Nominate a Young Leader for the Hasbro Community Action Hero Award
You are never too young to start giving back to your community. Service has no age requirement and entrepreneurship in the digital age can start as young as kindergarten. We’re looking for volunteers who – even at a young age – are leading, organizing and inspiring others to serve.
Hasbro Community Action Hero Ethan Cruikshank, left, gives a guitar lesson to a Music to My Ears student.
, the award recognizes kids and teens from diverse backgrounds across the nation who give back in impassioned ways. By celebrating 10 young people for their extraordinary community service and volunteer activities, the award extends the inspiration of young leaders past their own communities.
Last year’s winners included heroes who acted when their communities needed them.
Upon learning of budget cuts at his local school that threatened the music program, Ethan Cruikshank of Mechanicsville, Va., started
. The all-volunteer organization led by middle and high school students provides weekly music lessons to elementary school children. More than 100 children have received the free lessons since Music to My Ears began in 2009, and the group has expanded to other states.
While spending time with family in northern India for her birthday, Neha Gupta of Yardley, Pa., visited a local orphanage. She saw the need for immunizations, books and more, so she founded
. Since its launch in 2009, Neha and the organization have raised more than $1 million dollars and touched the lives of more than 25,000 orphaned and disadvantaged children.
Hasbro Community Action Hero Neha Gupta visits an orphanage in India.
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The tradition of honoring outstanding young volunteers continues with the 2015 Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards. Each winner receives a $1,000 education scholarship and a $500 grant to a nonprofit of his or her choice.
Here’s how it works:
Nominate a young leader aged 5 to 18 on the generationOn website. (Nominees must be enrolled in school, be U.S. residents and be available to travel April 16 – 19, 2015, for a special, expense-paid event in Los Angeles.)
Nominations must be received by Feb. 13, 5 p.m. Eastern.
Nominators must be 13 or older.
Staff phone interviews may be requested of nominees and their parents or guardians.
Nominators will be notified of the status of their nominees on or around Feb. 26.
For more information regarding eligibility, visit the
The brother and sister duo of Cole and Logan Layman, collectively known as In Layman Terms, are a powerful musical force with a bright future ahead of them. And they’re using their talents to help make the world a better place.
From left, Cole and Logan Layman
“For the past seven years,” says 17-year-old Cole, “we have been involved with Kids Care Clubs and generationOn, a global service movement utilizing the power of all youth and encouraging them to make their mark on the world. Under their umbrella, we have started an organization that we call the HArt Squad.”
Cole and Logan describe the HArt Squad (“Hart” stands for Healing Arts) as a group of teenagers with a passion for the arts. They get together to raise the spirits of people with physical, emotional or other challenges through live, interactive music and performance arts. The group also collaborates with other organizations to run projects for people in rehabilitation facilities, shelters, hospitals, nursing homes and other venues.
“It just feels so good to bring smiles to their faces,” says Logan.
Service is highly important to the Layman family, of Williamsburg, Va., where father Doug is a Coast Guard officer and mother Sandra is a special education teacher.
Sandra discovered Kids Care Clubs while searching online for service opportunities for the family.
“I was teaching at a school down the road from our home in Tampa, Fla., at the time,” says Sandra, “Both kids attended the school. We organized a club called Paws for Peace. Cole was 9 and Logan was 6.”
When the military moved the family to the Washington D.C., area, the Laymans started a Kids Care Club at the elementary school they attended in Vienna, Va. Over the years they have used their talents, musical and otherwise, to raise money for a number of causes.
Logan, now 14, has channeled her songwriting abilities into a song, “Won’t Let It,” which deals with a friend’s experiences with cancer. (Watch the video here.)
“Everybody can utilize their strengths and talents to help others,” she says. “Some kids feel powerless, but all you have to do is take that first step and you’ll realize that we can accomplish anything.”
Youth Turn Messages of Joy and Peace Into Action That Serves Others
Teaching children about giving requires some time and creativity, especially in communities where that may be all children have to give.
Members of the Stoneville Elementary School Kids Care Club show their school spirit with the “spirit rock” they painted.
