In a moving celebration and ceremony last week, over 50 new graduates of The Main Street Philanthropy Academy from Clairemont High School’s Academy of Business in San Diego were awarded their certificates, recognizing them for completing the 10-week course in giving with purpose and passion! The day consisted of several speeches from students, over $4,000 given to charities, incredible words of encouragement, and an abundance of new found hope and confidence in our youth, our future leaders. It touches my heart to see the outpouring of care and passion in this room…. You kids are a step ahead of so many people in the world, since you now know the value of caring and sharing. - John Loomer of the Homeless Veterans Services Several of the students shared their personal stories of why they selected specific causes, how events had impacted their lives, and what it meant to them to be able to support an organization that meant so much to them. In more than one occasion, tears streamed down faces as we all experienced a moment of what it means to give. We got a glimpse of the joy one experiences from making an impact in someone else’s life. We felt the understanding that giving truly does affect the hearts and minds of those who give, perhaps more so than those who receive. We’re so proud of our new graduates and look forward to watching them continue to make a difference in their communities and in the world! MSP has really changed me. A few weeks ago, I never thought of contributing to a charity. Now I’m a certified PHILANTHROPIST!!!! I’m a junior in high school and already have a semi-professional title. The feeling of knowing I have accomplished something this big, is just mind blowing to me. I already know more about taxes than most adults. So basically this program is giving me the opportunity to tackle life and quick. – Khalid I couldn’t even say the word philanthropy or know how to spell it until Ryan came in and told us about it. He gave us Make A Difference cards to see different causes that needed help. He told us to choose our top three cards and I chose Family Services, Animal Care and Environmental Disaster. Choosing the MAD cards was a new experience and taught me that there are a lot of problems in the world. I hope to gain the experience of being the one person to make a difference in others’ lives. - Ronson Continued over weeks and weeks of having to listen to an MSP Ambassador, Ryan Ponsford…
We had to make calls to strangers to see if they were interested in what we were doing. What I found from calling organizations is that some of them seemed ecstatic to meet you and talk to you while others seemed to be having a bad day. –Diana Students presented their findings, who they selected, and what they learned….
We piled into a bus, and drove around San Diego, visiting organizations, handing out checks! My Experience in discovering my purpose, vision, and mission has been eye opening to say the least. Starting this MSP project has made me realize that philanthropy is not just signing a check for some random charity (well, for some “Philanthropists” it is) but there is a lot of research and care that goes into choosing the right organization making sure your dollar goes a long way. – Arthur
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