Matt Cutrer’s Post

BGCOB Community! Can you help us start our 95th year (yes, we have been here for local kids since 1930!) strong?!?! We are hopeful to have 527 individuals donate $95 or more before the end of 2024. If this happens, we will reach our campaign goal of $50,000. In 2025, BGCOB will continue to serve 500+ kid and teen members from our community. While we provide staples like homework help, mentoring programs, art classes, career development programs, and so much more, we've identified 3 goals for 2025: 1. Strengthen Program Offerings & Overall Club Experience - Club membership has grown by 28% the past two years, and our average daily attendance is up 90% during that time. More members + increased attendance = a good problem to have! Not only do we want to make sure this growth will not decrease the Club experience for the kids, but want to make sure we are able to keep making the experience better for all Club kids! 2. Increase Our Reach To Southside Bethlehem Youth & Families - We want our Summer Day Camp and Yosko Park programs to reach more young people; providing them with a safe and nurturing space during the summer months. We will be exploring ways to connect with those kids and their families during the school year, and how we can keep them engaged year round! 3. Improve Our Ability to Meet the Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs of Our Kids & Teens - Providing kids & teens with opportunities to express themselves, tools to manage their emotions, and a community of supporters & mentors is critical. This past year we've had art instructors from Banana Factory provide classes for our kids and teens, volunteers lead sessions on the zones of regulation, and programs guide them through topics including nutrition, relationships, and preparing for life after high school. Not only will we sustain these programs and efforts in the year ahead, but we want to offer them more frequently and for more Club kids! Please consider supporting our year-end campaign! Whether you donate $95, or simply share this on your page, we thank you in advance for being a part of our community...it takes a village. https://lnkd.in/eJaZhNeV

For me, it starts and ends with our Core Values. This year we gave them an update after 15 years. Are Core Values part of your daily dialogues? Which one of these resonates with you?

Dear Everyone, I am not on Facebook or any other social media platform apart from LinkedIn, so the 'post-it-on- Facebook' troops will have to tolerate my non-strictly work-related post (at least I am not posting cute cat photos). I come here today with an honorable mission, to put the spotlight on a fantastic, wonderful, amazing charity based in #BristolUK. Are you sitting at your desk, super happy because it’s Friday and it’s not raining? pretending to work, while wondering about what to do with that extra cash you are intentional about not to waste carelessly? Don’t worry, you are not the only one. Could you, maybe, actually skip the self-indulgence that the Christmas Spirit seems to bring along (just for a bit); yeah, exactly, you know what I mean: those lovely artificially scented candles, the unnecessary cozy socks, the sweetest, most luxurious, boxed chocolates ever…which you frankly know you definitely don't need and will surely not bring you 'True Happiness' at Christmas... Why not save that cash instead and donate it to this amazing, inspiring and impactful #charity based in #BristolUK? It's called #BLACK2NATURE Black2Nature | Bringing Visibly Minority Ethnic (VME) People To Nature Would you help them reach their £10,000 goal on Crowdfunder? They have raised a 11% to date and they have only 9 days left. They really need those funds to keep going. It's simple to do, see here: https://lnkd.in/e8vaMFer Your donation will contribute to make some wonderful local children and their families happier (the real stuff) by connecting to #nature while learning about its healing power. When you donate, the charity will likely get a match funding, which sounds awesome (I didn't even know what a match funding was until yesterday!. Thanks for that and for the incredible work you do at managing the charity, #AyeshaAhmedMendoza!). If you don't donate, you could at least read about the project, how it started, who's the founder hashtag Dr Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig D.Sc. h.c.-rose (also known as #Birdgirl) and her motivations. It's positive news to spice the season up. If you don't read, would you at least re-post within your network, so as to expand the views on to infinity and beyond?. I assure you this alone will boost your feelings of perceived happiness to maximum levels, lasting at least up to New Year's Eve! (Thank me later!)😇 'Y con esto y un bizcocho...' Photo of 4 children running carefree outdoors below, courtesy of Black2Nature. Adventurous cat photo on comments by Paddy Uglow (https://lnkd.in/egZEcNuK)

We can all learn something from Podium youth Arilon's depiction of self-love. This piece reads like an affirmation of success, and we love it so much! How do you practice self-love in your day to day? Let us know! - #nonprofit #richmond #rva #youth #creativewriting #literacy #poem #SupportBlack

Watch the success story of Pooria!

