We want people to understand that "homeless" is a circumstance--not a label. We also want to connect young adults to the issue of homelessness and inspire them to become advocates. Over the past 2.5 years, we've served more than 2,500 meals and provided volunteer opportunities for nearly 500 young professionals. To serve with dignity, we greet and seat each guest, and we provide them with menu options. We also serve on real dishes, and we've been told by guests that it was "the first time they felt like a human in a long time." We've only run the cafe once per month since starting, but we'd like to expand to two times per month and to other cities as well. Help us remove the stigma of homelessness and serve our guests with dignity!

The Children's Music Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of children through music, music instruction and scholarship. We give musical instruments, lessons & performances to children who wouldn't otherwise have access. We do what we do for free & empower participants to 'Play it forward' by teaching someone else what we've taught them so the music keeps moving forward. We will use the funds from this challenge for two things; 1) to buy musical instruments for the Austin Children's Shelter, 2) to produce a benefit concert. We envision musicians working with the children to create a concert, as well as, other mentors working with the children who aren't playing in the concert, to learn the 'behind the scenes' of a production.

A Swing becomes much more than a playful pastime as it instantly sparks curiosity, refreshes our community’s perception of our environment and encourages immediate interaction with people we may have otherwise walked right past. Swings provide opportunities to share stories, ideas, and set of arms to push each other! The funds will go towards our new phase of "Let's Share Swings" (after painting was called "Let's Paint Swings") in which we will be expanding the possibilities and engaging the community in the hanging process. Plans include: More rope to hang the 1,000 Swings we have had painted Flash Swing Hanging Mobs Partnering with more local Non-Profits to help their mission Helping other communities get started too and more!

GGG was founded by Laurie Green after learning her friend was suffering with Locked-In Syndrome, unable to walk or talk. Laurie set out to improve his quality of life by raising funds to make possible some of the daily basics in life we so often take for granted. But when GGG also arranged for this former high school baseball champion to watch his two young children throw out the first pitch at Dodgers Stadium, it was her friend’s joy from this “dream day” that set the course of the charity’s future. GGG has not stopped with one individual; instead it has evolved and expanded into a non-profit organization whose mission is to help spread joy by giving individuals with severe disabilities the chance to receive their very own Dream Day.

It should be noted that the reason why the DeCal Board wants to host a conference is due to Berkeley being the first program to have created a program in 1965, where students create and facilitate their own classes and students can take them for units. Students from around the country have e-mailed us and have expressed interest in starting one at their university. The funds will be used for food, renting a conference room on the Berkeley campus, and scholarships to offset the cost for students who're interested in attending the conference, but cannot do so due to the lack of funds or the failure of their universities to contribute to their visit. Check our website to get an idea of the courses that are being facilitated by students.

The mobile narrative created by Active Duty Service Members will be toured to Music Festivals, VA Hospitals, and Public Schools. Showcasing the creative expression of fighting men and women multiplies the opportunity for service members to make real connections with the citizens whose freedoms they fight for. The $5000 Award will allow The DoArt Foundation to retain Principal Artist Bobby Furst for his contributions, in addition to providing the much needed funds to purchase the vehicle upon which the soldiers will tell their story. The Dec. 14th Awarding is ideally timed for the commencement of this project, when access to financial resources are most crucial.

Every year the Hispanic College Fund helps thousands of low-income students fulfill their dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, and engineers, among other professions. We will use the funds to motivate high school students who never thought they could go to college, support college students so they can focus on studying instead of worrying about paying for books, and ensure our nation's brightest have the personal and professional networks they need to succeed. Whether it is through an intensive college-going boot-camp, a year-around professional development program, or participation in a college chapter, we provide tools that ensure our students enroll in and graduate from college at rates much higher than the national average.

The Santa Cruz Education Foundation is a non-profit serving Santa Cruz City Schools. The $5,000 grant would help fund play facilitators at our elementary schools directly impacting the lives of over 2000 K-5 grade students. We are a culturally diverse district with a high concentration of English Language Learners (up to 65%) and economically disadvantaged families (up to 79%). Using the Playworks model, our trained “coaches” become part of the school community and transform recess into a positive experience that helps kids get the most out of every learning opportunity throughout the school day. Students learn teamwork, conflict resolution, creative problem solving and life lessons that stretch beyond traditional classroom activities.

