in New York City, Paula Gavin, the city’s chief service officer announced to a room filled with nonprofits that she wanted to increase the volunteer rate in New York from its current 18 percent to the national average of 25 percent by 2020. Attending this seminar was Points of Light’s Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Program Expansion Teri Johnson.
For the last seven months, Teri and Paula have been working together to develop a way for New York to increase volunteerism citywide. The NYC Strategic Volunteer Planning-NYC Service Enterprise Initiative is launching this October to help nonprofits in New York City meet this goal in collaboration with Points of Light’s
A Service Enterprise is an organization that fundamentally leverages volunteers and their skills across all levels of the organization to successfully deliver on its social mission. Nonprofits operating as Service Enterprises outperform peer organizations on all measures of organizational capacity, thereby allowing them to more effectively address community needs and operate at almost half the median budget.
This week, five nonprofits that represent the five boroughs of New York City have been selected to become volunteer Service Enterprise Hubs: the Asian American Federation and the
.
On Oct. 13, these organizations gathered for a special launch event where Teri Johnson and Lori Jean Mantooth, director, knowledge center at Points of Light, lead an orientation with New York’s five hubs and 20 organizations to kick off the program. This launch will make New York City the first Service Enterprise City.
“More than 80 percent of our Service Enterprise organizations report an increase in both volunteers and skills-based volunteers and more than 60 percent report an increase in volunteer hours,” said Teri. When an organization leverages volunteers and achieves an effective volunteer management model, not only do they lead and manage their organizations better, but they also become significantly more adaptable, sustainable and better resourced to do their work – therefore they are able to scale more effectively.
New York and the participating hubs join the growing network of more than 500 organizations certified as Service Enterprises. By 2018, NYC Service plans to establish 100 organizations certified in Strategic Volunteer Planning-Service Enterprise. Each of these organizations will increase their number of volunteers by 23 percent.
Including the current New York Service Enterprise organizations certified through UJA Federation in the last three years, each averaging a 22 percent increase in volunteers, New York City will experience a significant increase in volunteer rates and organizations will be able to deliver their services more effectively.
“Points of Light believes that Service Enterprise is a powerful solution to building critical organizational capacity,” Teri said. “Organizations that participate in Service Enterprise increase their volunteer rates on average by 23 percent a year.”
With the Service Enterprise Initiative helping to strengthen the capacity of these nonprofits to fundamentally leverage volunteers and their skills to address community needs, this program signals a new era of impact for nonprofits in New York.
From Food Drives to Disaster Relief, Outstanding Make a Difference Day Volunteers Awarded Grants to Make Change
At age 14, Dominic Esposito saw a need in his community and found a creative way to help solve it. It was 2013, and Hurricane Sandy had recently devastated New Jersey – leaving many families in need of help and food panties struggling to keep shelves stocked. When the entrepreneurial teen learned that valuable scrap metal was not being properly recycled in his community, he founded
to collect and recycle unwanted scrap metal with proceeds benefitting area food banks.
On Make a Difference Day, the nonprofit hosted a walk-a-thon, leveraging social media, word-of-mouth, and door-to-door marketing to gain business and community support. The event raised nearly $2,500 for the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties – enough to provide 7,300 meals for people in need.
Dominic’s commitment to service echoes those of millions of volunteers who unite in service each year on the 4
th
Saturday in October for Make a Difference Day, an initiative of
, in collaboration with Points of Light. This week in Washington, D.C., volunteers with Scrap Hunger and other community groups – selected from thousands of entrants – will be honored for their 2015 Make a Difference Day projects.
Guests at the awards ceremony will include
will award $10,000 grants to the organizers of the 13 winning projects, and the TEGNA Foundation and Gannett Foundation will give an additional $10,000 all-star grant to a past winner that has demonstrated excellence in volunteerism during the most recent Make a Difference Day.
“In celebrating these Make A Difference Day honorees, we can find inspiration to take action in our own lives,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “They remind us that we can use our special skills, our talents, our dollars or our tweets to create positive change every day. In return, the best part of service is that it awakens our passions and connects us to one another.”
