We invite you to join us and explore this exciting new initiative for 2017: Donations by the Dozen. The Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC (a 501(c)3) wants to put some #GraceInIt by donating $12 per day to a different nonprofit for each day of 2017. We hope to see this unfold into a wonderful conversation, new friends and partners, and potential inspiration for all as we take this journey.
The Joy of Music School in Knoxville, TN believes in broadening and enriching lives through music and serves "To provide a quality music education for financially disadvantaged, at-risk youth." (http://www.joyofmusicschool.org/index.php/mission-vision-values/) Joy of Music School provides free instruments and lessons " to hundreds of financially disadvantaged, at-risk children and teens. " (http://www.joyofmusicschool.org/index.php/about-us/) All of the school's teachers, over a hundred, volunteer to educate, empower, support, and provide varying individual and group opportunities and experiences for children and teens in the area. I used a video of the whole Spring Recital in case anyone wanted to watch or listen to these talented kids:
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
Thinking about an island vacation? maybe some beach, sun, snorkeling and nightlife? I had other thing on my mind like my obsession with the Galapagos Islands. I'm not a huge traveler and don't have a bucket list, but when I think of Galapagos, I think maybe I should consider the whole bucket list idea. If I could live a few hundred years, a tortoise would be my best friend - I'm just sure of it. So, I found today's Donations by the Dozen, and it's the Galapagos Conservancy. The organization reminds me of the direction the Grace Initiative Foundation, LLC is taking: partnership, support, catalyst, facilitator amongst philanthropists and philanthropic endeavors. Galapagos Conservancy helps others who support the long term preservation of this precious geographical location. By undertaking this role, the Galapagos Conservancy can maximize its efficiency and effectiveness and choose its targeting or programming. Someday, maybe I will get to (very carefully) visit the wonderful islands, and if they interest you, the Galapagos Conservancy has an annual cruise: http://www.galapagos.org/travel/travel/annual-gc-cruise/.
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
Those of us who love technology, science, math, engineering, robotics, and more, "ChickTech is a nonprofit dedicated to retaining women in the technology workforce and increasing the number of women and girls pursuing technology-based careers." (https://chicktech.org) ChickTech integrates communities and girls to empower and inspire them but also to help them realize their potential, which is fabulous since some girls didn't know how much they loved technical fields until they were nominated into A ChickTech program.
ChickTech: High School is a year-long series of opportunities for 100 young women in each city, providing hands-on workshops, mentoring, and internship opportunities. It supplements traditional education and provides a supportive community for young women to learn how to create technology. We focus on recruiting girls who do not see themselves as technical but who have the aptitude to do very well in technical fields. We place additional emphasis on recruiting at-risk and low-income participants. (https://chicktech.org/highschool/)
ChickTech supplements mentoring, workshops, and internships with career opportunities covering employment related and social and personal related events for what I would call a total approach to technical career wellness. Maintaining 13 chapters across the US and looking for volunteers to begin in new cities, ChickTech offers a lot to girls beyond just education and careers in technical fields, it offers a community nationwide with opportunities and local community support. These types of opportunities create more than "smart chicks" - they create a foundation and a future with an approach to life and work many of us could have used when we were in high school.
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
My friend Bryan Noller's birthday is today (Happy Birthday!). He works for Verified Volunteers helping organizations with background checks for their volunteers, so he has a lot of great ideas when it comes to nonprofit ideas for me to feature. His choice for today's Donations by the Dozen is I Know I Can whose website says:
dream big. work hard. we’ll help.
That’s our promise to all Columbus City Schools students. I Know I Can believes that every Columbus City Schools student deserves the opportunity to achieve their dream of earning a college education. And we’re here to help.(http://iknowican.org)
The services I Know I Can offers begin in elementary school and help students all the way through advising them throughout college. "The mission of I Know I Can is apparent every day through our long list of programs. With a team of dedicated staff and advisors, as well as partnerships with Columbus City Schools, we offer everything from children’s books to one-on-one counseling and in-depth college planning blueprints that ensure success for all grade levels.' (http://iknowican.org/about/about-us/) Just look at the success they've had since they were founded in 1988
http://iknowican.org/about/about-us/
If you are in the Columbus, Ohio area, this fabulous organization with help you "Get ready, get set, and get through" college. I know I can get behind I Know I Can, and happy birthday Noller!
