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Make an Impact on Create the Change Day in 2018!

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

– John F. Kennedy

They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day. That it takes a lot of hard work to see a small change. And that tiny steps are worth celebrating just as much as big ones.

All these things are true. But sometimes, we can see a big, tangible change unfold in real time, right in front of our eyes.

Since 2016, hundreds of volunteers, including kids, parents and other community members, gather each fall in Project Giving Kids’ three home cities to spend a day making a difference. As PGK gears up for its third annual Create the Change Day, we’re reflecting on where we’ve been – and what we can still accomplish.

Create the Change events combine service opportunities for many local organizations under one roof, along with fun activities, inspirational speakers and the chance to see an immediate impact.

Interested in joining our events in Boston, San Francisco or Los Angeles (new this year)? Learn more about each
event on our website.

Last year, we:

  • Created 200 thank-you cards for veterans.
  • Assembled 520 toiletry kits for low-income and homeless individuals and families.
  • Crafted 200 pet toys for local animal shelters.
  • Collected 200 books for a library in Africa.
  • Prepped 1,000 silverware packets for St. Francis House’s annual Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Made 100 welcome-home keytags for people moving into homes for the first time.
  • Wrote 40 letters to city council members advocating for affordable housing.
  • Put together 150 shower bags for homeless women in the Boston area.

And if you don’t live in a PGK city, don’t worry; there are still plenty of ways you and your family can get involved this fall. Check out our redesigned activity finder to pick a cause and start making a difference today, wherever you are.

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Celebrating MLK with Service

In the midst of winter – especially this year, as most of the country has been experiencing frigid temperatures, ice, snow and all the usual trappings of January – there’s a day we can all spend making the world a little warmer.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrated each year on the third Monday in January, has grown from its original purpose to honor the work of King into a day often dedicated to service and humanitarian work. It’s a gentle reminder that we, too, can continue the peaceful move toward change that King initiated in his own lifetime.

For Project Giving Kids on the West Coast, the weekend was spent in service work at the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, Calif. Together, we accomplished three easy, hands-on service projects for young kids on Saturday, Sunday and Monday: cat toys for local animal shelters, Valentine’s cards for St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, and decorated bookmarks to benefit Reading Partners around LA. In all, through the efforts of generous volunteers of all ages, we crafted 120 cat toys, 143 valentines and 194 bookmarks for our chosen charities.

In King’s words, “We have come a long way, but we have a long, long way to go.” Not just this weekend, but every day, PGK is making an impact across the country. To see how you can become involved, whether it’s with your family, your school or through your own nonprofit group, use our ​Activities tool​ or download our ​free YouthGive app​.

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Spotlight: Bay Area Begins with Festivals, Markets & New Friends

We are just getting started in the Bay Area and to kick things off, PGK teamed up with our new partner, My New Red Shoes, to get a jump start on the Back-to-School season, making nearly 200 cards to accompany the Back-to-School bags they provide to students in need to help get their year off to good start.

Participating in a Facebook Festival in May, two farmer’s markets in June and July, and gearing up for our final summer appearance at the Facebook County Fair on August 26th, PGK has been connectinig with kids to give them a chance to bring smiles to other students, just like them, and to make sure they know there are lots of other ways they can make a difference – all they need to do is check out the PGK website or the newly launched PGK mobile app, YouthGive.

Want to get in on the card making fun? Get the details here! And if you are looking for other ways to help in the Bay Area, explore today.

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PGK Bay Area – Here We Go!

It’s been months in the making, but Project Giving Kids Bay Area is finally here! We are thrilled to announce the launch of PGK-Bay Area just in time for summer.

We’ve added several local nonprofits to our platform and offer projects ranging from farm tours to clothing drives, meal delivery to gardening. You can even choose between reading to animals or reading to kids!  We offer projects on-site and from home, weekdays and weekends, solo projects and group projects. It’s a wonderful resource that keeps on growing.

The Bay Area is ripe with possibilities for youth service. We live in a unique intersection of great need and great resources. Using technology to mobilize and inspire youth to give back to their community, PGK can educate the next generation about local issues and give them tools for tackling these issues head on.  What a great example of using technology for good.

It’s time to check out PGK-Bay Area! Come meet us at one of our summer outreach events. We’ll be at the Mountain View Farmers’ Market on June 4 from 9am-1pm and the Facebook County Fair on August 26 from 12pm-7pm.  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to get the latest updates.  And feel free to reach out with your own ideas about how to make PGK-Bay Area bigger and better.

Dive in now! Check out our website and watch for our mobile app, YouthGive, coming soon. Find a project, have some fun, and make a difference. You’ll be glad you did.  And so will the Bay Area.