We had a super morning with the Campbellsport class in Wisconsin! Our founder, Ryan was able to Skype in with the class, share his story about how Main Street Philanthropy got started, the importance of giving and how it can change those who give, as well as a few tidbits about making important decisions in life. Students asked questions about the structure of MSP and what keeps him motivated to keep working on it. “My secret mission,” said Ryan, “is to be able to show mathematically that within a few years, our MSP students and those we have impacted will be on a larger giving-growth trajectory through our Main Street giving than the billionaires that have signed the giving pledge.” He described the math as not too complicated, but important as we illustrate the impact that anyone can make in improving our communities and the world. Good luck with that! We’re excited to watch and read as these students continue their philanthropic adventure, learning about their passions, their communities, and making a difference. Thank you Team Silbernagel, our fearless Ambassadors, and Ms. Danielle Dreher, the sponsoring teacher at Campbellsport High school – none of this works without your support and efforts!
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A few months back, a group of students in Kewaskum, WI had the opportunity to deliver checks to local on-profit organizations. Led by MSP Ambassador, Dona Miotke, and supported by The Silbernagel Group and many local businesses, the students embarked on their 10-week journey of self discovery, analysis, fundraising, and group interaction, they were rewarded with the gift of giving! As one student shared in her blog, “It was really awesome to see the people at the charities faces when our class delivered each check. It made me proud that all of our hard work actually paid off just by seeing how happy this one check made people. I’m really glad that I could be apart of this experience. When we went to the Washington County Humane Society they were so shocked to see how big our check was. I know they will use that money for great use.” – Samantha W
There are so many more wonderful thoughts and quotes that could be shared from this class! Once again, I’m amazed by the growth and thoughtful nature of this next generation of philanthropists. Please join us in congratulating them and encouraging them to continue on their journey of generosity!
As you all know by now, as students go through Main Street Philanthropy, they are encouraged to blog each week about their experience – what they’re learning, the impact the course is having, etc. The number of incredible insights is way beyond our ability to share each and every one, but here and there we extract and share them. This particular blog entry was written by a student from our MSP class in New Jersey. Read it, enjoy it, and if you feel so inclined, share your thoughts, or even consider supporting other students’ ability to participate in Main Street Philanthropy! The End. Thank you Ilina for your insight, your wisdom, and participation in Main Street Philanthropy! It’s young adults like you that give us the confidence that there is hope for our future! There are capable minds to lead us now and in the future. Keep up the great work!
We recently received a very heartfelt letter from the mother of a Main Street Philanthropy student in South Florida. In it, she eloquently described how her teenager had been changed from the inside out as a result of the thoughtful giving he experienced in the Main Street Philanthropy program. She wrote, The conversation my son and I had the day his Main Street Philanthropy group visited the charities they selected to help was one of the best, and at the same time, most heart wrenching conversations I have ever had with him. He was moved to tears telling me all about the people served by those charities. As we’ve seen with each group of students in the MSP program, purposeful philanthropy has the power to transform lives from the inside out. Thank you for supporting Main Street Philanthropy as we educate and inspire the next generation of philanthropists!
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
Main Street Philanthropy is back in Clairemont High School’s Academy of Business!
