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.

1. What inspired you to start this project? I had the opportunity to hear from a chef in Cleveland who helped those who lived in food deserts to access fresh produce and he also taught them cooking classes. I also was able to visit the Boys and Girls Club community garden and compost program and got to see how it functioned. Those experiences, combined with learning about intersectionality and the climate crisis in the classroom inspired me to start my project.
2. While working on your project, what surprised you? I think the thing that surprised me the most while working on my project was how supportive and helpful my school’s administration was in helping me connect with different experts and overall helping me bring my project to life.
3. What do you feel you learned from this experience? The biggest thing that I learned from this experience is to lean on those who offer to assist you. I made the mistake of not delegating any work to my volunteers, which caused a lot of unnecessary stress for me. 
4. How did Karma for Cara impact your project? I feel as though I can’t even explain the extent to which Karma for Cara impacted my project. This grant allowed me to actually begin building the physical aspects of my project, and overall kickstart it. 
5. How will your project continue to impact others? My project will continue to impact others for years to come. It will be used to educate Laurel students of all ages on the importance of taking care of the Earth, it will teach them about their responsibilities to the planet, and overall help us all to fight the climate crisis. My project will also help to fight hunger in the greater Cleveland area because all of the produce grown in my garden will be donated to them.
6. How many hours did you spend on your project? 75
7. How many youth volunteers or students were involved in your project? 10
8. How many total hours did other youth volunteers or students spend on your project? 50