Thanks to all of you who attended the Grow Our Own Summit in December. It was a great day and I was so pleased to see so many of our foundation advisory board members in attendance. At the summit Dr. Putnam spoke of a “shriveled sense of we”. He noted how kids growing up in disadvantaged households are not just somebody else’s kids; they are our kids too. We know that our communities are stronger when all of our kids have a chance to succeed, and I believe our community foundations are in a unique position to help address the opportunity gap at the local level.
The Opportunity Grant being offered to our community foundation affiliates is a way for you to begin making connections with the organizations that are directly impacting the lives of young people in your community. These organizations are providing mentorship and enrichment activities. They are creating safe spaces for kids to do their homework after school or just hang out. Some of them are providing services to ensure that basic needs are being met. In short, they are creating opportunities for all of our kids to thrive.
Think of the organizations that are positively impacting the lives of youth in your community. How can your foundation lend them a hand? What can you do to increase their impact or raise their profile within your community?
The grant deadline has been extended to January 31st. I encourage all of you to consider applying whether you were able to attend the summit or not. No idea is to small and it is never too soon to dig in to this important work! While the needs vary from community to community, all of us win when all of our kids are given the opportunity to succeed.
For a recap of the summit and links to summit resources and press coverage visit our website.
