“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
I’m sure all of you can remember that one teacher that really made a difference in your life. For me it was Mr. Hatch, my high school history teacher, his love of learning was contagious and just being in his class room made you want to be better.
As we pack up the back packs this week and close the book on summer I wanted to do a shout out for all our great teachers that helped us on our path. Thank you for all you have done and for all the students out there…..I hope that you are moved, inspired and excited for the year ahead.
Here are a few great teachers making a difference.
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Teaching isn’t charity, it’s a calling that matters.
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
I might have mentioned before that I am involved with an amazing boys high school in Watts called Verbum Dei. It is not like an average school for many reasons and my favorite reason is because 100% of the boys attending will go to college, for the 5th year in a row.
Verbum Dei is not a fancy boys prep school where you would expect that ratio, it is a school located in one of the poorest and most crime ridden neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Their goal is to “develop self-confident gentlemen who are intellectually motivated, spiritually rooted, contemplative and courageous in their pursuit of a more humane and just world.”
As the mother of three sons, I realize that this is a lofty goal in the best of circumstances and near impossible while trapped in a cycle of poverty and yet the “Verb”, as its called, accomplishes this year after year.
Please click here to see this inspirational place and their story.video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7375926
There are many things that set this school apart from others but one that truly stands out is their Corporate Work Study Program. This is where students work five days per month to help cover the cost of their education, to apply what they are learning in class, and to realize their own career possibilities, as well as learn skills that set them up for lifelong success. They are earning their education and realize that it is worth working for.
This years graduates of Verbum Dei are work experienced, self-confident gentlemen who are ready for college and to make a difference in the world. Congrats Class of 2012! Charity Matters.
Last week, I had the great fortune to be introduced to an amazing non-profit called Reading Partners. If you are reading this post right now, you are blessed. There are thousands of young children across our country that are not so lucky.
However, it just takes a few people to care about something enough to take action. In 1999, Mary Wright Shaw, Molly McCrory and Jean Bacigalupi saw their neighborhood school in need and launched a reading program at Belle Haven Elementary School in Menlo Park. These women saw children that needed help and decided to make a difference. They took their skills as teachers, mothers and entrepreneurs and mobilized a community to join them.
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Today, many states count prison beds based on illiteracy numbers. That is just so wrong. Rather than being reactive Reading Partners is proactive to get in there and simply:
Their goal is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction and get results. These three women started out with one school and today Reading Partners has over 3,000 volunteers in 65 schools in 5 states…all because a few women cared about their community and committed to making it better.
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
Its not very often that I share about my own philanthropy or that of my children but as a proud mother I think its time. No, I promise this isn’t one of those painful maternal bragging moments. This is about my first born son, who like most first borns (myself included) likes to think that the sun sets only on him….that was until he went to Watts.
A few years back he was having a rough summer getting ready to go to high school. Getting tired of the pity party I called a friend down at a non-profit in South Central Los Angeles, called Urban Compass and asked if they could use some extra help. Urban Compass is a non-profit that works to combat poverty and violence and make a difference in the lives of children in Watts. My son had never left his bubble, let alone ventured to the housing projects in the most dangerous neighborhood in LA.
At 14, my redhead walked into Urban Compass and was embraced by these huge smiles and hugs, That was it, he was hooked. He spent that summer taking children to places like the beach, which they had never seen. He held children’s hands as he walked them back into the housing projects and they begged him not to take him home. He came back at vacations and Christmas time asking our family to adopt one of “his families”.
Now my son is 16, he is a part of a new junior board at Urban Compass and asked me if he could do something else for his required service hours. “Why, would you do that?” I asked. The response, “Because service hours are something you have to do and this is something I love to do.”
The miracle of Christmas has touched our home this season as I hope it touches yours. That seed of compassion was in there and it has sprouted and grown. True charity of the heart that matters!
Copyright © 2011 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
As most of us are preparing in one way or another for back to school, the smell of fresh pencils and the endless possibilities that a new piece of paper brings. That excitement is sadly not a reality for all.
Currently, 1 out of 4 of High School Students in the United States is dropping out of school. As I heard this terrible statistic I ran across a man who regardless of politics has really made a difference and continues to reach out to our youth, General Colin Powell. He is a reminder that one person can make a difference and that our children all deserve America’sPromise.org
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So as you pack up the backpacks remember the 1.3 million students that won’t finish school this year. Renew your own promise to educate and remember the power of one.
Copyright © 2011 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
“If you want to be remembered, do something memorable.”
Charity Matters wants you to get to know these inspirational people that will be remembered for their remarkable gifts of compassion to those in need. Theresa Gartland is exactly that, remarkable Here are her answers to Charity Matter’s Questionnaire.
What Charity Matters to you?
Urban Compass, of course!
What or who inspires you?
My students inspire me every day! Even though they live in a very violent and depressing neighborhood, they are the most resilient, positive, happy children I have ever met. They have a thirst for knowledge and a strong desire to succeed; they cherish every moment they are at Urban Compass. They are risk takers – they want to explore and you can feel their excitement the minute they step into the UC van because they know they are going on an adventure they have never been on, exploring a new community, learning more about what life has to offer. They don’t take for granted what for most of us are everyday experiences.
When did you realize that you made a difference?
It’s in the little moments that you realize you are making a difference in these children’s lives. It’s when they give you a hug and hold you tight and won’t let go. It’s when you see them quietly working on their homework, striving to be their best. It’s when a student says, “Thanks Ms. G- I want to be a good person when I grow up and stay out of trouble, just like you.” When a teacher, principal or parent lets me know the student’s math or reading scores are improving because of Urban Compass. It’s when I get home at night and reflect on the day, thinking about the smiles I saw, the laughter I heard, and the hugs I received; and the tears I cry are coming from a place of compassion, knowing that we have provided a place for these children to create positive childhood memories that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
If you could get everyone to do one small act of kindness, what would it be?
I don’t know if this is an act of kindness but a small thing we all can do is to validate each other more. Whether you are 8, 28, or 48 years old, you still want to hear that you are doing the right thing, that you are a good person, and that you are making good decisions in life. I see it all the time with the students I work with: they want approval, they want recognition, and they want to know that they are ok. I am constantly looking at each one of them in the eyes and saying “I’m proud of you!” Those words are so powerful, so meaningful. The students respond with a smile and you can see new confidence in their eyes. We don’t tell our friends, partners, spouses, children, parents, students, and co-workers often enough that we are proud of them.
What is your motto?
“The best thing you can do is help those who want to be helped.”
Copyright © 2011 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
With over 1.8 million non-profits in the United States alone, I thought where do you begin? For me, Urban Compass is a place close to my heart and a place that gives children a beginning, a hope and pays everything forward.
Located in Watts, an economically depressed area known for its high drop out rates, poverty, crime and gang violence…which triples in the hours following school. The local elementary and middle schools are recruiting grounds for new gang members with some children joining as early as eight years old.
Urban Compass was formed in partnership with Verbum Dei High School and 112th Street Elementary School to combat poverty and violence and make a difference in the lives of children in Watts. This incredible after school program captures children at a very volatile age and offers an alternative model for them: an environment that challenges them to dream of a rewarding future where they can accomplish anything and escape poverty.
Urban Compass is featured in Daughtry’s video “What About Now” (at approx 2min) you will see that Urban Compass is the path to now.
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Copyright © 2011 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.