Teachers at Stoneville Elementary School in North Carolina knew many of their students would be lucky to get their own gifts this past holiday season.
“Our school is located in a rural, low-income area of Rockingham County,” said music teacher Renee Halpin. “Asking students to bring in money to donate for any service project would place a strain on many of the families in our school community.”
At Stoneville Elementary, Halpin sponsors the Kids Care Club, an afterschool program that is dedicated to community service and is part of the generationOn Clubs network. When looking for a holiday service project, she came across The Joy Maker Challenge website created by generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light.
“The challenge gave us the perfect means to donate new toys to needy children by using the two resources we can afford – time and talent,” she said. “To hear them verbalize their wishes to bring joy to children who are experiencing some of the same hardships they are or have experienced was truly amazing. It was also refreshing to see how they transformed from ‘I want’ to ‘I want to give.'”
That’s what The Joy Maker Challenge is all about.
Members of the South Range Elementary Kids Care Club make holiday cards for a nursing home during the Joy Maker Challenge.
Organized by generationOn, with generous support from Hasbro, Inc., The Joy Maker Challenge is a month-long effort that turns acts of youth service into presents for children in need.
For the 2014 challenge, Hasbro pledged to donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots – which distributes holiday gifts to children whose families can’t afford them – for each action taken by a child or teen to help others. That pledge amounted to donations worth $1 million.
During the 2014 holiday season, more than 128,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade participated in service projects across the country. Projects ranged from participating in food drives, literacy campaigns or community cleanup projects to making holiday crafts for the elderly.
Some projects directly benefited kids within the participating communities. At Tanglewood Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas, the entire student body and staff collected gift cards, funds, clothing and a Christmas tree on behalf of two classmates who lost their home and possessions in a fire.
“The stories of youth in action were remarkable,” said Karen Davis, Hasbro’s senior vice president of global philanthropy and social impact. “The inspiration from these young leaders brings the joy of the holiday season to life.”
In addition to the donations to Toys for Tots, Hasbro gave $250 grants to 20 participating schools, chosen at random, to support continued youth service in their communities.
Martin Richard, the 8-year-old killed during the Boston Marathon bombing, holds up a sign he made that reads, “No more hurting people. Peace.”
A randomly selected, grand prize-winning school, South Range Elementary in Derry, N.H., received $10,000 worth of toys and games that it donated to the Salvation Army, as well as a $1,000 grant to support the school’s engagement in volunteer programming and a special celebration party.
In Derry, members of South Range Elementary’s Kids Care Club hosted a number of projects over the holiday season. In early December, the children made several fleece blankets, which were distributed to the town’s Community Fund and given to citizens in need. The students also made several handmade holiday cards for a local nursing home.
“It turned out to be really nice just watching the kids working so hard,” said Kyle Sachs, a librarian and sponsor of the Kids Care Club at South Range.
After they were announced as the grand-prize winner of the Joy Maker Challenge, members of the Kids Care Club went to the Salvation Army to pack gift bags with toys donated from Hasbro.
Sachs said she’ll never forget the reaction of one 9-year-old girl at the site of stacks and stacks of boxes of donated toys.
“We were just walking, and we saw all these toys and boxes and she just said, ‘I’m just so excited! We’re helping so many kids!’” Sachs said. “She was so excited to see all this even though she wasn’t getting anything material out of it.”
Supporting The Joy Maker Challenge is just one way Hasbro has enhanced generationOn’s work to ignite the power of kids and teens to make their mark on the world. As a founding partner and lead investor in generationOn, Hasbro supports expanding generationOn youth volunteer service clubs nationwide; developing tools and resources for teachers, families and nonprofits; and running campaigns and programs focused on youth service. One such program – the Hasbro Community Action Hero Award – recognizes young people as volunteer leaders and social entrepreneurs.
In 2015, Hasbro is building upon its commitment to youth service through a new campaign with generationOn. The Martin Richard Bridge Builder grant program will award $500 grants to support 30 young leaders who will promote peace and kindness in their communities.
The program is named in memory of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. Martin was known in his community for his compassion and peace-building skills on the playground, in his neighborhood and at school.