The 2015 national Make A Difference Day Award honorees include:
Return of the Natives, Salinas, CA
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN
Scrap Hunger, Lincroft, NJ
Animal Friends, Pittsburgh and Wexford, PA
The Pediatric Connection, Richmond, VA
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
GFWC Beverly hills Junior Women’s Club, Chicago, IL
Volunteer Center of Story County, Ames, IA
Stanwood High School, Stanwood, WA
Taking Root, Cincinnati, OH
The 2015 City Award honorees are:
Richmond, CA
Moonachie, NJ
Aberdeen, SD
The All-Star Award is:
Operation Access, Sonoma County, CA
Learn more about the 2015 Award Winners and find how to get involved for Make A Difference Day 2016.
Women Making History, Building Stronger Communities and Changing Lives
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
Tracy Hoover
For this past month, I’ve loved learning more about power-women in history and the mark they’ve made on the world. It also has me thinking a lot about the many women I get to meet through this work who are changing lives and communities, every day. These are the women who are making history by serving others.
It’s become a wonderful tradition: every year in March, we celebrate women who have changed history. Their rosters (see:
) include CEOs and seamstresses; soldiers and civil rights activists; athletes, autoworkers and astronauts; artists, educators and inventors. And this year, the UN’s International Women’s Day heralded the accomplishments – and struggles – of women around the globe. Companies like Microsoft have added their might to the call for gender equality in opportunity. I loved
– that honored women inventors and asked, “What are you going to make?” It’s a powerful message from a powerhouse brand, and it made a difference.
Another powerhouse brand making a special mark this month, is L’Oréal Paris, who announced this year’s call for nominations for their
program. From now through April 29, you can nominate a woman who is igniting social change on a local, national or global level. Following a rigorous review of thousands of nominations, 10 women are recognized with grants of $10,000 each to benefit their causes and get the opportunity to share their stories with the world. Over the last decade, L’Oréal has recognized 100 Women of Worth and awarded more than $1 million to advance their programs. This inspiring roster includes college students and CEOs; activists, attorneys and athletes; soldiers, educators; moms, daughters, and sisters, too.
Women like
, whose work has saved lives and whose advocacy has helped to change laws to combat human trafficking in Georgia. And Maria Rose Belding, a college student who created MEANS and has changed the way food pantries get food to 1,800 community agencies in 15 states. And Teri Kelsall, who, after losing her son Jonas, a Navy SEAL killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2011, started the Jonas Project to help veteran entrepreneurs develop business plans, pursue startup capital and launch new lives and careers. And Kathy Koeningsdorf – a New York mother who lost her son Jake to heroin, and then devoted her life to finding and funding lifesaving treatment for substance abusers who want help but can’t afford to go to a treatment center. “That’s what keeps people healthy – connection,” Kathy says. These women are changing lives and laws, they’re making a difference and they are making their mark on history.
I’m so proud that Points of Light has partnered with L’Oreal on this incredible program for more than ten years, and I hope you’ll nominate a Woman of Worth in your life.
For more information about Women of Worth, to nominate a woman making a difference and to learn about past honorees, visit www.womenofworth.com.
Help, Hope, and the Power of One Tweet in Brussels
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
Between my news feeds and my faith traditions, I’ve thought a lot this week about suffering and hope; darkness and light.
In recent months, images and accounts from every corner of our world have told of the horrific human suffering caused by war, poverty, hatred and injustice.
As word spread about the terrorist attacks on Tuesday, “not again” echoed across social media, giving voice to the all-too-familiar sense of despair and hopelessness many of us felt in that moment.
But in Brussels, just moments after the attacks, messages of help and hope filled the airways as people, some of them victims themselves, started helping each other, and the glow of candles lit the night.
I don’t think it’s coincidental that whenever terror or tragedy strikes, we come together and light candles. Literally and figuratively, we fight the darkness. We seek out and connect with the light in each other and in ourselves. And especially this week, I was struck by those images and by the acts and expressions of hope and solidarity they inspired. Here are a few:
Buried in the
coverage of attacks was this quote: “There was a lot of humanity amid all the horror,” one woman said. “We received water. I was hungry, and a stranger offered me some nuts. People were helping each other.”
Social media powered a massive neighbor-to-neighbor response and hashtags like #OpenHouse and #PorteOuverte offered stranded victims a place to stay. And anyone who needed a ride, a meal or even a Wi-Fi connection could use #IkWilHelpen — “I want to help” in Dutch —to ask for and receive help from hundreds of people standing ready to help.
In multiple languages, hashtags like #PrayForBelgium and #JeSuisBruxelles captured the millions of messages of support that poured in from across the globe.
