Karma for Cara Foundation awards microgrants to youth who are 18 years of age and younger and spearhead exceptional service projects in their communities. Microgrant recipient Ava (10) from PA is a junior level Girl Scout. In pursuit of the bronze award project—the highest level award for her age group in GSA–Ava & other troop members made “welcome” bags for a local foster care facility. Their plan was to include toiletries, handmade blankets, and some special hand paintings for 20 foster kids.
- What inspired you to start this project? Realizing that foster kids are removed from homes with little to nothing. They are usually brought into foster care with their belongings in a trash bag.
- Other than you, how many student volunteers participated in your service project? 11
- Other than you, how many adult volunteers participated in your service project? 2
- How many hours did you spend on your project? 25
- How many hours did other volunteers spend on your project? 5
- How many individuals were affected by your project? 20
- During the time period between when you applied for a K4C microgrant & when you completed the project, what surprised you? How wiling everyone was to help and how much of a difference we could make in people’s lives by doing something so “small.”
- Overall what did you learn from this experience? That it takes very little to help make someone else’s day. More people should try it.
- How will your project continue having an impact in the future? Each year during our cookie season, we will continue to take a portion of our sales to give back to the community in the hopes that every foster kid in our area will have a few things to call their own.
- How was the K4C microgrant helpful in the completion of your project? We were able to supplement our cookie sales money with the grant to purchase more supplies to make a bigger impact. Each child received a brand new duffel bag, a homemade blanket by the Girl Scouts, a new set of bed sheets, a new pillow, a toiletries bag, a stuffed animal and a book.
