Hope everyone's spring break is going well!
I have yet to do something exciting.....
As a student who had no plans made for spring break, I found myself reading through the grant applications early in the week. I had the hardest time narrowing them down. I first went through and read the mission for each organization and took note of whether or not they were available to visit us in class and eliminated about half that did not align with our class mission of empowerment of youth and quality of education. Then I read what each organization would do with money from our class and decided on five final organizations that I believe we could have an impact on! Let me say, this was NOT easy. I hate saying no : (
In no particular order:
1. The Discovery Center (this is one of my favorites!!)
-I like the mission of this organization, although it does not exactly align with our class' mission they do wish to give children a hands-on educational experience. The Discovery Center has asked for $2500 which would allow them to install a bee hive for a new exhibit and I think that is pretty cool (but I'm a little biased - my grandpa is a bee keeper!!!).
2. The Boys and Girls Club
-The mission of BGC pretty closely matches our desired mission. They hope for their members to be productive both in an out of school and pursue a successful future. They have asked for our money because they need to update the computers and art supplies and they would like to construct a baseball field outside. All of these updates would enhance the experience of their members and better enable the BGC to achieve their mission.
3. Kopernik Society of Broome County
-This is a very educational organization that encourages students to discover the wonders of our world. Currently, they have a serious problem with one of their main telescopes - a repair that only costs $1500. I would really like to help them out with this - I want to keep them up and running!
4. WSKG Public Broadcasting (this one is my other favorite!!)
-WSKG wishes to inspire students with high quality educational programming, art exploration and more - a mission that I resonate with. A small percentage of Broome County residents have achieved a higher educational degree and this organization encourages youth to do so. They explain in the application that they are partnering with an alternative high school on a program to get students thinking about their future. They will write narratives about what their education means to them and they will record their stories for a chance to be aired on the radio. One sentence in their application really stuck out to me: "WSKG is excited to empower these at-risk students to share their voice with our community and provide a platform to inspire all local students to achieve graduation." They have asked for $2500 to go through with this program and I would really like to contribute!
5. The Broome County Urban League
-The Urban League focuses on youth ages 5-18 offering them after-school and summer programming, tutoring/mentoring, technology classes and workforce development. They have asked for money to help support their new broadcast company and radio station which will work with at-risk youth to teach them new media and social entrepreneurship. These youth will also have the chance to earn college credits through BCC. I would like to be able to contribute to this organization!
The Math:
$2500 to The Discovery Center**
$1500 to the Boys and Girls Club
$1500 to Kopernik Society
$2500 to WSKG**
$2000 to Urban League
What do ya'll think?!?!?!?
ALSO - I found this website through the grape-vine that sells bracelets to provide jobs for Costa Rican Artisans. It is called Pura Vida (which translates to Pure Life), found at: http://puravidabracelets.com. They are beautiful, fairly priced bracelets that are made for a good cause. I know a lot of friends who buy these in bulk and load their wrists with color! I will most likely be ordering a few of these! I have been to Costa Rica and met some of the locals, they live in awful conditions, yet never fail to smile!
I'm so glad someone else liked the Kopernik Observatory! I know a professor here, Dr. Knuepfer, who loves going to the observatory with his family and was telling me all about it earlier in the year.
ReplyDeleteI really liked their application because they not only specifically outlined just why they need the money, how much they need, and what they would do with it, but because they offer an entirely unique service. Reading through the applications and narrowing down my choices, there were many instances where I was forced to choose between to equally-worthy but very similar programs. Not so with the Kopernik Observatory. If they fail to receive grant money, that's it--no one can step in to fill their shoes, as it were.
In addition, one comment on their application really struck me: a mother saying her child felt it was OK to be the smart kid at the Observatory. Growing up, that kid was always me, but I never got a positive opportunity like the Observatory offers. In my school, due to budget cuts, all the gifted programs were ended, and while I see a lot of programs aimed at at-risk youth, this is the only program I've seen so far that offers all gifted and motivated children the same opportunities--opportunities that are unavailable to kids who want to learn and explore but fail to qualify for programs designed only for certain groups of students. Knowing the Kopernik Observatory offers kids a safe place where they feel it's OK to be curious and intelligent makes me feel incredibly passionate about donating to their cause.
Obviously, Number 1 on my top 5 list is the Kopernik Observatory, but here are the rest, with a short explanation as to why I chose them:
2. Goodwill Theatre--Besides their proven success, I like their theatre-mentoring program idea. For me, theatre was like a second home, and I'd love to help other kids discover that passion for the arts and sense of family theatre provides.
3. VINES--Besides a good track record, they really need the funds to solidify their non-for-profit standing. Urban gardens keep people healthy, but they're good for the environment and reduce urban blight--VINES can help make the people of Binghamton proud to live here.
4. SOS Shelter--Keeping victims of domestic abuse safe really hit home for me. Considering how crazy abusive partners are, keeping victims of abuse and those who help them out of danger from possible attacks is important. Operating costs aren't always glamorous to give to, but the SOS Shelter is a truly worthy cause.
5. WSKG--I prefer their program to the similar initiative by the Urban League because it focuses more on students who want to succeed, giving passionate students the opportunity to do something creative, and it gives a far more detailed program structure.
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you did the math, something I failed to do in my recommendations. I guess I was trying too hard not pick a final decision, but I feel like your choices are really manageable to read, and make me feel less overwhelmed.