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
It's World Spay Day, and I'm a fan. There are so many reasons to support the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs and very few reasons not to do so. SNAP, the Spay Neuter Assistance Program in Houston and surrounding areas, has a vision of a world without homeless animals and a mission "To prevent the suffering and death of cats and dogs due to overpopulation and preventable diseases, especially in low-income areas." (http://www.snapus.org/about/mission-statement.html) SNAP helps the health and longevity of pets and strays through spaying and neutering, wellness exams, preventative screening, parasite checks, and zoonotic diseases (those that can be transmitted to humans like roundworms and rabies). Just last week, SNAP won a PetSmart Charities Award, which will lead to "Qualifying residents in six counties will receive services at no cost to prevent the births of unwanted animals" (http://connect.snapus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8409)
SNAP's website if full of resources and information about pets, overpopulations, spaying and neutering and more. One page you may find particularly interesting is this page about neutering and spaying myths: http://www.snapus.org/spay-neuter-facts/spay-neuter-myths-facts.html/.
I love kittens and puppies as much as the next person, but I also know how important it is for someone to care for them and how unexpected litters can be abused and/or neglected. Additionally, I firmly believe from my own experiences with pets that regular care, spaying and neutering, and vaccinations both add to my pets' wellness and longevity and cost me far less in the long run. Many areas offer reduced or no cost programs either year round or on special days. I'm including two of SNAP's PSAs today, because they are both great and they won EMMY Award and one because I just like it (don't know if it won any awards).
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
I once was moved by a tragic wrongful imprisonment story, and I had it on my mind the other day. The very next day, a tv show had that theme, so I took at as a sign I should make an innocence project our Donations by the Dozen today. The national group for the Innocence Project is more of a forum for all of the state or regional groups. I am choosing the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP), because I feel DC collects diverse people, and maybe the most diverse, who may need help. Innocence Projects are the last fleeting hope for those who proclaim innocence but have lost all appeals and other avenues to clear their names. DNA testing came and yet is still backlogged in many place, and technology keeps improving. New evidence can exonerate people have spent years in jail. For MAIP, so far that is 21 people totaling 352 years of wrongful imprisonment. (https://exonerate.org/our-mission/) Some of the causes of wrongful conviction are Eyewitness Misidentification, Unreliable or Improper Forensic Science, False Confessions, Informant Testimony, Government Misconduct, and Inadequate Defense. Plus, there are two sides to this conviction coin. On one hand, someone who doesn't deserve it may spend years or decades in prison. On the other hand, the person who actually committed the crime remains free and able to commit more. For a story of success, click here https://exonerate.org/where-are-they-now-exoneree-david-boyce/ and here https://exonerate.org/all-project-list/david-boyce/.
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
I love the Master Chef Junior show and watching these amazing young chefs whose talents offer them hopes and dreams I hope they still fulfill if they don't win the competition if they persevere and continue with their passion. In thinking about those who don't win, I found C-CAP, the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. Having given over $50 million in scholarships, C-CAP helps the entire industry from high school through career success and for life. C-CAP runs competitions for high schoolers, guides teachers, advises for college, provides scholarships, provides job training and internships, and continues with a lifetime of career advice and guidance. Founded by a Le Cordon Bleu Paris Chef and educator Richard Grausman, "C-CAP’s mission is to promote and provide career opportunities in the foodservice industry for underserved youth through culinary arts education and employment."(https://ccapinc.org/who-we-are/what-we-do/) C-Cap has seven areas throughout the US and serves 17,000 students. They also offer education abroad. Here (https://ccapinc.org/stories/krystal-lewis/) is a fabulous story about Krystal Lewis who is currently learning and working at a three Michelin star restaurant in Spain on an awarded scholarship. She previously worked at The Spotted Pig, also a Michelin starred restaurant. Lewis says, "“Negative influences such as gangs, drugs and violence were abundant in my neighborhood, and a difficult home life made it very hard to focus on school. From Chicago to NYC, C-CAP has been there for me every step of the way.”
I suggest watching the attached video to see a high school student's work and hear about her experience, but even if you aren't interested in that, you should with it to see the most amazing cake ever.
It is inspiring and wonderful to see talent and perseverance create a life for someone with such talent and passion. Thank you C-CAP for making dreams possible.
You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,
ChickTech: High School is a year-long series of opportunities for 100 young women in each city, providing hands-on workshops, mentoring, and internship opportunities. It supplements traditional education and provides a supportive community for young women to learn how to create technology. We focus on recruiting girls who do not see themselves as technical but who have the aptitude to do very well in technical fields. We place additional emphasis on recruiting at-risk and low-income participants. (https://chicktech.org/highschool/)
