News Flash: Innovative Strategies for Serving Atlanta
As part of National Volunteer Week, A Billion + Change brought together leaders from Atlanta’s business and nonprofit communities yesterday for a special panel discussion, “Innovative Strategies for Serving Atlanta.” Hosted by Deloitte and McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, the panel focused on the power of corporate skills-based and pro bono volunteering to address community needs and challenges.
“As the birthplace of the civil rights movement with a long-standing tradition of philanthropy and service, Atlanta has long been called ‘The City Too Busy to Hate,'” said Atlanta’s Chief Service Officer Amy Phuong. “But Mayor Kasim Reed believes Atlanta can do more and become the city that is also not too busy to love one another. Our city has a deep culture of business innovation, so we strongly believe A Billion + Change is the kind of challenge our city’s leaders can rise to meet.”
A Billion + Change, housed and managed by Points of Light, is a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer service from corporate America by 2013. As this movement grows, there have been some amazing examples of businesses and nonprofits working together to address critical needs, including:
Deloitte’s commitment to provide $60 million in pro bono professional services is made real by the work of its employees as they provide strategic planning and IT solutions to organizations like the Girl Scouts, Professional Business Women of California and the YWCA
UPS logisticians and engineers are helping international relief organizations respond to and prepare for disasters while their drivers are teaching low-income teenagers road safety and driving skills
Skanska USA has partnered with the Atlanta Mission to design and create the Atlanta Urban Garden, a downtown community garden that benefits more than 500 homeless and recovering men, providing not only reduced cost, healthy and locally grown fresh produce, but also vocational training and purposeful work
So far, A Billion + Change companies have pledged nearly $1.8 billion in service to help nonprofits be more effective agents of change.
Every day, the campaign’s pledge companies are redefining what it means to help by investing their time and talent to build nonprofit capacity at home and around the world.
“At Deloitte, we try to select nonprofit engagements in a way that lets us use our employees’ talents and skills to give back to communities-we think that is an important thing to do. We challenge you to think about how you can give back through pro bono and skills-based volunteering,” said Ed Heys, managing partner, Atlanta and Birmingham, Deloitte, and chair, Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
A Billion + Change looks forward to working with Deloitte, the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta, Hands On Atlanta and the mayor’s office in the coming months to engage the Atlanta business community in skills-based volunteering.
To learn more about how your organization can join A Billion + Change, visit our website at www.abillionpluschange.org.
Change Notes: Celebrating People In Action for National Volunteer Week
Friends,
Sunday marked the start of National Volunteer Week. Points of Light will lead the nation in a celebration of people doing extraordinary things through service. The week honors the people and organizations dedicated to taking action and creating solutions for their communities.
Each year for more than two decades, National Volunteer Week has focused attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service as an integral dimension of our civic landscape. It is a time of celebration and of recognition of the power of people to create change.
To celebrate the power of service, President Barack Obama issued a national proclamation, and governors, mayors and municipal leaders, as well as corporate and community groups across the country are highlight the power of people to create change.
Members of Congress from across the country are recognizing Daily Point of Light Award honorees from their district or state to showcase these individuals’ extraordinary work. These 32 leaders have posted inspirational videos, highlighted volunteers work on social media and sent personal letters to award winners to thank them for their leadership.
Special Events
During National Volunteer Week, Points of Light is hosting special events to recognize volunteers who have made an impact across the nation. Highlights of the week include:
The national Make A Difference Day Award luncheon on April 19 will celebrate the 2012 Make A Difference Day honorees for their outstanding contributions and impact through voluntary action. Each will receive a $10,000 grant from Newman’s Own and a trip to Washington, D.C., to the event. In addition, the event highlights the commitment of Newman’s Own, USA WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light in inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to create change. The keynote address will be given by Kevin Bacon, actor, musician and founder of SixDegrees.org.