RTA was founded by San Clemente/South OC Locals- David "Rocky" Neidhardt, Joey Santley, Matt Hamilton, Joshua Ben Paskowitz and Jackie Pollock. Autism is the #1 medical issue affecting children today and yet it is on the bottom of the list for Research Funding. RTA sees a growing need today and into the future for positive programs that include the special needs community- specifically programs to aid families living with autism- RTA wishes to fill this need Nation Wide by starting RTA chapters in every community across the country. Funds from this challenge will go toward getting instruments for the kids we already have signed up through the Boys and Girls club of America.

Organized entirely by students, the Dance Marathon (DM2012) is a brand new six-hour initiative that brings UC Riverside students, staff, faculty, and entertainers together in order to raise money for an amazing cause. The event will include DJs, food, giveaways, and competitions that will inspire students to stand up for education and help support former foster youth. Proceeds raised from DM2012 will go directly to students at UC Riverside through the Guardian Scholars Program which provides scholarships, life-coaching, mentors, housing, and personalized attention to emancipated foster youth. Your sponsorship will aide in the successful planning, fruition, and bottom line of fundraising as much as possible for these students.

We have a ton of materials to use and lots of awesome volunteers that donate their time, but we need help promoting the project so that everyone in our community knows about it! The kids that do know about the Youth Studio can’t get enough, so we know it’s a good idea. Now we want to make sure we aren’t missing anyone. We would use the $5,000 in funding to get the word out about the Youth Studio. We’re talking billboards, print ads, radio, guerilla marketing - everything! For $5,000 we can make sure more kids are getting the chance to create to their hearts content. Vote for our project to help us grow the next generation of innovators.

“Starlight Children’s Foundation- Starbright World - Letterpalooza!” Our project is to encourage outreach and engagement with the goal of creating meaningful connections while spreading joy and laughter to teens dealing with chronic illness. We will host a month long event called “Letterpalooza!” asking teens to send a message of love and encouragement to another teen dealing with a chronic illness that they do not know. The community moderators would maintain organization of the project, track the progress of these letters, and follow up with each participant’s experience. This grant would amplify our efforts by underwriting the costs of hosting an event that would be staffed by our online community moderators.

Hunger is a problem and in Middle Tennessee. Nearly 31% of those served by our local food bank are children. Students at West End IB World School want to help solve this problem. In April 2011, we constructed 18 raised beds and planted 300 vegetables and herbs. This year we hope to expand our garden by building a green house and additional raised beds. With the help of funds provided by the Brookside Foods Giving Back Challenge, we can achieve this goal. With the expansion of the garden, no child will go hungry over the weekend.

Red Paw works in conjunction with the American Red Cross responding in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Once it is confirmed that a pet has been affected or displaced by an emergency incident we respond to the scene, assess the pet(s) and provide them with any and all services. If we think the pet may need to be looked at by a vet we put a call out to our network of veterinarians to get them assessed and then proceed to our holding facility, (which currently is my spare bedroom) where we work to place the pet into temporary foster until the owners can recover and get back on their feet. Since July 25th, 2011 we have assisted over 60 pets. The money from this grant would provide us with a permanent and safe intake location.

Each Art Feeds lesson costs an estimated $1 per child. To sponsor a child in our programs for one semester, it costs $18. Art Feeds works with each classroom for 30-60 minute weekly sessions exploring expressive art forms and stimulating creative growth. This financial gift would mobilize over 275 Joplin children to participate in Art Feeds programs in Spring 2012.

This program will be presented by well-trained instructors in ten hour increments three times a year. This course presentation design and strategy includes Lecture, Video Presentation, Interactive Input and Participation by attendees. The Ten-Part series provides an overview of the how and why many marginalized, urban youth are at High Risk. This course will be presented at AMIkids, PACE Center for Girls, Gulfstream Middle School, Walter C. Young Middle School, and Memorial Community Youth Service Program. In addition, it is anticipated that this course will expand to other agencies that work with high risk/need youth. The funding for this program will help us reach the goal of this program which is to help 600 high risk youth.

