Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth 18 years of age & younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Eli (17) from TN organized the building of a new pavilion and wheelchair ramp at the McBurg Community Center. The center was built in 1906, so it was in need of repairs. Many live music events, workout classes, cooking classes, and children’s events were held at the center prior to COVID, and Eli noticed that the wheelchair ramp was rotting and uneven. In addition to repairing the ramp, he planned to build a new pavilion over the picnic tables to provide shade and shelter for children playing on the playground and parents watching the children.

Meet K4C microgrant recipient James (13) from Iowa who named his project the Wakema Creek Clean-up. James noticed a shallow creek in a park that runs through his city. Although the creek was home to small fish, sand, and rocks, it also contained garbage, dead wood & grass so long that he couldn’t even see the water. So the creek was unsafe for anyone to explore or enjoy. 

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth 18 years of age & younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Sebastian (17) from CA applied for one of 3 charity drives at his high school, Archbishop Mitty, and his application was accepted. With the help of members of the Mitty Advocacy Project and the Latinx Student Union, Sebastian was able to provide 450+ donations of the most basic necessities to farmer workers connected with the Center for Farmworker Families. Sebastian called his project Con Bonded which translates as With Kindness.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth 18 years of age & younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Sidney (16) from Ohio is very passionate about keeping the environment safe, so she created a vermicompost program & a community garden at her school, Laurel School, and called her project Girls for the Globe. The compost created was used in the soil for the community garden. With her award, Sidney added 4 beds to the 12 existing beds in the garden which included both produce & perennials. The produce was donated to decrease food insecurity in the Cleveland area while the perennials increased biodiversity, leading to a more sustainable environment.

Meet K4C microgrant recipient Ashley (18) from MD. She and other seniors from Glen Burnie High School used her award for their capstone project which involved addressing student poverty in Anne Arundel County.  The group has a passion for helping others in their community, and their mission was to create care packages for middle school students who face challenges due to poverty, ultimately in hopes of boosting mental health. Ashley & her team targeted middle school students because “they are just beginning to understand the importance of mental health.” The team was also cognizant that middle school students are still at the age where they rely on their parents financially because they are not of legal age to work. Finally, the team chose to provide daily necessities in the middle school students’ care packages because they understood that some parents may not be able to afford those items.  Taking into consideration the age group they were supporting, the team also decided to assemble separate packages for female students to include menstruation products. Calling the project Love in a Box, the team set their goal at 100 care packages.

Meet K4C microgrant recipient Olivia (15) from North Dakota. Olivia founded the nonprofit Warm Blanket Hugs when she was diagnosed with epilepsy 🧡 During her hospital stay, she received a handmade blanket which provided warmth & security, and, from there, her mission to provide that feeling for others began. For her project, Olivia & team provided 300 blankets to families in temporary shelters in her community during the cold North Dakota winter.

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth 18 years of age & younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. In a local park, microgrant recipient Larisa (16) from PA implemented a storywalk, a series of wooden signs installed along a park trail, each sign displaying a page of an illustrated children’s book. Preschool to elementary school aged children-who naturally want to move around a lot–read the signs as they move along the trail. Larisa’ project combined two concepts she loves: the outdoors & books!

Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth 18 years of age & younger who spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Brandon (18) from WA secured his award for The Hope Festival, an annual student-run project that serves in-need families & individuals across the greater Seattle area. The Hope Festival provides over 1,000 individuals with free groceries, clothes, hygiene items, feminine/infant products, school supplies, and books & toys for the kids. Additionally guests receive free services like haircuts, massages, dental care, vaccinations, health screenings, and much more. Guests’ connections made with local agencies & organizations at the festival’s Connection Center provide support long after the festival ends. The Hope Festival’s goal is that every person served walks away with a newfound sense of hope.

Meet K4C microgrant recipient Isabella (15) from PA.  She founded the youth-led initiative “I Matter” during the time of social unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd.  Seeing the video of George Floyd’s death and reading about the killing of Breonna Taylor changed her 14-year-old view of the world and inspired her to take action.  “I Matter” helps students from all backgrounds express their feelings through art about how Blacks are treated in society and engenders progress towards equality.  The top entries of poetry and art were made into a book which she & her team distributed to schools and libraries across the country.  The student winners were offered in-person and virtual speaking opportunities to develop their presentation skills and create a forum for them to inspire others.  

Meet microgrant recipient Max (15) from Pikesville MD. Carrying on a tradition that his older sister (Morgan) started 7 years ago and older brother (Sam) continued, Max & the Medical Explorers Club at Pikesville High School feed the homeless in Baltimore and stock a food pantry for students in need at PHS.