A Billion + Change hosted a breakfast and panel discussion at the 2012 Business and Civic Leadership (BCLC) National Conference earlier today on the ways skills-based volunteering can create high-impact social change. The discussion focused on ways companies can offer their best business skills and talents to benefit the mission of nonprofits.
Recognizing Volunteerism
Along with individuals, Points of Light is recognizing 10 national nonprofits that are making a tremendous impact on our country’s most critical challenges. These organizations, which have partnered with Points of Light, are mobilizing volunteers in meaningful ways to create change through hands-on service. These organizations also demonstrate a collaborative spirit through partnerships with other organizations to help strengthen communities across the nation. Partners include: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., American Red Cross, Big Sunday, Blue Star Families, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, FoodCorps, Give an Hour, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), Share Our Strength and United Methodist Communications.
Last, but not least, Points of Light is recognizing its Leadership Partners, companies making important, strategic investments in the communities where they live and work through their partnership with Points of Light. These companies not only provide employee volunteers’ time and talent, they provide thought leadership and significant financial support. They include tier one partners American Express, Hasbro, Target, University of Phoenix and the UPS Foundation; and tier two partners Altria Group, Best Buy, GlaxoSmithKline, Google and JPMorgan Chase.
Engaging in Year-round Service
Points of Light will also launch two new public service announcements during National Volunteer Week to encourage volunteers to take action in their communities. One, by country music icon Reba, urges people to connect to Points of Light to find local volunteer opportunities. The other, by Ann Lopez, formal national spokesperson for the National Kidney Foundation and founder of The Lopez Foundation, highlights National Donate Life Month in support of organ, eye and tissue donation. Both videos are available on Points of Light’s YouTube channel and the National Volunteer Week website.
This year’s National Volunteer Week celebration is sponsored by Reward Volunteers®, an initiative of Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Now through July 7, volunteers are encouraged to download and use the Reward Volunteers® app for iPhoneor web widget. Reward Volunteers is a free, easy way for anyone that volunteers to log their time, post to Facebook and earn rewards for themselves and the organizations they serve.
Through the dedication and leaders of individuals, organizations and companies across the country, we are making an impact on the challenges we all face. I salute all who give of their time, talent, voice and money to create a better world.
In second grade I began a “career” in community theater that eventually gave me opportunities in professional theater and TV. I enjoyed the challenge, the friends, the total experience and I knew that I was more outgoing and confident because of theatre. Then in 2003, I read that Cobb County, where I lived, had an increase of 300 percent in our Latino community. Because I have a Spanish-speaking mom and learned the language at home and at summer camps, I wanted to do theater in Spanish or in a mix of both English and Spanish. I thought it would be a great way to get the growing Spanish speaking populations more involved in the community. I was just 10-years-old when I began The Children’s Bilingual Theater; an outreach program that I believe is making a “community of difference.”
I am committed to the idea that our theater can make a difference because we are dedicated to giving a diverse group of young people theatre experience while offering the benefits of confidence and public speaking in a bilingual setting. Even though I have operated on a shoe string budget, I find success by taking advantage of all opportunities from grants, sponsorships, and awards to speaking about our work to engage additional community support. Today the Children’s Bilingual Theater is a student-run theatrical outreach company focusing on bringing bilingual programming to venues in the Cobb County and metro-Atlanta area. I have led 200 volunteers, produced six bilingual plays and hosted numerous literacy events.
Our little group grows and shrinks with each production. Kids join, do a show, volunteer and when they move on they have wonderful theatre skills that will always help them speak up, stand up straight, find their mark and as I like to say, “make their mark.”
One project that has been particularly meaningful to me brought together my personal challenges with Turner’s syndrome, a congenital disability, with my theatre background. I wrote a bilingual play called Mr. Ooba’s TEAM that addresses the issues of bullying of developmentally-disabled and medically-fragile children and diversity in the classroom. Our volunteers have performed it as a reader’s theatre and with a student cast. Now with community support we currently are working with Puppatoons and puppeteer Liz Vitale to produce a puppet version to tour in 2012, launching at Sacred Tapestry Church in East Cobb.