After making waves in San Diego in 2013, Main Street Philanthropy has been invited back to Clairemont High; this time to lead two classes of juniors through the joys of intelligent giving. Beginning in January, students will embark on a ten week journey, led by MSP Ambassador Ryan Ponsford, in which they are taught the principles of becoming philanthropists. They will learn that true philanthropy is not just about money, but about the simple love of humankind. They will sort through colorful Make a Difference (MAD) cards to determine their personal passions for how they’d like to affect change in the world. Working in teams, these ambitious students will identify local nonprofit organizations that support their causes, then apply investment principles of qualitative and quantitative analysis to determine which are most likely to make an impact with their donor-provided philanthropic dollars. Also raising a chunk of money on their own, they will then embark on an adventure to visit and hand deliver checks to worthy organizations. What’s to be expected on the other side of this bridge? Here you’ll find 50 budding philanthropists, trained and armed with skills to lead future groups of givers. You’ll be introduced to purposeful givers that can quantify the impact of their charitable investments. You’ll meet a group of young men and women that have experienced and become infected with the joys of intelligent giving. Armed with communication skills, financial principles, a sense of purpose, and a dose of inspiration; these are our future leaders. See you on the other side!! Check out the following article published in the New Jersey Hills Newspaper! Advisor Strives To Train Students In Helping SocietyBy PHIL GARBER, Managing Editor, NEW JERSEY HILLS NEWSPAPER: OBSERVER-TRIBUNE NEWS
MENDHAM – Yale Levey is passionate about helping young people to learn the importance of combining investing and social causes. The borough resident and financial advisor and his colleagues have created a non-profit group, Main Street Philanthropy and a curriculum that teaches students the value of philanthropic investing. Levey has brought his program to Franklin High School and hopes to expand to other schools around the area, the state and the nation. “This is meant to create a culture of giving,” Levey said. “I’m teaching kids how to dare and why to care. The antidote to much of what is broken in the world is giving; it’s that simple.” The curriculum is being supported by a $10,000 grant from Christopher Johnson of Mendham and his company, Hollister Construction Services. As part of their obligation to the program, participating students also will raise $1,000 to provide to charitable organization they have vetted. Classes run for one hour, once a week. By the end of the 10-week program, students will give out most of the money to charitable groups they have chosen. “We’re breeding philanthropists in training,” said Levey. The goal of the program is to create a real-world experience in charitable giving and fundraising. Through the program, students will meet in small groups along with their teacher, Ron Richter and with Levey, who calls himself a Main Street Philanthropy Ambassador. The group also will meet with donors and charities which would benefit from the collaboration. Vetting Charities Using the donated funds and money they raise themselves, students will identify local charities whose missions align with the students’ charitable passions. Working in small groups, they will examine the organizations’ tax returns and evaluate their effectiveness in accomplishing their charitable purposes. They will interview officers and board members and then decide which organizations are having the greatest impact. Eventually, they will deliver checks to those charities that the students decide are doing the best job in the community. The program was launched on Nov. `13 as part of Richter’s business psychology class. Raised in Short Hills, Levey said he spent many years as a wealth management advisor. Sometime in 2004, he said he was speaking about charitable planning with his brother, Greg. It was an “epiphany” when Levey thought about how basic financial planning could be combined with charitable planning. “I discovered that a very, very small group of planners had the same idea,” Levey said. He soon became involved with the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy and in 2006 was asked to join the board. He was later named its marketing director. By 2009, Levey and a small group of colleagues formed the Metro-NY Philanthropy Advisory Network to provide a forum for major philanthropists. He also formed a new company, Next Generation Wealth Planning which supports what he called, “multi-dimensional wealth planning.” “True wealth is your money but it’s also in relationships, heritage, intellect and the causes I stand for,” Levey said. Levey said he works with several other partners to provide advice to affluent families. The outgrowth of all his efforts was the Main Street Philanthropy program. Its goal is to provide students with critical life skills “with giving and philanthropy at its core.” The program begins with an assessment of the students’ awareness and an explanation of the many charitable causes. “We help the kids learn what they are passionate about outside of themselves,” Levey said. “They consider everything from religion to hunger to health, animal care, civil rights and arts and culture.” Students with like passions then pair up and write regular blogs about the program. They then get together in larger groups and talk about their lives and families. “We discover we are a lot more alike than different,´” Levey said. Levey is not being paid for running the high school program but is launching a home version of the curriculum for families and to license the curriculum and train others as leaders. Levey and his wife, Donna, have a son, Gabe, 11, and daughter, Olivia, 10. If you weren’t already aware, Main Street Philanthropy launched another class at Franklin High in New Jersey! Under the leadership of Ambassador Yale Levey, they are off and running, learning their passions, and preparing to make a difference in the world! Here are a few quotes from their blogs after just the first two weeks: From the first week/session of Main Street Philanthropy I realized I care a lot more than I expected. All of the cards from the Make A Difference deck brought up a desire to help within me. In the end I picked the cards that helped those who couldn’t help themselves (children, animals and hunger). I was surprised to see that everyone cared about children as much as I did. - Alexis C
Read more and keep updated on their progress on their blog!