Martin’s parents, Denise and Bill Richard, formed the Martin Richard Foundation in 2014 to honor their son’s memory and message of peace. The foundation is collaborating with generationOn and the Hasbro Children’s Fund on this effort.
“By encouraging kids to pay attention to what is happening around them, we can help shape attitudes of tolerance and kindness,” said Denise Richard. “We try to teach our own kids that they are not too young to lead by example.”
Ten projects will be developed into project guides and three of the best submissions will be turned into public service announcements – to inspire other kids and teens to take action.
“Martin recognized at a very young age the importance of teaching people kindness and togetherness,” said Davis. “We are able to honor Martin’s impactful message and help our youth create positive change nationwide, at a time when we need it most.”
The Warm Embrace of Community
This post is by Alex Roth-Kahn, managing director of the Caring Commission at UJA-Federation of New York, a philanthropic organization that funds a network of nearly 100 beneficiary agencies to help care for New Yorkers of all backgrounds and Jews everywhere.
Volunteers Elaine Good and Sandra Abramson help package bags of food for people in need at the Union Temple of Brooklyn on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Our organization strives to build a community in which individuals experience both a sense of belonging and a sense of responsibility. To achieve this, we inspire the Jewish community to make a collective commitment to volunteering and engage in acts of caring throughout our region. This ensures that those struggling with life’s challenges feel the warm embrace of the Jewish community.
We knew an important first step to engaging more volunteers at our nearly 100 beneficiary agencies was to invest in the capacity of select organizations to engage volunteers in their critical work.
We wanted to ensure that our beneficiary agencies had the tools and systems to handle an influx of volunteers as well as a mindset that welcomed volunteers as service providers.
So we reached out to Points of Light to participate in the Service Enterprise Initiative (SEI). We needed a model that emphasized the regular engagement of volunteers and their skills, beyond days of service and collection drives.
We liked that the Service Enterprise model elevated the role of volunteers so they were part of a holistic care continuum of paid and unpaid team members.
We were also impressed with the peer-learning component of SEI. By learning together, our beneficiary agencies were inspired by each other to find solutions to challenges, think creatively, and be proactive in their planning. They also came away with a stronger sense of being part of a movement.
The Service Enterprise model has helped us lay the groundwork for our next steps of encouraging the Jewish community to volunteer more.
By investing in the SEI and providing additional grants to our beneficiary agencies for implementing the model, we believe we will have more meaningful service opportunities and an improved service experience available when we issue a call to action.
It’s an exciting and innovative approach we recommend to other federations or community funders that are looking to inspire individuals to help address community challenges. The SEI has helped us create a space for professionals in the field to envision things differently. To make that vision a reality though, it has been incumbent upon us to serve as a thought leader and funder in the process.
Change is difficult, but the combination of our federation assets and the SEI approach has made important changes possible. We are eager to move forward and reach more people with services and the warm embrace of our community. A community that says: “You matter. You count. You’re just like me. We come from the same places and we’re headed for the same future.”
5 Selfish Reasons to Volunteer
This post is by Marianne Stenger, a writer with Open Colleges, an Australian online education provider. You can find her on Google+ and Twitter, or view her latest articles here.
Volunteering tends to be viewed as the ultimate selfless act – after all, you’re giving up your own time and resources to help others without receiving anything tangible in return.
But a growing body of research suggests there are actually numerous social, physical and psychological benefits to be gained from charitable pastimes.
Of course, most people don’t set out to volunteer with personal gain in mind, but if you ask any volunteer about the motivation behind their selfless acts, they’ll tell you that they’ve gotten so much more back than they ever gave.
So what exactly is it about volunteering that makes it so satisfying? Here are five selfish reasons to give up your time without any expectation of monetary reward.
It can keep you physically fit.
A study led by the Rotman Research Institute showed that volunteering can lead to a number of positive physical outcomes such as greater happiness, better overall health, and fewer functional limitations.
Research from the University of Wales also found that people who volunteer on a regular basis tend to live longer than those who don’t – likely because they tend to be more physically active, but also because they often live a healthier lifestyle.
For instance, the report showed that smokers who volunteered in stop-smoking services later gave up smoking themselves, and students who volunteered drank less than those who didn’t.