When I was in fifth grade and began The Children’s Bilingual Theater with 17 volunteers, I could never have imagined that it would one day become an important community organization committed to teaching tolerance by bridging language and cultural gaps in the Atlanta area through the theatre arts. Nor could I have imagined the tremendous impact that this theater company would have on me.
I have learned by leading this group and by producing bilingual performances, that all participants and audience members are impacted by this work. Students develop personal confidence, hone their communication skills and appreciate more deeply the theater. As a grassroots organization, we work closely with the community. Local businesses become program sponsors while government agencies and local leaders support our work while we build bridges and understanding between disparate parts of the community that are sometimes separated by language and culture.
Jordan Schwartz, 18, attends Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. In 2004 she founded The Children’s Bilingual Theater, a student-run theatrical outreach organization bringing bilingual programming to venues in the metro-Atlanta area whose cast and crew have reached more than 6,000 audience members and countless school audiences. Jordan is a member of the 2011 PARADE All-America High School Service Team, an award recognizing outstanding young service leaders presented by Parade Magazinein partnership with generationOn, the global youth enterprise of Points of Light.
Innovative Strategies for Serving Atlanta: Kicking-off National Volunteer Week in Our Home Town
National Volunteer Week (April 15-21) is a time to celebrate people doing extraordinary things through service.
As the President said earlier this week, “Our Nation has been profoundly shaped by ordinary Americans who have volunteered their time and energy to overcome extraordinary challenges…During National Volunteer Week, we pay tribute to all who give of themselves to keep America strong, and we renew the spirit of service that has enriched our country for generations.”
We are excited to have Deloitte and McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP welcome A Billion + Change to Atlanta on Monday, April 16to kick off National Volunteer Week with a panel discussion, “Innovative Strategies for Serving Atlanta,” focusing on the power of corporate skills-based and pro bono volunteering in addressing community needs and challenges. Speakers at this event will include Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light, Edward S. Heys, Managing Partner for Deloitte’s Atlanta & Birmingham offices and the Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and Jeffrey K. Haidet, Chairman of McKenna Long & Aldridge.
“As the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement with a long-standing tradition of philanthropy and service, Atlanta has long been called ‘The City Too Busy to Hate,’” said Atlanta’s Chief Service Officer Amy Phuong. “But Mayor Kasim Reed believes Atlanta can do more and become the city that is also not too busy to love one another. Our city has a deep culture of business innovation, so we strongly believe A Billion + Change is the kind of challenge our city’s leaders can rise to meet.”
In the spirit of the week, we are reminded how proud we are to house and manage A Billion + Change. As this national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer service from corporate America by 2013 continues to grow and catch the attention of companies across America, we have already seen some amazing examples of businesses and nonprofits working together to address critical community needs at home and around the world.
So far, A Billion + Change pledge companies have pledged nearly $1.8 billion in service to help nonprofits be more effective agents of change:
UPS logisticians and engineers are helping international relief organizations respond to and prepare for disasters while their drivers are teaching low-income teenagers road safety and driving skills
Right here in Atlanta, Skanska USA has partnered with the Atlanta Mission to design and create the Atlanta Urban Garden, a downtown community garden that benefits more than 500 homeless and recovering men, providing not only reduced cost, healthy and locally grown fresh produce, but also vocational training and purposeful work.
Every day, the campaign’s pledge companies are redefining what it means to help by investing their time and talent to build nonprofit capacity at home and around the world. Building upon the immense success of the pro bono movement in the legal industry, including the valuable services Points of Light received from groups like McKenna Long & Aldridge, A Billion + Change, together with their pledge companies, is inspiring the largest commitment of corporate pro bono service in history.
We look forward to building on this momentum to engage the Atlanta business community next week in a meaningful discussion on highly impactful opportunities for businesses to engage in pro bono and skills-based volunteer service.
We hope you can A Billion + Changes’ breakfast and panel discussion on Monday! Register online for free!
