Nov
1
Kids Who Give Back
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YouthGive is nurturing the next generation of philanthropists.
By Gaetano Pollice
You don’t have to be a Rockefeller, a Carnegie, or a Bill Gates to be a philanthropist. You don’t even have to be a grown-up. That’s the message from YouthGive, a nonprofit that is shattering the misconception that only affluent adults can give back to their communities.
Who
Husband-and-wife team Dan Siegel and Jenny Yancey have worked in the nonprofit field for more than two decades. In 2005, their then 10-year-old daughter, Weezie, planted the seeds for YouthGive. “She suggested we write a book or create an online video game about how kids could learn about nonprofits and donate to good causes,” Dan says. This led to the creation of YouthGive, which aims to reach kids between 7 and 18 years old. Based in Mill Valley, California, it has a modest staff of four managing the entire operation.
What
At www.youthgive.org, parents can create a Giving Account for their children, letting them manage their own virtual foundations. The account serves as a donor-advised fund, into which parents deposit money via PayPal. Children can choose from a variety of nonprofits on the YouthGive Giving Menu and decide how much to donate. Some nonprofits are global, while others do their work in nearby California communities. No minimum donation is required, and parents monitor their child’s donations every step of the way. Read more
Oct
1
Coffee With a Conscience
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You needn’t sacrifice taste to drink a socially responsible brew. These brews blend organic or fair-trade certification with high-quality beans. The result: light, medium and dark roasts to satisfy any coffee drinker.
By Lauren Kerensky
- Newman’s Own Organic and Green Mountain Coffee coproduce a line of fair trade, organic java. Try Nell’s Breakfast Blend for a light roast with enough body and depth to kick-start the day. (www.greenmountaincoffee.com)
- Native Mayan farmers from fair trade cooperatives in Mexico and Guatemala grow Café Mam coffee. The Mocho Blend stands out with subtle, smooth hints of cinnamon and a light sweetness perfect for a relaxing afternoon coffee break. (www.cafemam.com)
- Allegro partners with over 50 farms that use traditional and sustainable methods to grow, harvest and process their coffees. The Rwanda Karaba has a round, slightly sweet and smooth taste. (www.allegrocoffee.com) Read more
Light Roast
Sep
1
Carbon-Curbing Kids
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Thanks to one eco-friendly mom, these students are cutting back on enough carbon to offset hundreds of cars—which gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘off-roading.’
By Jenny Jedeikin
In a classroom at Bacich Elementary School in northern California, a group of second graders gathers to make holiday wrap from recycled paper, forgoing the usual recess games of dodgeball and jump rope. A woman in front holds up a sheet of paper decorated with sponge-painted snowflakes. “Most paper you buy from a store comes from trees. I call that tree-to-trash,” she says. “Not very green. So, who can tell me why this paper is better?”
A seven-year-old boy raises his hand. “Reused paper is better for the earth because it doesn’t make as much garbage,” he says. “Too much garbage makes everyone too hot, which isn’t good for the world.”
As members of Bacich Elementary’s Green Team, these seven-year-olds are taking part in Cancel-a-Car, a grassroots environmental program launched last spring. The educational project helps children understand the issues of global warming and motivate their families to make changes. It teaches kids that when you take simple actions to save energy at home, it’s just like taking a car off the road for one year. Since it began in February of 2007, Cancel-a-Car has grown to include 25 schools in northern California. And with nonprofit funding in place, is it is poised to spread even further. Read more
Aug
1
Go Ahead…Act Up!
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One organization has inspired mothers across the world to fight for their children’s wellbeing.
By Michelle Carlton
As a parent, you wear plenty of hats—chauffeur, tutor and bedtime-wrangler, to name a few. Think you have time to add “activist” to the list?
Perhaps you do. The nonprofit group Mothers Acting Up (MAU) makes it easier for mothers to play an active role in their communities, countries, and even the world. MAU provides inspiration to get moms moving, and instruction, support and resources to get them started.
Who: Amid their increasing concerns over the state of children in the world today (including issues like malnutrition, AIDS and education), four Colorado mothers decided to take action by launching MAU on Mother’s Day in 2002. The date’s significance goes beyond the obvious: Women’s-rights activist Julia Ward Howe gave her “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870, envisioning it as a time for women to unite and fight for the rights of children everywhere. Read more
