Why Kravis Prize Is Important?

Throughout my high school career, I have continuously adhered to the qualities of participation, engagement and leadership through being a good citizen, and have not only begun to impact my local community, but also communities abroad in my state. Active involvement in The Boy Scouts of America has helped develop these qualities I hold and more. My volunteering in county-hosted Christmas events, multiple eagle projects, Brown Bag Ministry, street cleanup, student tutoring, technology assistance, and others has combined to over 160 total service hours in just the span of four high school years. Active citizenship continues to show me different ways of life in my own community and is illuminating. What it also creates is initiative. Through participation with my local fire department, I have been able to identify a need of my community and start to address it. I have volunteered my time for the fire department, and together with the Assistant Fire Chief, we are starting to create a new department website and digital

The process of being chosen for Future Leaders of Jones County included writing an essay and then being interviewed by a panel that oversees the Future Leaders of Jones County. In the organization, we were broken off into small groups and mixed with students from different schools around the county. I played a large role in my group— the fundraising leader. Our goal was to meet the needs of our local Battered Women’s Shelter, which were providing bedding, laundry, and a new playground for the women and their children that were also being homed. This project was very close to all of us in my group because there are so many battered and abused women in our community. In order to achieve the shelter’s wishes, we had to raise at least $1,000, so I had to go out and raise the money. With the help of many in our community, I was able to help my group reach our $1,000 goal, and we were able to go above and beyond accomplishing our project of service. After buying the necessities (pillows, sheets, blankets, detergent) for the shelter, we were able to purchase and put together a completely new play area for the children. The whole project was a success and getting to help better our community by enabling these women to stand up and get out of the situation of being abused so that they can start a new life. Seeing women like this made me realize how important it was

Following college, I moved to Portland, Oregon and looked for ways to continue developing my skills and fostering my passion for social responsibility. I started at Impact NW as an AmeriCorps member, where I served two terms helping run the AKA Science program. In my role, I managed hundreds of volunteers, wrote curriculum, and trained instructors; but above all, I learned how to work with corporate partners. Aided by corporate volunteers, our program served thousands of students each year. I quickly realized the importance of establishing meaningful, long-term relationships. Companies gave back to our community and in return we provided them a chance to hold an engaging experience for their employees. Every committed corporate team we cultivated helped us build capacity and redirect vital resources back into our program. We also encouraged volunteers to share their skills and as a result they would provide us with amazing insights. For example, one group of volunteers from Nike world headquarters helped streamline our processes by sharing ideas from their work in lean manufacturing. These experiences sparked something for me and I realized that my strengths as a creative thinker and a leader and my passion for giving back unite.

The non-profit I have chosen for my leadership project is the East Cooper Community Outreach program. This program is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 to assist victims following the devastation of Hurricane Hugo. East Cooper Community Outreach, also known as ECCO, offers assistance to the numerous people in Mount Pleasant subsisting at the poverty level, also recognized as the “working poor.” ECCO is essential to the community and we will learn about this organization’s genesis and the significant ways it has contributed to the residents of East Cooper.

I choose a career in the Non-Profit Coordination field because of two reasons; the first is I am an effective coordinator of people and resources, and secondly I am civic minded and want to devote my energies to the betterment of human conditions in St. Louis. As a practicing Catholic, who lives by the Golden Rule, and has been an active volunteer for many years with various community based programs, my understanding of the inner workings of nonprofit organizations is extensive. The program will benefit from my ability to motivate team members; in my current position, I have led my team two years in a row in achieving “top 10” in customer service nation-wide. The program is also looking for a person who creates and maintains donor relationships

As a proud Wildcat, I was involved in a myriad of activities. In my local Key Club, I donated over 300 hours of my time to activities such as cancer fundraisers, senior citizen happiness, help to local police and fire departments, set-up classrooms and help teachers throughout the year. As I moved up the leadership ladder as President, I was able to create events specially designated towards improving the community, then as International Key Club Texas-Oklahoma Treasurer I shared, organized and was able to communicate with over 300 club’s budgets and dues to create more service opportunities dedicated to helping local causes. In my local girl scout troop as an ambassador, I found that many young girl orphans located in southern India did not