To learn more about how your organization can join A Billion + Change, visit our website at: www.abillionpluschange.org.
I Grew Up In A Community That Valued Service
Today’s Turning Point comes from guest writer, Tracy Thomas, Manager of Visitor Experience at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y. When not coordinating volunteers, Tracy enjoys hiking, kayaking, and hanging with her dog, Cade, in the Adirondacks.
I don’t recall a specific turning point that led me to volunteering or being a manager of volunteer programs. My story is as much a tale about my parents as it is about me.
I was raised in a very small town in Northern New York. It was the type of place where neighbors help neighbors without asking for anything in return. A place where you shovel someone’s driveway when you are doing your own, offer to pick up groceries for the elderly woman down the street, and jump in with support and casseroles when a family is in crisis. My mother and father sought to foster this spirit in my brother and I, knowing it would have long-term, positive impacts for both of us. The words “Tracy will do that” or “I will send Todd right over” were commonly heard in our household.
Their efforts to raise community-minded, caring children were my turning point. I learned from a young age that helping others had benefits in the way I felt about myself and the world. I also learned that when you are willing to put yourself out there to help those in need you will find that other people are willing to help, too.
In high school and college my service focus changed from helping in a neighborly way to formal volunteering, with dog walking at animal shelters and bingo at nursing homes added to my activities. I joined the co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega in college and became an officer, striving to help our organization reach more people. I still took great enjoyment, however, in the basic level of volunteering – jumping in to assist those around me.
Today, as a certified volunteer administrator and someone who has made a career in the field of volunteerism, I still strive to work with people who are looking to help in both formal and informal ways. One of my favorite definitions of volunteering remains “being aware of another’s needs and doing something about it.”
The theme for this year’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service is “Turning Point.” At Points of Light we are highlighting turning point stories – stories about the moment or moments that inspired your service.
Joining Forces Anniversary Tour
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden launch Joining Forces in 2011
Yesterday marked the start of First Lady Michelle Obama & Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces Anniversary Tour.They kicked off a two-day tour celebrating the one-year anniversary of Joining Forces, their initiative to recognize, honor and serve military families. Since launching Joining Forces on April 12, 2011, significant progress has been made to rally Americans around military families. Communities all around the country have joined forces to take action to support veterans and military families as they serve our country and throughout their lives. The Joining Forces two-day tour will highlight examples of organizations and companies that have made significant commitments to support military families.
The initiative focuses on key priority areas – employment, education, and wellness – while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice, and needs of America’s veterans and military families.
In partnership with Joining Forces, Points of Light has committed to mobilizing service leaders across the country to leverage the Community Blueprint, a new tool and initiative, to help local service leaders improve their communities’ support for veterans, service members and their families in the areas of education, employment, mental health, reintegration, and financial and legal services.
Today’s Turning Point story is written by Bee Nguyen, president of Athena’s Warehouse in Atlanta, Ga.
When I was a child, I often heard the Vietnamese phrase “ngu long cong chua” or “five princesses of dragons,” as people looked at my parents and their five daughters. According to the Vietnamese culture, having five daughters or “princesses” is a sign of luck in the family.
Ironically, none of us girls were ever raised as “princesses” because with only one man in the household, we were taught to fend for ourselves. While our friends were allowed to stay out late, date boys, and attend sleepovers, we were raised in a fairly traditional Asian household. Every summer, my sisters and I played with each other, memorized five vocabulary words in preparation for an oral quiz given by our father and conned our mother into taking us to the mall where we would share slices of pizza and bury our noses in books at Walden books. Ceiba: a silk cotton tree. Where would we ever use that word?
We were raised as traditional females in one sense; we were forced to wear dresses in our tomboy stages, clear the kitchen table and join the women in the kitchen at parties. We were not allowed to jump fences, spit, or wear pants to church. But my parent also reinforced the idea of being an independent woman by prioritizing one thing: education. My parents taught us that education was essential, non-negotiable, and our opportunity to be a self-sufficient individual. Our parents’ expectations of us were never lowered because of our gender. My older sister can hang light fixtures, change headlights, and jump start a car; my mom spent a day installing burglar bars at the family home; and last month, my little sister called me to change her flat tire.