From a driver who provided a ride and set off a Twitter chain reaction of goodwill and offers of help. He later tweeted: “That ride yesterday. CRAZY how big the impact is of 1 tweet.” And when someone called him a hero, his response “I’m not a hero. If just everybody would do something kind for each other …”
I was surprised to hear a familiar voice from Brussels, NBA legend, fellow Atlantan and Points of Light Ambassador Dikembe Mutumbo, who was at Brussels Airport when Tuesday’s attacks took place. I love that Dikembe called the people who helped him “angels.” As someone who knows firsthand how much good Dikembe himself does, including through his
, I’d guess he’s been called an angel more than once, and I’m certain he is a point of light.
Especially this week, I am praying for those who are suffering, and I am thankful for those who care.
Thank you for your service and for being points of light in our world.
Forget Veggies! Science Shows Volunteering Is Healthier
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
For years, volunteers nationwide have been telling Points of Light that they are happier, healthier people as a result of making a difference in the lives of others. Now, scientists are catching up with what these points of light are telling us, demonstrating that the benefits are tangible — mentally and physically — and a reason why so many keep coming back to help. They just feel better when they put others first. And this is despite the fact that the nature of their work often puts them in close contact with people who are suffering from illness, victims of crime or natural disasters, homeless, lonely, despairing or even dying. How can that be?
Let’s start with looking at the difference between two words that are often used interchangeably: empathy and compassion. Empathy is defined as “the visceral or emotional experience of another person’s feelings.” It’s that moment President Bill Clinton referred to when he famously said, “I feel your pain.” When you see a person who is suffering greatly, and feel sad — almost a grieving feeling in the pit of your stomach, really — that is empathy. Compassion, however, is different. One must first have empathy to feel compassion — you first have to recognize that someone else is suffering and in need — then have compassion to stop and help that person.
And it is compassion and its physical effect on the brain that has been the subject of several scientific studies over the years that are worth sharing, courtesy of the American Association of Psychological Science:
A study by Jordan Grafman of the National Institutes of Health using MRI images of the brain showed that the part of the brain that lights up when one is experiencing pleasure (such as that death-by-chocolate dessert or a George Clooney movie) is the same part that lights up when we give money to charity. The “joy of giving” appears to be anatomically based in the brain.
Steve Cole of UCLA and Barbara Fredickson of UNC Chapel Hill reported at a conference at Stanford Medical School’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education that people who describe themselves as “very happy” have lower levels of cellular inflammation (which is related to stress levels and cancer risks). But they found that this was the case only if people were happy because they lived a life of “purpose or meaning,” as compared to those who lived “the good life” of material wealth.
A compassionate lifestyle may also help lower stress levels. Michael Poulin of the University of Buffalo found that stress didn’t predict mortality in those who volunteer, but it did in those who did not. The theory is that the good feelings derived from being compassionate are so pleasurable that they may protect against the ravages of stress. Similarly, Sara Konrath of the University of Michigan found that people who volunteered lived longer than their non-volunteering peers, but only if they were engaged in charitable, not self-serving, activities.
Dr. Cole also found that a lack of social connection is more harmful to our health than obesity, smoking or high blood pressure. In fact, social connection builds a stronger immune system; the same genes that are affected by social connection are linked to immune responses and lower inflammation. As a result, people who are more connected to others recover from disease faster, are less anxious and depressed, have higher self-esteem, and tend to live longer. Conversely, those who lack social connectedness often see declines in physical and psychological health and are more likely to engage in anti-social behavior, leading to further isolation and loneliness.
All of this confirms what we’ve known for ourselves for years: that points of light are healthier, happier people despite the circumstances in which they often find themselves — whether it is an ICU at the hospital, the devastation left by a natural disaster, or even just the quiet sadness of a lonely nursing home. Through it all, volunteers are able to keep a smile on their face, stay healthier and live longer. Compassion fuels them, both literally and figuratively.
No wonder 62 million volunteers gave at least an hour a week of their time to others last year in this country. They know what’s good for them — and now we have scientific proof.
A Week of Parties, Primaries, Protests and Purpose
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
Tracy Hoover
If you’re like me, your dinner table, water cooler and social media conversations this week included Chris Rock quotes, primary predictions and a good bit of debate about what’s not working – in government and politics, but also in schoolrooms, courthouses and communities.