This is worth a 1-minute watch, $5 going straight to saving the kids... 5 kids saved in the blink of an eye - great! The problem with this really funny scene? If 100% of donations go towards the beneficiaries (saving 5 kids), who pays for the 3 staff salaries in this scene? Or the fuel of the vehicle? The Op-Ex (running cost/overhead/admin) constraints that many charities/non-profits are working under is crippling - leading to burnout, high staff turnover and organizations that struggle to get by. Something to think about when you are making your next donation. Most organizations know how best to use your donation. https://lnkd.in/eS6NsXi9

🌍 Addressing School Violence: A Call to Action for #Philanthropy 🌍 As we approach the First Global #MinisterialConference on ending #violence against children, it's clear that #education #philanthropy has a critical role to play. Every child should feel safe on their way to school and within their school environment, yet millions experience violence that hinders their learning and well-being. To address this, the sister networks International Education Funders Group (IEFG) and Elevate Children Funders Group recently shared a briefing with their members, outlining actionable steps we can take together. These include supporting the Safe to Learn Call to Action and forming partnerships to ensure schools worldwide become safer spaces. On November 6, a satellite event at the Global Ministerial Conference will focus on cross-sector collaboration to end school violence. We encourage education funders and organisations funding education to attend, raise awareness, and explore joint mechanisms for meaningful, lasting change in schools. #EducationSafety #EndViolenceInSchools #SafeToLearn #Partnership sheela bowler Laura Savage

This was a great article for tween girls! Love this question and answer... What advice do you have for teenagers who want to make a difference in their communities like you have. My advice is to embody the change you wish to see. Whether advocating for policy changes or actively participating in community projects, never underestimate your ability to make a difference. Remember, you have the power to change the world. take a read.. https://lnkd.in/gukgfuF7

Ok - so you may be one of those people who saw all the #GivingTuesday posts and thought it would be good to support them but ended up not doing anything. Well, I have great news for you - today can be #Ididnotletanotheropportunitypass day! And I have even better news - you can do it and get 100% of your donation back! I am talking about supporting one of the amazing Foster Care Organizations in Georgia by making a donation through the Fostering Success Act Tax Credit. As long as you are a Georgia taxpayer, you can be approved (it just takes a few minutes) and make a donation then get 100% of the money back when you file your taxes in 2025. Below is a link to the Goshen Valley website (the Foster Care Organization I support) which has an easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on how to take advantage of this. When you go to the State of Georgia website you will see the other 38 approved FCO's if you want to find one in your area. These organizations depend on our support - and the donations from the tax credit are a GAME CHANGER for them! So there it is...will you let another opportunity go by or will you take a few minutes and change lives for the better? For those of you that support this post, please like or share and help get the word out. Let's make today #Ididnotletanotheropportunitypass day!

The math is simple: $250 + #IKEA's match = TWO children off the floor forever. 1,000 children are counting on us to do that math. #WOW Thanks to your incredible generosity on GivingTuesday, we have already secured sleep kits for 420 children through our Sleep Well program 🛏️💤 supported by IKEA! But there are still families struggling with, empty housing, and every child deserves a warm, cozy place to dream. #OurGOAL- Raise funds to support 1,000 children with complete sleep solutions this year. With #IKEA matching every donation, your gift goes twice as far in making a lasting impact. Join us in getting kids off the floor and into beds! 💛 $250 - Full bed kit for ONE child 💛 $100- Bed frame 💛 $50 - Bedding and duvet for one kit 💛 $25 - Stuffed animal and pillow The floor isn't a bed. Yet 2-3% of Canadian children call it one. #YOU can create a future where no child has to sleep on the floor. https://lnkd.in/disPUy7a