It was not until I took a women’s studies class in college that I experienced my turning point. Suddenly, the value of being a woman was glaringly obvious and wildly beautiful and not just a representation of growing up in female dominated household; not only did I have parents who taught us to be ambitious, self-sufficient women, but I had four sisters who were my rock. I promised myself that I would celebrate women by supporting other females and by surrounding myself with other women who both needed and provided support. As a commitment to myself, I have followed through, building a strong network and support system; the women in my life are dynamic, courageous, interesting, and fun, but best of all, they cherish being a woman.
When I started Athena’s Warehouse in 2009, I knew without a doubt that the organization would focus on the idea of empowerment for young women. Women are warriors, not princesses — and to remind other females of that, we started a prom dress program for high school girls in the Atlanta area. The program provides a dry cleaned dress to each student in exchange for three hours of community service. By requiring the service hours, we relay to the young women that they can not only earn a dress, but they can also contribute to their community. No matter how little we may have, we will always have the time to give.
As we started our work with the ladies, we realized that they needed more than just dresses —they needed female role models, guidance, and resources for real life issues. We started Be Awesome, Be Aware, a series of life skills workshops focusing on issues such as self-esteem, exercise, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy prevention. This year, four of our students reported using resources from our safety workshop to help themselves, a family member, or a friend; says one of our girls, “safety and self-defense was personally the most touching workshop for me because this helped me realize that being in an abusive relationship is not normal.”
Through the young ladies that we serve, I am continuously reminded that it is my personal commitment to serve and support women both through Athena’s Warehouse and my own life. I was fortunate to have two parents who taught me values that have allowed me to be successful in my life and in my career. Sometimes, though, like many other women, I need the support of another woman — to remind me of my strength when I am low; to encourage me to take care of myself when I am sad; to tell me to keep moving forward when I am discouraged; to be honest with me when I cannot be with myself; but mostly to give me the friendship and companionship that every woman needs. And that is what I am here to do for the young women in our community through the work of Athena’s Warehouse.
In Bee’s spare time, she enjoys running, reading, dining, biking, spending time with her two poodles and bonding with her family and friends. She is currently working on her MPA at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State.
GenerationOn Has Provided Me With An Amazing Experience
Today’s guest post is written by Mohit Jain, a 17-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska and a member of the inaugural generationOn National Youth Advisory Council. He was inspired by his grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer’s and is now leading his community and state to a healthier tomorrow. He is actively involved in medical research and is a member of the American Red Cross National Youth Council, the Live Well Omaha Youth Advisory Council and the Nebraska Governor’s Advisory Council.
The generationOn Youth Advisory Council is made possible through the generous support of the Hasbro Children’s Fund. Today is the final day to apply. The application period closes at 5pm EDT. To learn more or to apply, click here.
One of the first things that I received during my journey with generationOn was a Mr. Potato Head toy from Hasbro. Even as a 16-year-old, I derived a great deal of joy from the simple design of the toy — maneuvering the different pieces to make the whole. Little to my knowledge, generationOn would soon become the many different pieces of the Mr. Potato Head toy, shaping my involvement in service and connection to the nonprofit community.
My experiences with generationOn started during our inaugural National Youth Advisory Council (YAC) leadership training event where I was inspired by the role that youth continue to play in organizations and the power and potential we have when we band together to address issues in our communities. I sat at the same table as Michelle Nunn, Neil Bush, and Brian Goldner, President and CEO of Hasbro, and learned about the time and energy that these leaders take to involve youth in their work. Hearing from them gave me the sense that there is support for my generation to tackle issues through service in a way that I’ve never experienced anywhere else before.