For the record, I think comedian Chris Rock did a good job as host of the Academy Awards. His was a tough assignment, and his use of humor as critique helped millions of people join the conversation and begin to grapple together with issues of institutionalized racism. While I respect the choice some celebrities made to boycott the Oscars by staying home, I applaud the artists who showed up, stood up and spoke out – in Hollywood and almost 2,000 miles away, in Flint, Michigan, where film directors Ava DuVernay (Selma) and Ryan Coogler (Creed) organized the Justice for Flint concert and fundraiser to raise money and awareness about the crisis involving the water supply.
As the Oscars aired, an impressive group of artist-activists including musician Janelle Monae, actor Jesse Williams, artist Ledisi, comedian Hannibal Buress and legend Stevie Wonder were with families in Flint – showing up, standing up and speaking out about the tragedy there, and inviting more of us to join that effort, too. On Twitter, #JusticeforFlint was trending at the same time as the Oscars, as supporters donated from across the U.S. to help local families.
Whether they spoke out at the Oscars in Hollywood or stood up with residents of Flint, these celebrities showed up as activists addressing disparities in opportunity and access – and they were heard. You may not agree with everything they said, and they didn’t all agree with each other, but they acted together as members of a community to make a difference. And this week, amid much political debate and too much divisiveness, these artist-activists were points of light for me.
Each day, I meet people like them who are troubled by an issue and who do more than just single out what’s wrong. These people take action and become points of light in lives and communities across the country and around the world. This year, Points of Light — the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service — will mobilize millions of people in more than 250,000 service projects in 30 different countries. Their efforts will include 30 million hours of direct volunteer service worth more than $635 million, and an overwhelming majority of them will also use their voice and influence, their vote and civic participation as well as their time and talent to tackle tough problems, both immediate and systemic.
These individual points of light know that making Flint a better place is about more than just fixing the water supply – just as ending homelessness is about more than the roof over one’s head, and eradicating poverty is about more than handing someone money. Volunteers all over the world know that improving lives means building strong, safe, healthy, participatory communities where everyone has access, opportunity and a role to play in building – and defining – the common good.
So, especially this week, I salute the points of light – the volunteers, artists, residents, students, activists and politicians – who are shining a spotlight on tough issues and doing more about them than protesting.
Share Your Kid’s Holiday Volunteer Story for a Chance to Win $1,000
Has your kid volunteered during this holiday season? Maybe through school or with your family? It’s not too late to participate in the generationOn Joy Maker Challenge, which ends Dec. 23.
Go to generationOn.org/joymaker to tell your kid’s holiday service story for a chance to win $1,000, which you may use to support further volunteer service. (Teens 13 and older may enter their own stories.)
Also during the challenge, Hasbro is donating a toy or game to Toys for Tots for every child or teen who signs up and volunteers, up to $1 million worth.
There are only two days left, so tell us your kid’s story today!
Here’s How Your Kids Can Spread Joy This Holiday Season
While many lucky children and their families think of the holidays as a warm, happy time, countless others are instead struggling with illness, poverty or other challenges.
Max Page, center, is joining the Joy Maker Challenge.
Your kids can help brighten the holidays for others through the generationOn Joy Maker Challenge, which engages youth in volunteer service. During the challenge – which runs through Dec. 23 – Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots for every child or teen who signs up and volunteers, up to $1 million worth.
Eleven-year-old Max Page, known for his role as mini Darth Vader in a Volkswagen Super Bowl ad, is one of generationOn’s 57 Joy Maker Challenge ambassadors this year. Each ambassador, selected through a competitive application process, has received 100 to 500 Hasbro toys and games to donate locally as part of a service project he or she will hold during the Joy Maker Challenge.
Max has big plans for his share. He’s selected 10 families to pick out 10 toys each during a toy distribution event he’s hosting at his home, with his family and best friend. Each family will have the chance to pick a local organization with which to share the toys. Max’s goal is to make sure the toys don’t all end up in one place; he wants to spread the joy to those who need it most.
“Parenthood” actor Xolo Maridueña explains how kids can take the Joy Maker Challenge.
Max knows how much it means to be on the receiving end of kindness. Born with a congenital heart defect, he underwent open heart surgery at age 7 at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and has received treatment ever since, including two surgeries this past summer.
“I’ve been in that place when others reached out and helped me before,” Max says. “I loved it so, so much that I wanted to know how I could do the same for others.”
Encourage your kids to join Max and hundreds of thousands of kids across the country for the Joy Maker Challenge.
