GivingPoint

One-stop shop for teen volunteerism

By Clare S. Richie

As the school year starts back, more learning will take place outside of the classroom thanks to GivingPoint. It’s the first online social marketplace designed for youth to teach and inspire community engagement.

“GivingPoint is built on the belief that high school age students are capable of making a significant impact in their communities. We give students the tools and opportunities to make a difference,” Executive Director Debra Carson explained.

The nonprofit utilizes an online platform (mygivingpoint.org) to match young people’s passions with vetted, age-appropriate volunteer opportunities. Students who create a free account can take quizzes to identify their interests, learn about the needs of their community, track verified hours, view and download their civic resume for school requirements and college applications, post projects to help raise awareness, volunteers and funds for causes, and more.

Derek Smith, former Chairman and CEO of ChoicePoint, started GivingPoint after the findings of research he commissioned showed that even though teens want to get involved, they lacked the education, training, resources and encouragement to connect with others who share their interests. In July 2009, GivingPoint became a nonprofit and raised more than $200,000 from a diverse group of corporations, individuals and foundations.

Its partners now include Myfifident Foundation, New Kent Capital, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, Zeist Foundation, Marcus Foundation, Arthur M. Blank Foundation and Wells Fargo, to name a few.

Today, an average of 2,000 students per school year create accounts to track hours, create projects and/or raise awareness with approximately 300 active nonprofits.

“GivingPoint meets students where they are in a tech world,” Carson said.

This is good news for high school students in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) who must complete 75 hours of community service before they graduate. APS has entered into a partnership with GivingPoint and is encouraging all its high schools to use this free online service to facilitate access to community service and hours tracking.

“It’s been an amazing way to organize service learning at Maynard Jackson High School over the past four years,” Principal Stephanie Johnson said. They already have 100 percent student participation. Plus, GivingPoint has connected her students to meaningful service, such as making and delivering sandwiches to downtown homeless shelters and tutoring middle school students within their cluster.

For a smaller cohort of 20-25 high school students, the nonprofit offers a 10-month combination leadership and engagement program, the GivingPoint Institute. High school students with at least 100 hours of community service plus other requirements apply in the spring for participation the following school year. Once accepted, students participate in monthly workshops sponsored by corporate and community partners covering strategic planning, budgeting, marketing, etc., to learn how to a launch community project, an awareness campaign, and/or their own nonprofit.

“Giving Point Institute is the most important experience of high school for me so far,” Lovett senior Claire Biggerstaff said. “They believe in what young adults can do and support your big dreams.”

Biggerstaff started Kids 4 CURE to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer as her project. It’s a yearlong program for grades 3rd through 6th to bridge the gap between elementary and middle school students through service projects for CURE. Sixth graders will lead efforts – like making craft and snack bags for patients undergoing cancer treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Biggerstaff hopes to create a model that other schools can easily replicate.

The institute ends with students sharing their projects at the SPARKS celebration event.

“It’s like Shark Tank,” Carson said, because students can still raise funds for their projects and a few receive scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.

Last spring, Max Rubenstein, now a Galloway School junior, was awarded a $3,000 scholarship for Game Givers. Rubenstein launched his own nonprofit to bring video games and consoles to hospital-bound children in the Atlanta area. As an institute alumnus, he is eager to add hospital partners across the country.

“We’re the human touch connecting them to the learning, nonprofits and technology to help them turn their passion into action,” Carson said. “We can give them what they need to change the world.”

Rivers Academy private school has opened a second campus for grades 5-12 at 1934 Cliff Valley Way. The campus includes a two-story building, a 200seat theater and an outdoor classroom for a combined space of 20,000 square feet. For more information, visit riversacademy.com.

The Temple’s Weinberg Early Learning Center has appointed two new codirectors, Annetta Kornblum and Mindy Pincus. Between the two, they have 60 years of working in secular, public, private, Jewish and preschool education.

The Arby’s Foundation helped at-risk children in Atlanta receive free meals through its successful “School’s Out, Food’s In” program over the summer. As part of the initiative, public school children who rely on meal assistance during the school year received meal cards to redeem for 10 free Arby’s kids meals throughout the summer.

Winona Park Elementary School parent Jessie Hadley has been named the Safe Routes to School Champion of the Year. Hadley worked to increase the numbers of walkers and bikers at the Decatur school.

Thirteen rising Lovett School seniors completed a week-long medical program/internship over the summer. Students were able to tour facilities, have career panel and Q&A sessions with health care professionals, and shadow doctors from various fields, including: cardiology, anesthesiology, pediatrics, orthopaedics, sports medicine, dermatology, dermapathology, radiology, oncology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery and physician’s assistant.

Dr. Doug Ander at Emory Medical School explains some medical procedures typically performed in the Emergency Room. Back row, from left, Lisette Cushing, Adam Achecar and Kirby Ellis. Front row, from left, Melissa Ige, Torrey Centeno and Claire Dame.

Nearly 50 students from Black Girls Code attended Google’s Made With Code at Cartoon Network over the summer. The students were taught about coding through The Powerpuff Girls-themed project with the help of Google and Cartoon Network staff. Today, only 0.4 percent of female college freshmen plan to major in Computer Science. Google’s Made with Code initiative was created to change that by inspiring girls to discover that code can help them pursue their interests and goals.

B.E.S.T. Academy 2016 valedictorian (and INtown 20 Under 20 honoree) Qwantayvious Stiggers secured more than $830,000 in scholarships. Stiggers was selected to be the first student for the Black & Abroad Student Ambassador Program due to his determination to make an impact in the world. Stiggers is also the recipient of the first Empower Initiative Scholarship, 2016 Emerging Leaders Scholarship, an International Science Fair finalist, the Atlanta Public Schools Top Scientist and a recipient of a prestigious internship at Georgia Tech’s Project ENGAGES, where he researched the regeneration of articular cartilage. He is attending the University of Michigan in the fall to study mechanical engineering with aspirations of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. The Hope Hill Elementary School Old Fourth Ward 5K was held in June to raise awareness and funds to create a PTA. The event was supported by Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall, Google Fiber and MailChimp, among many others.

KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools is the first tenant at the new Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE). Currently still in the development stages for a Summer 2017 opening, RCIE will house a 40,000-square foot world-class small business center located in Castleberry Hill. RCIE will be a collaborative, co-working space for entrepreneurs that connects a customized curriculum and corporate experience.