After I learned about the innovative projects being conducted by my peers and heard of the successes of these great leaders, I decided to take my own action. I opened up a website which helps connect students in Omaha to new opportunities in the area and nationally. The website is a network of several community partners in Omaha that present new volunteer opportunities, scholarships and awards on both the local and national scale that are updated on the website, primarily through social networks.
Through generationOn, I’ve also been given numerous opportunities to both share and listen to other peoples’ ideas and initiatives. I traveled to New Orleans as a representative of generationOn at the National Conference for Volunteering and Service, where I was impressed by the sheer number of people in the network of volunteers and the vitality of youth nationally. One of the features of the conference was a youth summit where two of my peers gave a presentation on how organizations can further involve young people in their events.
Furthermore, I traveled with generationOn to the World Youth Volunteering Summit in Barranquilla, Colombia, where I interacted with more than 900 participants from six continents. There, I found that the same principles that guided my community of service in Omaha also bonded people in countries like Somalia, China, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Ghana, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, France, Russia and Germany (just to name a few). Service is an international phenomenon. There, I presented a workshop along with my YAC colleague, Clay Hurdle, on the importance of including social media in the work of nonprofits and service initiatives to mobilize people to action, especially our generation.
From meeting prominent leaders to collaborating with my peers to being able to share ideas and brainstorm with volunteers nationally and internationally, generationOn has provided me with an amazing experience where I have learned so much about myself and the abilities of my generationOn to make their mark on the world. It has truly been a phenomenal experience! The generationOn YAC opened doors, and introduced me to a new world that I instantly fell in love with. It shaped my ideas, my goals, and the field I plan to pursue at a professional level. I urge you to start your journey by applying today!
My Turning Point Happened After An F-4 Tornado
Today’s turning point story is written by Natasha Colkmire, special markets national sales manager for Motel 6. In Natasha’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her church, working out through running, yoga and rock climbing.
April 27, 2011, is a day that I will never forget. It was the day that my small town, Ringgold, Ga., was torn apart by an F-4 tornado.
I had heard there were tornadoes hitting the south, and that they were moving my way. I went to my mom’s house since both my husband and my dad were out of town. It was just me, my mom and my little sisters, Makayla (14) and Malia (6). We had discussed that if the storm got really bad, we would move under the house into the crawlspace. Around 8 p.m., my mom opened the door and told me to come and look at the sky. She was looking up and to the right. As I approached the door, the wind picked up. Our power had just gone out and it was very dark and hard to see. I looked up and over to the left, and then I saw it. The tornado was only about a half-mile away from us and headed in our direction. I started screaming for my mom to get the girls underneath the house. Once we were in the crawlspace, we just kept praying for our own safety as well as our friends and neighbors.
Finally, we decided to get out and assess the damage. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. The tornado did not actually come into our subdivision, almost as if the gates that surround us would not let it in. Everything else was destroyed though. The whole town was just mangled as if it were a piece of paper that had been balled up and thrown away.
The next few days, week, and months were completely devoted to restoring our community. We helped so many people cut down trees, remove debris from their yards, provide warm meals, and pray for their emotional and physical healings. We felt that since we were so blessed to have been protected by God from the tornado, it was the least that we could do. It wasn’t just us though. There were so many people who were doing the same thing all throughout Ringgold. April 27 was such a terrible day felt by many all over the south; however, you can always find something good out of the bad things that you go through. Just as there are rainbows after a storm (and there was a double rainbow in Ringgold the day after the tornado), something good is to come from trials. In a time of need, our community came together to provide for those who had been effected. Nothing mattered at the time except for caring for each other. We get so wrapped in our day to day life that most of the time, we forget to be a neighbor when we should be caring for one another on a daily basis. I think all were humbled by our experience, those who were helped and those that helped. I know it humbled me.
Joining the Youth Advisory Council Changed My Life
Today’s guest post is written by Liu Zhen Huang, a graduating senior at Baruch College Campus High School and a member of the inaugural generationOn National Youth Advisory Council. She first began her volunteer work with generationOn’s Service for School Success program and through work at Asian American for Equality, a nonprofit that works to help new immigrants from China. Most recently, Liu worked independently with students in her community including Asian Americans from her own school to educate them about staying in school.