The funds will support the construction and decoration of a float, rental of a sound system, the creation of materials and social media campaigns to recruit new marchers and volunteers, T-shirts for marchers, and give-aways for the crowd of more than half a million, so they, too, can share their pride. The impact of marching in Pride with Swish is best and beautifully expressed by one of its members: "Knowing you're not alone in wanting to stand up for what is right, and not having to be afraid to use that passion as fuel to create the change the LGBT community needs. It's an absolutely amazing feeling to be a part of something bigger than yourself."

¡Cultiva! youth manage a two acre organic garden and 20 bee colonies, learn to grow, prepare and eat nutritious food, and in the process create physical activities for better overall health and enjoyable social interactions. They teach what they have learned to over 700 younger children during the children's summer camp. The youth market and sell their fresh produce and bee products at the Farmers Market and local retailers and give back to their community by donating a portion of what they grow to those in need and participating in youth implemented community service activities.

We are in the process of opening a licensed childcare to serve our residents, who are at an in-between stage in life where they lack support. Our childcare center has been blessed with great facilities and a devoted staff. We have the potential to bring a wellspring of positive change into the lives of not only the children who will be nurtured there, but also their families who have come to Cornerstone. Currently, we do not have the staffing to allow services to be extended to all of our clients, nor do we have all the necessary supplies to create a fully supportive environment for children. Our mission is to enable our clients to successfully continue their lives and to support them as they reach for stability. Funding from your grant would allow us to make this dream service a reality. One of the first places we would hope to use funding from this grant is in an upgrade to our rooftop playground. It gets very hot up there in the summer, and the additions of shade structures would increase the amount of time children could play which would bless the childcare for years to come. We would love to add stimulating, tactile equipment to inspire more activity and imaginative play. A safe place to run around or ride a bike in the city is hard to come by, especially when families have no home of their own. Providing tricycles, hula hoops, jump ropes, balls, tunnels, etc. would be an incredible way to revive the playground, giving the children a chance to playfully exercise their whole bodies. Another way we would hope to use funding from this grant would be in the purchase of two computers, one for staff to use for researching activities and keeping up-to-date records, and the other to be used by the children for learning programs and activities. Many homeless children miss out on technical activities that we take for granted. To a homeless child, a computer is a monumental step towards a normal life. One unique addition we would love to use this grant money for would be to purchase a light table. A light table stimulates a child’s brain and development in the same way as water and sand play, but is far less messy and much more intriguing. The surface of a light table illuminates, allowing children to view objects and observe how the light reflects through them: a leaf for example once illuminated, reveals its skeleton. A light table can also be a staging place for building with translucent blocks and tiles or a place for color learning. Such a table would be a very exciting addition to the daily activities in the childcare center. And finally, with the revival of our childcare and the licensing we will be receiving in the next few months, our hours of operation and child capacity will increase, raising costs across the board. Funding through your grant would allow us to purchase necessary daily supplies and toys for the childcare center, freeing other funds for operating costs. This would allow us money to hire another full-time, qualified, and loving staff member, which we desperately need in order to run our program at full capacity. As you can see, funding through your grant would be just the catalyst we need to bring tremendously positive change to our childcare. With your help, we hope to become an inspiration to struggling children and families, giving them a chance to flourish for the rest of their lives.

In 2011, budget cuts from the Children’s Trust leave no room for traditional holiday festivities aimed towards celebrating the children’s successes, & ACOP has cancelled Christmas parties at the service sites. ACOP provides music instruction to underprivileged children in areas like Allapattah, Little Haiti, Overtown, & Little Havana to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that often leads to juvenile violence. This program is designed to provide instruments & free lessons to under-served, at-risk children, using music to improve individual achievement, social skills, parental involvement, & ultimately–children’s lives. Please help us bring holiday spirit to the lives of the extraordinary children that make our daily work worthwhile.