Obviously we’re excited to have Yale leading this class and impacting the lives of more students, our future leaders! Stay tuned for more updates and great things we’ll be sharing in the next few weeks! Cheers! This past week our students from Harmony High School delivered checks to several of the organizations they selected after completing the Main Street Philanthropy course! Along with them for the ride was David Breen, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. Following is a nice piece that David wrote about the program. Check it out!! Thanks David!! HARMONY STUDENTS LEARN HOW CHARITY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCEPROGRAM’S STUDENTS RESEARCH CHARITIES, AWARD GRANTS
By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel Pat Filippone is in the business of raising money in her role as executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Osceola County. But on Thursday, business gave way to emotion as she thanked a group of high school students for choosing Habitat as the recipient of a $1,200 grant.“ This will be multiplied one-thousandfold,” Filippone told them tearfully. The students are members of a new program at Harmony High School that’s teaching kids how to make a difference through charitable giving. Over the past several weeks, 21 students at the school near St. Cloud have researched the work of various charities and heard presentations. Now, thanks to a private donor, they’re handing out checks totaling $6,000 to the causes they chose. On Thursday, the class traveled throughout Osceola, giving donations to Habitat, the Pawsitive Action Foundation and Give Kids the World. Other groups, including United Arts of Central Florida and the Christian Service Center for Central Florida, will get checks next week. The class is the brainchild of Harmony financial planner and attorney Scott Farnsworth, 60, who counsels wealthy families on money management and charitable giving. Money for the grants the class is distributing came from one of his clients, businessman Ed Verner of Plant City. “This is the way that we can actually change the world,” Farnsworth said. “It’s pretty hard to do it one family at a time, but if you can get a roomful of kids …” The first step for the students was to match their personal passions with a compatible cause. Payton Poulin, 18, decided he’d support Give Kids the World, which hosts families of children with life-threatening illnesses while they’re visiting Central Florida attractions. “I’ve seen what they’re doing for disabled people,” said Payton, who has cerebral palsy. The class, he said, “taught me a lot about who I am as a person and what I need to do to be a better citizen for my society.” Seventeen-year-old Brianna Pesce said she chose to support the local chapter of Habitat because “it just seems like the money would help a smaller charity more than a larger one. “It’s just inspiring that they help the people who don’t have what others have,” she added. Travis Carter, 18, chose the Clean the World Foundation. Its mission is to recycle hotel supplies such as soap and shampoo, sanitize them and ship them to needy countries. He was amazed to learn that something as simple as hand-washing could sharply reduce the number of children who die of hygiene-related diseases every day. “You need to donate where your heart is,” he said. Once a week, Farnsworth visits Eric Hansen’s government class. Hansen’s students are all part of Harmony’s student government, and they’re no strangers to service. Each Friday, they do projects around school, from serving food in the cafeteria to weeding to cleaning windows, Hansen said. But through the philanthropy class, Hansen has seen the kids grow — interacting with charities’ boards of trustees and gaining confidence and maturity that will serve them far beyond high school. “They carry themselves differently,” said Hansen, 42. “They’re not just caught up in that texting-video game culture.” In between typical teen talk about who sweats too much and which teacher is “being a butt-head,” these kids throw around phrases like “quantitative and qualitative analysis” and “990 tax form” — the IRS form for nonprofits that they’ve learned to decipher in class. The program is unique in Central Florida, but Farnsworth and a partner in California are looking to spread the word through Main Street Philanthropy, a nonprofit they formed. Farnsworth hopes to have three classes in Osceola schools next year and is looking to recruit “ambassadors” — financial professionals like himself — and donors to take the classes nationwide. One big lesson the students have learned so far is that philanthropy needn’t be limited to the wealthy. “I realized that you don’t need millions of dollars to make a difference in your community,” said Olivia Porter, 17. “The little that you can give can go a long way for charities and mean a lot to them.” |
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