It can help ward off depression.
Numerous studies have shown that when people volunteer their time, they tend to feel more socially connected, which can help to ward off loneliness and depression.
The University of Wales research also showed that volunteers had improved self-esteem and sense of purpose, which can also have a positive effect on a person’s mental health.
It can motivate you academically.
More and more students these days are choosing to take time off from school to combine travel with volunteer work. And although parents often worry that this will get in the way of their studies, research shows that these students are actually more likely to attend college after their time off.
One study in particular found that students who took a gap year before starting their tertiary education were more motivated during their college years than those who had jumped straight into their studies after high school.
It can benefit your career.
Volunteer experience looks good on your resume and can enhance your career prospects.
If you’ve just graduated from college, spending some time volunteering will provide you with valuable working experience and can help your resume stand out. For students, it can also be a good way to gain community service hours for university courses.
And, if you’re between jobs and the job hunt is taking longer than expected, volunteering can help prevent too many gaps from forming in your work history.
It can be a great way to make new connections.
Research by Gary Gregory, senior lecturer and undergraduate program coordinator at the Australian School of Business, indicates that for both older and younger volunteers, making new social connections is a big motivator.
Older females, particularly empty nesters or retirees, often volunteer as a way of keeping busy, meeting and interacting with new people, and also giving something back to the community.
For younger volunteers who aren’t in their careers yet, social groups are very important. Volunteering gives them a way to be in a group, meet people who share similar interests, and make valuable social connections that will help them later on in life.
“We are a generation that understands the power of rallying around a cause we believe in to make a difference in the world. Join us and see how great it feels to change the world again.”
Boomers Leading Change in Health volunteer Phyllis Hanfling, left, teaches a “Healthy Tots” class for refugee parents and children at Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning in Denver.
That’s the call to action a Denver-based nonprofit, Boomers Leading Change in Health, uses to recruit volunteers over 50 to serve as patient navigators, health policy advocates and community health workers.
The pitch appeals to boomers’ sense of nostalgia, belonging, individual and collective power, and generational pride. That’s a lot to squeeze into 36 words – and underscores just how much the relatively young nonprofit knows about its older audience.
The demographic is a critical one in Denver – where boomers make up about one-third of the metro population today – and across the nation, where by 2030 one in four Americans will be over 60.
At a recent conference sponsored by Encore.org – a nonprofit encouraging second acts for the greater good – Barbara Raynor, managing director of Boomers Leading Change in Health, provided these tips for engaging boomer volunteers.
Boomers Leading Change in Health AmeriCorps Encore Member Julie Rotenberg, center, uses “Body Part Bingo” to teach refugees how to communicate their health care needs.
Be flexible.
“They don’t call us the sandwich generation for nothing,” Raynor says. Boomers are engaged in jobs (including searching for jobs), kids, taking care of parents, grandchildren and travel, which can make committing to volunteering somewhat challenging. “But,” she adds, “as long as they feel what they’re trying to do is worthwhile, they’ll be there.” Provide as many options as you can to allow boomers to find a volunteer pattern that fits their lives and their work styles.
Be patient.
“Just because they sign up to volunteer doesn’t mean it’s the right time for them,” Raynor says. Other things come up; it’s just life. “Don’t give up on them,” she said. “Stay in touch. They know when the time is right, and they take their volunteer commitments very seriously.”
Give them opportunities to learn.
“Boomers are not afraid of training, especially if they can benefit from it personally,” Raynor asserts. “They enjoy it and value it, and they use it.”
Provide a professional experience.
Boomers take the commitment to volunteer seriously. “Many come dressed for a job interview,” Raynor says, “and they expect professionalism from us.” That means being prepared, respecting people’s time and experience, and being clear about expectations and responsibilities.
Capitalize on boomers’ experience.
Are boomers demanding? “Not true,” Raynor says. “They’re highly skilled. They bring expertise and with that comes knowledge, wisdom, insight and ideas. Capitalize on that. Look at it as an asset, rather than as a challenge.”
Use boomers as problem-solvers, Raynor adds. “These are volunteers with life experience. Don’t be surprised if they come up with solutions to problems you didn’t know existed.”