One thing I would like to ask on any site visits is how much are the costs for the Boys and Girls Club and Urban League projects. If the 1500 will finish a baseball field, great! If it will only cover a third, where will they get the rest of the money? Will it buy them 3 computers or 1 computer? I'm not sure. In addition, I'm assuming radio equipment is expensive. Will it buy the Urban League a new microphone, and then the rest of the equipment goes out of date in the next ten years? Not trying to be cynical... I understand that "every little bit helps," and maybe we can just give some hope with the money and they can fundraise the best.
Lastly, Eliza I appreciate how you compared Urban League to WSKG, I had not thought of doing that. That can help us and give suggestions to one organization about something another organization is doing that we can suggest.
P.S. beautiful bracelets ;) Also, manageable price... many "fair trade" bracelets to benefit people groups are expensive.
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ReplyDeleteI have yet to decide on my finalists, but I really liked The Boys and Girls Club’s application too! But like Michelle stated, I’m a little confused about them building a baseball field. I just don’t believe that they really know how much upkeep goes into keeping a baseball field in a good condition. My father pretty much ran my little league growing up and I know it takes a lot to keep a field presentable as well as playable. Have they also considered how much money it would cost to cut and trim the grass along with controlling the weeds and keeping them from overtaking the infield? Also they need to think about the equipment needed for children who do not own their own gloves and gear. During site visits, I’d like to question them about that particularly. If these thoughts have already occurred to them, then I do think a baseball field is a very good idea seeing that it will get kids involved in a sport and the field would take up less room than a soccer field or a football field. Children today really need to play outside more and be involved in activities that don’t require game controllers.
ReplyDeleteAside from playtime, I enjoy that the organization takes such a strong interest in learning and completing homework. I would like to know how many computers as well as the conditions of the computers. I hope they have enough computers seeing that they serve 100 young people per day. I feel like I’ve been using computers for homework and projects since 2nd grade, so I believe that they really need some money for this program greatly because it would greatly benefit the education of many students.
Aside from the Boys and Girls Club, I also liked the Discovery Center and how they want to use the money for the bee exhibit. I loved science centers when I was younger (The New York Hall of Science was/is literally the coolest place in the world.) and I loved interactive exhibits or anything that was moving. Live bees might freak out some children, but I feel that many will be attracted to the live display!!
I’m still reading some of the applications, but I skipped ahead and looked into the S.O.S. shelter application and I agree with Eliza on how important this organization is. I’m nervous about how their security system is not up to par on the Shelter home. Abusive relationships are terrifying and it takes a strong person to walk away from one. They need to feel safe during their transition to a healthier lifestyle and I feel that safety can’t entirely be guaranteed if the security system is outdated.
I hope that after celebrating Easter with my family today I will be able to finish reading the applications and decide on my finalists. Just as a side note, I also think the Pura Vida bracelets are adorable! I’m pretty sure I saw them in Pacsun the other day after reading that the bracelets are also sold in surf shops. I wish they put out a small sign that spoke of the good cause!
I have enjoyed reading all of your comments! It is interesting to see other people's point of views on these organizations.
ReplyDeleteEliza, I like your idea to let the Urban League know about what WSKG does because they might be able to do some great work together!
Michelle, I do think there are a lot of questions that need to be answered regarding the purchasing of new equipment at some of these organizations. Questions that we should definitely get answered in site visits!
Caileigh, I too liked the SOS shelter, but with over 40 applications, I thought that it would be more efficient if I eliminated organizations who's work did not align with our class values. I have some additional personal values, but because we have to make a group decision on these organizations, I thought that it would be a better use of my time to read in detail the ones that I believed the class would agree with. However, if other class members have an interest in the SOS shelter, I would support a donation there!
I believe that the applications that outlined their $$ need and gave us a specific number, were the best written applications and I would be more comfortable giving to an organization that gave us a number that we KNOW would help. I like the idea of sponsoring the cause completely as opposed to just getting an organization started on a project!!
When I was looking over these applications I was starting to wish that I did not grow up in this area. Unlike many people in the class (except the other Melissa) I have heard a lot about some of these organizations and have experience with a number of them. When I was looking over the applications I found it extremely difficult for me to separate what I have heard about/experienced with these organizations.
ReplyDeleteFor example, let's look at Kopernick, which many people seemed to like. Now I work with the POP (Physics Outreach Program) we have here at BU and we go around to local schools teaching K-5 grade students about science. We put on 5 demonstrations/shows a semester for anywhere between 60-100 students at no cost to the schools or the families. The school asked Kopernick to put on a show at the school, but Kopernick turned down the offer.
I know that many of my experiences at Kopernick were great; I have looked through their telescopes to study the stars and see their films and demonstrations, and they are very fascinating for science centered students, or really anyone interested in the universe. I guess it just comes down to your target area and exact issue area: Is it more important to you to help those students who are struggling, both economically and academically, or would you like to focus our donation on those who are considered "gifted and motivated"?
I was also looking at the summer program offered at Kopernick. Just to give everyone an idea, it cost $60 for your family to become members of Kopernick and those members can also attend a one week summer camp for $495. Now for some people, this may not be that much money, but for underprivileged children there would be no possible way for them to pay for this experience. But for those who do have the money it would be a very educational (and hopefully inspiring) camp.
Now, since I really like dealing with facts rather than anecdotes I am trying to figure out where to draw the line with relying on my own experiences. I know that I only spent a short portion of time with each of these organizations and in reality I know very little about them. This has caused me to debate my choices more and truly figure out the reasoning behind my choices and (hopefully) remove any unsupported bias I may have. It has also given me more focus to my issue area and therefore a narrower screening process when looking at these organizations.