, prostitution, violence, and illness and felt the need to act. 

Each year The Bridge serves over a thousand youth between the ages of 10 and 20 years old.  The families are also helped when applicable.  A continuum of services is offered, from street outreach to homeless youth, short-term emergency shelter, housing skills and career development, and transitional and permanent supportive housing.  Their services are available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  If there is a young person in crisis or a parent of a young person in crisis they can call or come in and someone will be available for them.

The Bridge has some amazing results.  Here are just a few of their impressive statistics: 

  • 70% of youth served in the reunification program were safely reunited with parents or extended family.
  • 60% of youth participants in their transitional living program moved to stable living.
  • 100% of youth in transitional living were working and/or going to school.
  • 97% of youth in scattered site supportive housing retained their housing for six months.

The personal stories are also amazing.  One of the many success stories is Valencia McMurray, a young woman who has been on her own since 10th grade.  She spent time living with siblings until they were no longer able to pay rent. Then she did some couch hopping with friends until a school social worker found her a space at The Bridge.  She spent some time in the emergency shelter and then in the transitional housing program.  She was able to graduate high school and earn a four year scholarship to Augsburg College.  You can read her full story here.  There is also a video about six young adults who were impacted my homelessness.

If you live in the Minneapolis area, there are many volunteer opportunities available, including cleaning, yard work, and more.  Volunteers are always needed to do a variety of things depending on their interests and skills.  Groups and organizations are always welcome to hold donation drives or collections.  Individuals can also help with cooking, mock interviews, and more.  You can learn more about current volunteer needs at The Bridge on their website.  

The Bridge also accepts cash and in-kind donations.  You can find donation options as well as their current wish list on their website. 

Learn more about The Bridge for Youth on their website, www.bridgeforyouth.org.

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2011 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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Kaboom

21 Apr

This week is Screen Free Week.  Formerly known as TV Turnoff week, this is a week to encourage kids to have less time in front of a television, computer screen, video game, or handheld device.  Studies have found that kids aged 8 to 12 spend 7 ½ hours a day, on average, in front of a screen.  Today’s organization isn’t directly involved in Screen Free Week, but it does have a mission to encourage active play! 

Kaboom was founded in 1996 by Darell Hammond.  He was inspired after two young children suffocated in a car in Washington, D.C. in 1995.  A Washington Post article about the incident indicated that the children had no playground nearby, so they climbed into an abandoned car.  Darell was inspired and he became a man with a vision: “Play is the best natural resource in a creative economy. Kids need more of it—it is not a luxury but a necessity for their lives.” 

Kaboom’s mission is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities.  Kaboom ultimately envisions a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.  Depending on where you live, you may think they are close, but throughout the United States, only 1 in 5 children live within walking distance of a playground.  You can watch an inspiring video about their mission and program on their website.  

Recently, Kaboom has moved from just focusing on building playgrounds themselves to advocacy for play and providing online tools to assist communities in planning their own play spaces.  You can find their “do it yourself” playground planner on their website.   This planner offers everything from free websites to bring your team together to a vendor directory with reviews.  There are also side projects included, such as adding shaded areas and benches to help make an existing playground more inviting.

This year Kaboom is celebrating their 15th birthday!  In June they will be building their 2000th playground!  They estimate that since their founding, they have saved play for about 3.5 million kids just with the playgrounds they have directly built. 

Kaboom offers many ways to become involved.

  • Your community can apply to be a community partner to help plan and build a playground.  New playgrounds are funded through community fundraising and corporate sponsorships.  Playgrounds are planned in advance and then built by 200 to 600 volunteers in one day.
  • Communities or organizations can also hold a play day in your local community.  This is a day of community games and activities meant to encourage play.  Click here to learn more about Play Days.
  • Use the online tools provided on Kaboom.org to build or improve a local playground.
  • Help develop the Map of Play.  This interactive map allows you to search for playgrounds near you, review them, and add additional playgrounds that aren’t listed.  Soon an iPhone app will be available to allow to do this right from the park.
  • Visit Kaboom.org and find even more ways to take action for play in your community.
  • As with any organization, Kaboom also accepts donations.  Monetary donations help Kaboom spread the word and offer additional online resources to advocate for play in America.

You can learn more about Kaboom on their website, www.kaboom.org.  You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.  You can also read more about founder Darell Hammond in his book about Kaboom.

 
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Posted by on April 21, 2011 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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Community Celebration of Place

12 Apr

Music is such important parts of culture.  From Bach to the Beatles, folk music to rock n’ roll, even from Madonna and Lady Gaga – music can reflect who we are as a culture and capture more than just the words and notes.  Music can bring generations together.  Today’s organization uses music to bring generations together by turning stories into music through their Elder’s Wisdom, Children’s Song program. 

Community Celebration of Place (CCP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to strengthen community spirit and pride by using music and art to honor the dignity, hard work and resiliency of people from  communities across the United States and beyond.  They do this through many different programs including Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song (EWCS) and Teaching Tolerance.  CCP is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but works around Minnesota, the United States, and even around the world with their programs.

CCP was founded in 1999 by Larry Long and a national group of education leaders.  The organization was created in order to formalize the multicultural and multigenerational model of learning and community building that Long, CCP Executive Director, had developed over 20 years of work in communities across the world as a troubadour, activist, and educator.

The EWCS program began in the 1980s in Oklahoma when Long was asked to bring the tradition of Woody Guthrie into the schools of Woody’s home state.  That experience led to a project in Alabama, where Long worked with children and elders in 27 rural Alabama communities.  Long went on to work with other communities in the Dakotas, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and Scotland.  After operating in hundreds of schools, EWCS has now evolved into a transferable process that can be incorporated into the daily curriculum of schools to meet the educational standards required of schools today, while restoring community and building connections with community elders through multigenerational, multicultural learning.  

In the EWCS program, community elders are brought into a school to share their stories.  The children listen, ask questions, and learn about the stories of these elders.  Then the children put together songs that tell those stories.  In the videos on the Community Celebration of Place website, you can see portions of previous programs.  In one program, the elders were a holocaust survivor, a woman raised in the segregated south, a war veteran, and an African storyteller together.  You could tell from the remarks of those involved that the program was a moving experience.  CCP has honored hundreds of elders in recitation and song from across the United States, and worked directly with thousands of young people, hundreds of teachers, and performed before over one hundred thousand community members.  You can learn more about the EWCS program and watch videos of previous performances at the CCP website. 

Another program CCP offers is Teaching Tolerance.  This recording and songbook is a musical journey through Native American chant, African American poetry, songs of friendship and belonging from immigrant communities across the United States, and classics from our nation’s proud tradition of singing for social change.  This program is being sent for free to over 200,000 elementary schools, community centers, and organizations serving young children.  For more information on this program, please visit the CCP website. 

Volunteers help make the CCP programs successful.  Some opportunities include:

  • CCP is seeking individuals with archival and organization background to assist with an archive project. 
  • They are in need of individuals to help setup and take down equipment (microphones, speakers, etc) at their EWCS Celebrations.
  • They are also are always looking for individuals who can help with marketing and promotions.
  • CCP also supports the Minneapolis Monarch Festival that occurs each September.  There is a great need for volunteers to assist with setup, take down, manning booths, helping with the arts areas, and more. 

Please contact CCP if you are interested in their volunteer opportunities.  You can also support CCP through a financial donation through the organization’s website. 

You can learn more about Community Celebration of Place and their programs at their website, www.communitycelebration.org.

 
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Posted by on April 12, 2011 in Nonprofit Organization

 

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