Got a tip you’d like to add to the list? Send it to
This post is by Mona Mowafi, who served as an AmeriCorps health educator with the Latin American Youth Center in Washington D.C., and is now president of RISE Egypt.
Think Big. Dig Deep. Make Change.
This motto defines our outlook at RISE Egypt, an organization that I co-founded and lead that connects Egyptian social entrepreneurs to a global ecosystem of support to enable, catalyze and scale development in Egypt.
Mona Mowafi
It defines how we envision a more expansive tomorrow and work toward it. As I look back on the past 15 years since I graduated college and served in AmeriCorps, I realize that it has also served as an inner mantra for many years.
Think big. Many of us stumble upon the world of social entrepreneurship, rarely having planned for it. Indeed, if you asked me if I were a social entrepreneur ten years ago, I probably would have shook my head in wonder at the inquiry. I’ve come to believe that social entrepreneurship is less a “field,” and more a title to characterize a group of dreamers and relentless doers across a variety sectors.
The titles don’t matter – if you find yourself a person who thinks big about the possibilities for systemic and sustainable change and feels the passion and urge to pursue those big ideas relentlessly, go for it. Join the amazing group of change makers doing exactly that in the world. Your life will be more enriched for it.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give to this end is to give yourself space to think creatively and openly about how to solve the world’s challenges. Once you’ve approached a goal, have another on the horizon.
Mona Mowafi, center, visits an innovative early education social enterprise in an underserved area on the outskirts of Cairo.
Surround yourself with other action-oriented dreamers. Collaborate, cross-pollinate, inspire and support one another. Turn off social media for a minute and form meaningful relationships with real life human beings as well. It will pay off magically.
Dig deep. Enacting a better tomorrow requires not just a dream, but also the character, deep-seated values and grit to feed the persistence required to meet the enormous challenges before us.
This will take investments at a very intimate level. Know your personal weaknesses and tackle those as seriously as you would any social problem. When I graduated university, it was a job boom.
More important than money at that stage in my life, though, I believed I needed to connect with real people in communities to understand their everyday lives, and I needed to test my patience and personal endurance to see if I would be able to work in development for the long term.
I was focused less on the financial return, more on the ability for life experience to test my assumptions, challenge my will, and help me define and deepen a set of values that would stick with me over time. It’s what led me to do AmeriCorps.
Since then, I have dotted my career with regular opportunities for experiential learning which have paid off enormously in keeping me grounded even when addressing challenges through channels that can feel distancing, such as policy and research.
In light of what I know it has done for me until now, my biggest piece of advice to anyone interested in the world of social entrepreneurship is to make sure you invest as much in yourself as you do in your cause. You and your cause will be better for it.
Make change. The world is forever moving. The question is: In which direction will it go? Be a part of meaningful, positive change in the world by thinking big, digging deep and passionately pursuing your dreams. You will find yourself surrounded by magnificent people, and you will hopefully be able to make an impact by utilizing your knowledge and skills in pursuit of a better tomorrow. Good luck in all of your endeavors, and remember to always:
How are you getting involved on MLK Day? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter by using #MLKDay2015, or send us an email at [email protected]. If you’re musically inclined, see below how you can get involved with MusicianCorps.
Music-making activities at 16 children’s hospitals are scheduled for #musicMLK. (MusicianCorps file photo)
As part of a national day of service honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., musicians in 50 cities will volunteer their talents by leading music-making events at children’s and veterans’ hospitals, shelters for women and the homeless, and other community settings during the MLK holiday weekend, Jan. 17 – 19.
The effort, dubbed #musicMLK, is an program of MusicianCorps, a social enterprise headquartered in San Francisco that promotes music for public benefit.
“It’s incredible knowing that through our efforts, people across the country will be connecting and making music together,” says Shela Jeong, MusicianCorps program manager. “We’re inspired that so many musicians have volunteered their time to be part of this.”
From Louisville to Los Angeles, Boston to Baton Rouge, here are a few #musicMLK plans across the country:
In Minneapolis, musician, cancer survivor and local radio personality Chantel Sings will visit Ascension Place, a transitional shelter for single women, to share her story and lift spirits through song.
