Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Eve from Minnesota founded Students Making A Difference in November 2016. When she personally witnessed the bullying of peers because of poor hygiene and delved deeper, she realized the breadth & depth of the issue and saw a need. Her project provided hygiene kits to kids who may not have had the essential items available to them. SMAD provided 250+ kits to kids in her community through monthly drop-offs to schools, recovery centers, and Head Start programs.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Claire used her award to further develop her program STEM4Students. S4S provides a four-day STEM summer camp to 100 economically disadvantaged 2nd grade students at Guadalupe Center in Florida. Claire’s goal with STEM4Students is to make it possible for students who might not think or know about STEM to turn knowledge about it into a potential career. 

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Ana’s project Teach, Grow, Reach was something she started after her relative passed away due to malnutrition.  Ana wants to prevent this from happening to others. As part of the project 9th graders in the environmental magnet program at her school grew organic herbs, fruits, and vegetables and give them to the elderly. As far as distribution, Ana worked with an assisted living center in her community.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Meet 5 year old Izabella from Alisa Viejo, CA who loves to pick up trash. She and her friends pick up trash after lunch in their school’s garden, and they frequently stuff wrappers in their pockets for future use! Izabella and her friends wanted to enlist their classmates’ help with picking up trash by purchasing “grabbers” which makes picking up trash more fun (and clean). They broadened their own trash-gathering scope from lunchtime in the garden to the playground and bathrooms. When the grabbers were distributed, a teacher read a book about picking up trash to all students in the garden during storytime.  Students also made drawings showing how the grabbers helped them pick up trash.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Meet 7 year old Luke from Winter Haven, FL.  For his project he and his classmates made blessing bags full of food for the hungry. Luke stated, “I want to feed hungry people and get my class to do the same. When I see people that are hungry I want to bring them home with me.” 

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Meet 17 year old Trinity from Memphis TN. Inspired by her own journey to overcome anxiety and depression, Note 2 Self was an art expression project for Trinity’s Girl Scout Gold Award. She states, “Art is what gets me through. It allows me to speak when I do not have the words. It is my release when the world becomes too big. I want to share my experience with others and teach them about the power of expression and that mental illness is not taboo.” Trinity hosted an art expression workshop for teens that included a showcase of participants’ art work for family & friends that doubled as an awareness event about mental illness. 

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Kade (14) from Maryland used her award to create and distribute Kids Care Boxes to children at a local family shelter where she works after noticing that incoming children were often scared when they arrived. Kade worked with the shelter to survey incoming families to figure out what specific items were needed most and what types of items would help make them feel more welcomed. Kade decided to gather items, box/bag them, and even created little booklets with general information about the shelter and other important information.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Sabrina (18) from Texas used her award to launch Artful Start a nonprofit art program for children with disabilities. The organization runs a variety of programs throughout the year including family art days and art booths at community events. AS creates setups that are accessible for all types of children.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youths 18 years of age and younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Ally (10) from Michigan used her award to launch her project Snuggles and Love. Ally spent time in the hospital as a baby and was inspired when her parents told her stories about people pushing carts of toys, books, blankets, and other gifts around the hospital for ill children who had extended stays in the hospital. Ally wanted to add some cheer to other children during their hospital stay as well. She was able to make 32 care packages with the help of her group of volunteers and deliver them to a nearby hospital.