Nonprofit charities and foundations are essential in bringing people together for significant causes. One of the most notable aspects of being a strong, well-rounded citizen comes through giving back to communities. Through organizations such as soup kitchens, thrift stores, and hospitals, we can put food in hungry bellies and hope in hungry hearts. Nonprofit attorneys play significant roles in the success of many of these organizations. I am currently planning to pursue a career in law, which will aid me in assisting nonprofit charities that require support in navigating complicated laws and regulations. As a nonprofit attorney, I will guide private foundations in managing their assets and running programs that abide with regulation laws.

Participation awards encourage involvement by recognizing the hard work of everyone involved, which is why they shouldn’t be seen as pity awards that students don’t deserve. By rewarding participation, you applaud the effort and hard work of the deserving winners, but also the hundreds of other competitors who put forth their best effort. Unfortunately, parents like James Harrison don’t understand the purpose or benefit of participation awards, resulting in the stigma around them. James confiscated his son’s award saying that “these trophies will be given back until they EARN a trophy,” and “sometimes your best is not good enough,” but often, your best effort is enough. You’re not always going to be the best, even if you try your hardest, and

By attending multiple state conventions, national conventions, leadership summits, and my experiences as an national officer I have been prepared to effectively work and serve those who need my assistance. Communication with fellow teenagers in my school, community, state, and nation is something I have learned while being in the Beta Club. I have spoke in front of thousands when I travel to the different state convention delivering keynotes on being “fearless” when striving to reach your goals. Since I gaining the courage to speak and lead the 490,000 members of the Beta Club I know I can continue to make an impact in the future. In my future, I plan on continuing to participate in organizations that value the qualities of leadership and service.

During the last four years, the Peace Corp has served me as a shining beacon of aspiration and achievement. It has continually reminded me of the culmination of my undergraduate studies, what life could possibly look like should I volunteer, and, more significantly, provided a constant reminder of the reason I am studying: to help others. The Peace Corp is a collective symbolization of my life experiences, schooling, and general attitudes; volunteering for this historic and breathtaking organization would be nothing short of life-changing. Now that the Peace Corp has done so much for me, I would like to return the favor and do something for it.

I am currently involved in Student Support Services, Freddy T. Davy Honors College, and Political Science club. Each one of these organization has nurtured and help me grow into the intelligent young woman I am today. My involvement in these organizations make me an ideal candidate because I can establish a beneficial relationship between one of these organizations and Hampton University Student Government Association. For example, there may be a scenario where we need to fund raise for an event or project we can link both organizations to raise more awareness and funds. Many people do not know that the three organizations that I am currently a part of do not choose you. You have to choose them. I have chosen to accept a challenge to

During the past 3 years I worked as a Non-profit Community Manager and Program Development Coordinator with expertise in non- profit operations. Recognized for achievements in overall strategic planning, revenue generation, financial management, organizational

This organization has to be an influential community leader that can help increase the likelihood of their nonprofit’s success by engaging in advocacy. As well, the organization personnel need to make a public commitment to support and strengthen the volunteers as me by providing leadership, expertise, and influence to advance the organization’s mission and impact. The women’s breast and hearth initiative organization complete all my expectations and more. They provide us with a free t-shirt, breakfast and lunch. The most excited part was when board members educate us, the volunteers about breast and heart health. For instance, they give us the opportunity to be involved in the community, speaking, teaching and

During this past Autumn quarter, I had the opportunity to participate in service-learning through the Steans Center with the All Stars Project of Chicago. The All Stars Project of Chicago is a grassroots non-profit organization who transforms the lives of youth in poor communities by using the power of performance. The All Stars Project believes in channeling creativity in marginalized youth to result in positive development. I started volunteering with the All Stars in September and currently am an active volunteer. With the All Stars, I served as a community outreach team member and as an office team member. Working in both areas allowed me to see how all parts of the All Stars organization functions and allowed me to interact with both the All Stars staff and directly with the youth with whom they work with.

Can you talk a little bit about our experience and expertise in working with nonprofits?