Karma for Cara Foundation microgrant recipients have competed in an application process alongside other young people who have spearheaded exceptional service projects that benefit their communities. In order to qualify for a K4C award, an applicant must be 18 years of age or younger, and the project must take place in the US.
Meet K4C microgrant recipient Ava (17, FL) A chapter of Sending Sunshine in Canada, Ava’s team at Weston Sending Sunshine operates as a group of youth volunteers that creates and distributes handmade greeting cards with positive messages to local assisted living facilities. The group’s goal is to reduce depression and isolation among seniors living in these facilities. In Ava’s K4C project, the group worked in collaboration with Artis Senior Living.
| What inspired you to start this project? | I moved to a new community in 2023 and, having been an active volunteer where I previously lived, was searching for ways to be involved near my new home. My own grandfather fell ill during the Covid pandemic and was extremely isolated and depressed during his time in an assisted-living facility, and I feel a special desire to care for elder citizens who may be feeling lonely and/or isolated for all sorts of reasons. |
| While working on your project, what surprised you? | I was surprised at how many barriers there were to getting the club up and running: the number of forms, the amount of paperwork, and the rigid bureaucracy delayed my launch of the club for quite some time. Once I finally began holding meetings, however, I was surprised at how kind and committed the students who attend our meetings are, and how creative they all are in expressing words of support for our seniors! |
| What do you feel you learned from this experience? | I definitely learned the value of perseverance. Though I felt like giving up on getting the club started several times, I was able to keep in mind my worth goal of uplifting senior citizens in my community and just keep going. I have also learned that, once the the hard work is done, there are lots of well-intended people willing to support and encourage efforts such as my own…not everyone has the time to attend to do the organizing, but many, many people have the time and inclination to help with the mission! |
| How did Karma for Cara impact your project? | Especially since I was initially unable to get my Sending Sunshine chapter approved to be an official school-based club, the grant from Karma for Cara has been our sole source of funding and, therefore, the only means by which I have been able to make the club’s mission a reality! |
| How will your project continue to impact others? | Weston Sending Sunshine will continue to hold regular letter-writing campaigns and deliver cards and letters to local assisted-living facilities. My younger brother has taken over leadership of the club and he will continue to grow its impact over the next several years. The club has delivered hundreds of letters to seniors and engaged students in over 100 hours of service in just the past 6 months, and we expect those numbers to grow exponentially as word of our efforts spreads and interest grows. |