In St. Petersburg, Fla., musician Jay Wilson and his band The Real Clash will lead a sing-along with children and families at All Children’s Hospital. Having never volunteered before, Wilson is excited to give back to the hospital where his own son was once treated.
In Nashville, Tenn., husband-and-wife country duo Westwend will share harmonies for veterans at the Tennessee Valley VA Medical Center. “These men and women are near and dear to our heart,” says Westwend’s Wendy Maness. “Being able to give a little of our time back to these veterans will never add up to what they have done for us, but hopefully we’ll be able to bring a smile to their faces.”
“Music is a universal experience – whether we make it, hear it, or dance to it,” says John Guzzi, a student at Boston College and president of the school’s Music Guild, one of many groups participating in #musicMLK by leading music service events in their communities. “#musicMLK represents this power of music and its ability to connect musician-volunteers to somebody in need of an emotional connection.”
To learn more about #musicMLK, visit www.createservice.org.
Tending to the Visible and Invisible Wounds of War
For our troops, returning home after long tours of duty abroad doesn’t always mean their fight is over. The Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour addresses one of the most difficult journeys our service members face – reintegration back into their communities after experiencing the trauma of war.
To engage communities in meaningful discussions about the visible and invisible wounds of war, the tour presents dramatic readings of Sophocles’ “Ajax,” an ancient Greek tragedy about the suicide of a great warrior.
A number of film and television actors have performed on the tour so far, including David Strathairn (“The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “Lincoln”) and Erica Newhouse (“Law & Order,” “The Good Wife,” Blue Bloods”).
After each reading, a panel of military service members and civilians leads a town-hall-style discussion in which audience members are encouraged to participate.
The discussion is intended to mobilize citizens and resources to help ease the reintegration process, while fostering understanding and compassion toward service members, veterans and their families.
The events are free but spaces fill up quickly. Check out the tour’s Facebook page for upcoming performances and how to get tickets. Upcoming dates include:
For more about Points of Light’s programs that serve veterans, please visit www.pointsoflight.org/veterans.
Here’s How You Can Get Involved on MLK Day
Millions of Americans will come together on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day – January 19 – in national service and dialogue to honor Dr. King.
Young volunteers share a happy moment during a 2013 MLK Day service project in Washington, D.C.
The civil rights leader had a dream that one day all people would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We have a unique opportunity to unite in volunteer service and issue a call to action to do what we, as Americans, do best – lend a hand, help our neighbors – and build better communities. Since Dr. King was assassinated, tremendous social progress has been made, but much remains unfinished.
With many communities struggling to access financial and human services, volunteer service can be a powerful force: Neighbors helping neighbors, young helping old, employees offering skills and companies investing in communities where they do business.
Guests become acquainted at an America’s Sunday Supper in Atlanta in June 2014.
How will you get involved?
Points of Light has tools and resources for a meaningful MLK Day of Service. Here are some ideas.
Host an America’s Sunday Supper
. Inspired by Dr. King’s legacy, America’s Sunday Suppers invite people from diverse backgrounds to come together to share a meal, discuss issues that affect their community and highlight the power each one of us has to make a difference.
These family and community suppers unite individuals year-round for dinner and dialogue at restaurants, coffee shops, community centers, faith-based organizations and homes across the country. (If you register your America’s Sunday Supper by January 13, you will be entered in a drawing for a $25 Target GiftCard.) Check out Sunday Supper recipes from celebrity chefs, conversation topics, film resources and step-by-step directions in our cooking and conversations guide.
Join conversations online:
Join Points of Light and the Family Dinner Project for a Twitter chat (search and use #familydinnerforward) Tuesday, January 13, noon – 1 p.m. Eastern to learn easy ways to spark civic dialogue and engage in acts of service – at the dinner table and beyond.
Tune in to HuffPost Live on Thursday, January 15, from 12:30 -12:50 p.m. Eastern for an America’s Sunday Supper conversation with Tracy Hoover, president of Points of Light, and a celebrity guest.
Refer to our toolkit for sample social media posts and easy ways you can participate online.