Those who share their stories on generationOn.org/joymaker have a chance to win grants to continue their service, including a $1,000 grand prize or one of 20 $250 grants. Throughout the campaign, one participant will be selected each week to receive a pack of 10 Hasbro toys to donate in their community, like Max. Youth can also share their stories of service on social media using the hashtag #JoyMaker.
How will your kids spread joy?
In Thanksgiving
This post is by Tracy Hoover, Points of Light’s CEO.
Tracy Hoover
Like many Americans, today I’m celebrating Thanksgiving. And, even though I don’t really care for turkey or pumpkin anything, this is one of my favorite holidays. It’s the acts and ideals of Thanksgiving – shared harvest, community, homecoming and out-loud thankfulness – that speak to this idealist’s heart.
In this year of so much tragedy, the rituals of coming together and giving thanks seem profoundly important. In fact, I believe affirming the good and brilliant glimpses of light in our lives and in our world, can be a powerful tool for dispelling the hopelessness that prevails when problems seem far too big to solve.
During times like these, people often ask me, “What can I do?” Honestly, it’s the same question I ask myself. In those most tragic moments, the hunger to help – to do something – is overwhelming, and yet there is no universal solution. However, I am constantly inspired by the unique and powerful answers that come from volunteers who do act. Rather than waiting for the perfect solution, they do what they can, where they are, with what they have.
So, in thanksgiving for all the changemakers, I want to share just a few of the brilliant points of light I’ve seen recently and invite you to tell us about the ones you’ve discovered too, using the hashtag #thanksgivingpointsoflight.
In Paris: During the recent terrorist attacks, as subways shut down and people were told to get off the streets, thousands of Parisians offered their homes to those needing shelter. Through social media, volunteers created #PorteOuverte, which means “open door,” to give neighbors and strangers a safe place to stay amid rampant fear and uncertainty.
California mom Cristal Munoz-Logothetis launched an Indiegogo campaign to deliver 1,400 much-needed baby carriers to refugee families in Greece. (Read more about and support her effort, Carry the Future, here.)
Eight photojournalists who have documented the lives of refugees are selling their stunning photos to raise awareness and money to help refugees.
In the United States: Kassy Alia’s husband, Officer Greg Alia, died in the line of duty Sept. 30. And yet, six days later, Kassy was at Harvest Hope in Columbia, S.C., volunteering to get food to those who needed it most after their homes were destroyed by flooding. Kassy shared, “I felt driven to come out and give back to the community who has given us so much.”
Especially this year, I am thankful for the changemakers – the points of light in our world – and the hope they inspire in all of us.
Thank you for your service and your support.
These Kids Are Making Peace – Will Yours?
Kids and teens across the country – more than 23,000 of them so far – are making peace and spreading kindness in creative ways. (See below how your kids can, too!)
Kelli from New York created The World Peace Mural, a public art project that has inspired more than 400 young people to contribute art, photographs and poetry to a stunning display of unity across continents and languages.
Zach from Louisiana raised more than $530 for children being treated for cancer at St. Jude’s Hospital by arranging for his peers to pay $2 to wear their favorite hats to school. That money will go toward buying toys for anyone undergoing treatment.
And more than 900 students at a Florida school encouraged parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors to come together during a peace summit to spread peace beyond the walls of their school into their community.
Schoolmates display the poster they made to honor Martin Richard’s call for peace.
Their inspiration? An 8-year-old named Martin Richard, the youngest victim killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. In the days after the bombing, a photo of Martin holding a handmade poster that read, “No more hurting people – Peace” circulated widely online.
Martin was known as a “bridge builder” in his school and someone who believed in fairness, kindness and inclusion. The Martin Richard Bridge Builder campaign, run by generationOn – Points of Light’s Youth Service enterprise – encourages kids and teens to spread peace through service projects or simple acts of kindness, honoring Martin’s desire to bring people together.
During October – Bulling Prevention Month – the campaign urges educators and parents to create a culture of caring, kindness and compassion in their schools, communities and homes by addressing issues such as bullying, insecurities and community conflict through service.
Whether it’s planting a peace garden, making a peace poster or simply inviting someone new to sit at a school lunch table, there are many easy ways kids, teens and families can make a difference.
Students ages 5 -18 can get involved and learn about volunteer projects or share their stories of spreading peace and kindness for a chance to win a $250 grant by visiting www.generationOn.org/peace. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 16, 2015.
Martin’s message has inspired thousands of kids and teens across the country and the world to action through kindness and service. Will your kids join them?
