…Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient, Sabrina. Sabrina founded “Artful Start”, which provides art program to children who have special needs.

1. What inspired you to start “Artful Start”?
I was inspired to found Artful Start after volunteering at Camp CAMP, a sleep-away camp for children with special needs. At CAMP, I learned about the many problems that people with special needs face in society.

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient, Grace, an 11-year-old who organized the sewing of curtains for the new transitional housing at the YWCA in her community.

1. What inspired to start this project?

I was really interested in sewing because of sewing camps at Wheeling Country Day School and my mom was on the board at YWCA….

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient, Kaitlyn, a 14-year-old who created healthy treats for dogs at the Paws and Think Shelter.  The treats will be used during the Youth Canine Program, where students who are struggling academically and behaviorally in school learn to train dogs.

1. What inspired you to start “Treats for Training?”

At school, I got to choose which elective class I wanted to take, and I thought learning how to write a grant would be a useful skill….

…Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient, Devin. Devin started the Pleasantville Community Garden in 2014. Using land at St. John’s Episcopal Church and the help of close to 100 volunteers, they grew 500 pounds of fresh produce for local food pantries in their first year.  

1. What inspired you to create the Pleasantville Community Garden?
When I was 11 years old I was doing research when I found that 1 in 5 people in Westchester County are affected by hunger.

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipients Lydia, Gabrielle, Brooke and Emma from Girl Scout Cadette Troop 777.  The girls built two little libraries to increase access to books for students at Oak Hill Elementary school.

1. What inspired to start this project?

Lydia Coleman, Gabrielle Eastwood, Brooke Peterman, and Emma Nations, all 8th graders (2015-2016 school year) in Girl Scout Cadette Troop 777, wanted to work on a project that benefits the school community at Oak Hill Elementary School in Austin, TX….

…Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipients, Ray and Rose. Ray and Rose founded the “Little Mozart Program” which provides free piano lessons to underprivileged children in their community.

1. What inspired to start this project?  
 After completing the highest level of piano exam offered by the Royal School of Music, both of us looked back on our entire piano experience and realized that while achievements like awards are good and all, we had achieved nothing.

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient Jenna.  Jenna and her friend Camilla established a dog park in Montpelier, ID.

1. What inspired to start this project?

My peer and I saw that there was no place in the valley that was dedicated to dogs. Being animal lovers ourselves, we wanted to create a safe place for people and their companions to enjoy some fun….

The brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi at University of North Carolina recently held an ice cream fundraiser with all proceeds donating to Karma for Cara. We spoke with AEPi’s Vice President Matt Greenberg who coordinated the philanthropy.

Matt and his brothers came up with the idea of having an Ice Cream social fundraiser after discussing with friends where to find the best pistachio ice cream. After naming a few different places they thought it would be unique to assemble five local ice cream vendors to participate in a fundraiser….

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipients Sophia and Olivia. Sophia and Olivia created three types of bags to ease the transition for children who are placed into emergency foster care. The types of bags are as follows: Night Time, School, and Coping Bags.

1. What inspired you to start this project?

Sophia: We heard that there were kids in our county who were being removed from their home and placed in foster care….

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional service projects led by youth 18 and under working to better their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient, Robyn, a 17-year-old who volunteers with “Wonders & Worries”. Wonders & Worries help children whose parents have a life threatening illness by sending child life specialists to talk with the children, answer any questions and help manage their stress. They also provide each child with a blanket.

1.What inspired you to start this project?…