Through attending service events and being a member of generationOn’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC), I have broadened my views on the importance of youth service. In March, The Points of Light Tribute Event and the generationOn Youth Advisory Council leadership training event brought the YAC members together in Washington D.C., and it was a remarkable experience. I met not only the generationOn staff but the nine other YAC members who have since become my close friends and trusted colleagues. I was also able to serve alongside my new colleagues at a local community for veterans with many more volunteers.
Later in April, I was fortunate enough to attend generationOn’s Hasbro Community Action Heroes Award Ceremony. I found myself learning to socialize and interact with adults, many of whom work under the umbrella of Points of Light. It was a great opportunity for social networking and meeting like-minded youth that share my passion for service.
Furthermore in June at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service (NCVS), I gave a presentation called “Let Us Lead” in New Orleans, encouraging adults to involve more youth to serve in their organizations. Never before had I ever been involved in such a big conference, I became familiar with a variety of nonprofit organizations, received a Daily Points of Light Award not to mention engaging myself and my mission to the media. The past year, I’ve experienced a great deal of unique learning experiences full of different opportunities and personal accomplishments – and I owe this all to becoming a member of the generationOn YAC.
Joining the YAC has changed and transformed my life. I have learned to be a more assertive, independent and responsible civic citizen in my community. I am now more aware of the environment I live in, am able to recognize the community issues that I am unsatisfied with, and by cooperating with my YAC peers, I know I can make a difference in my community. Throughout my journey with the YAC, I have galvanized more and more of my peers to donate their time and talents, like painting and planting flower bulbs at local parks in New York City. At the beginning of school year, I also managed a 9/11 tribute event. Joining the YAC has changed my attitude in life, I am now more mature. I feel appreciative when I hear other people say thank you to me or how they enjoyed serving others.
If you happen to be a teenager between the ages of 13 – 18, I encourage you to apply for the next generationOn Youth Advisory Council. GenerationOn is a platform that allows you to grow both personally and professionally. You will be forever bonded and supported by your YAC colleagues, and the adults and mentors on the generationOn staff are also always there for you whenever you need them. There is no greater position than being a member of the generationOn’s YAC. I recommend every youth across the country to apply today!
“As the birthplace of the civil rights movement with a long-standing tradition of philanthropy and service, Atlanta has long been called ‘The City Too Busy to Hate,'” said Atlanta’s Chief Service Officer Amy Phuong. “But Mayor Kasim Reed believes Atlanta can do more and become the city that is also not too busy to love one another. Our city has a deep culture of business innovation, so we strongly believe A Billion + Change is the kind of challenge our city’s leaders can rise to meet.”
change.
Today’s blog is re-posted from the 
Today’s Turning Point comes from guest writer, Tracy Thomas, Manager of Visitor Experience at 
Today’s Turning Point story is written by Bee Nguyen, president of 
Today’s guest post is written by Mohit Jain, a 17-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska and a member of the inaugural 
Today’s turning point story is written by Natasha Colkmire, special markets national sales manager for Motel 6. In Natasha’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her church, working out through running, yoga and rock climbing.
Today’s guest post is written by Liu Zhen Huang, a graduating senior at Baruch College Campus High School and a member of the inaugural 
Joining the YAC has changed and transformed my life. I have learned to be a more assertive, independent and responsible civic citizen in my community. I am now more aware of the environment I live in, am able to recognize the community issues that I am unsatisfied with, and by cooperating with my YAC peers, I know I can make a difference in my community. Throughout my journey with the YAC, I have galvanized more and more of my peers to donate their time and talents, like painting and planting flower bulbs at local parks in New York City. At the beginning of school year, I also managed a 9/11 tribute event. Joining the YAC has changed my attitude in life, I am now more mature. I feel appreciative when I hear other people say thank you to me or how they enjoyed serving others.