By Adriana Ungerleider, ’12, Contributor
Micro-enterprising, grant-writing, service learning, and fund-raising? Say what?
In case you’ve caught a case of ubiquitous spring-break amnesia, the CCDS Tribal Philanthropic board is here to remind you why you should care about these important issues.
As an extension of the Community Service Club, the Philanthropic Board is headed by Dean of Service Learning Deborah Floyd. A gift of $1,000 was given to CCDS earlier in the year to award as a grant to a non-profit organization in Cincinnati, and the Tribal Philanthropic Board was created to research and communicate with potential recipients of this grant.
Four members from each Upper School grade level meet regularly to discuss and contact these charities, as well as to establish other service learning opportunities at CCDS.
“Although the Tribal Philanthropic Board is still in its early stages, I think that it provides a deeper look into different ways of helping people, such as micro-enterprising, offering another level of commitment for students who like to take on a different approach to fulfilling their service hours,” said board member Alexis Victor, ’11.
The Philanthropic Board hopes to establish a CCDS micro-enterprising grant. Micro-financing is based on the idea that if one person in a community starts a business, the entire community benefits from a strengthened economy and a source of steady income. The loans can be small but have a big impact. For example, if a family receives a $100 loan, they can buy a sheep. With the sheep’s wool, they can make materials to sell, earning profits which will go to paying back the micro-enterprising loan and then expanding their business by buying more sheep and equipment.
Earlier this year, Jenny Randolph, a CCDS alumnus, came to talk to the Upper School about micro-enterprising in third-world countries, and suggested that CCDS get involved by researching and supporting one or several such businesses.
Kate Taylor, ’11, also a member of the Philanthropic Board, said she thinks “it will be a great experience to investigate these small businesses and find one that is a perfect fit for CCDS.”
The Philanthropic Board plans to contac micro-enterprising charities that support independent businesses worldwide, and by next year, aims to have established micro-enterprising fundraisers within the CCDS community.
“The most interesting thing about micro-enterprising is the idea of giving small sums of money that will hopefully someday become something much more,” said Meg Lazarus, ’13, who also serves on the board.
As both a Tribal Philanthropic Board member and a service-minded student, Rebecca Miller said she feels that “there are so many great service opportunities, but not everyone knows about them.” The Philanthropic Board hopes to resolve this issue with public announcements regarding community service both in and out of our school.
Every month, the Philanthropic Board will select a featured community service opportunity. These provide opportunities to complete community service hours while serving the local area, and will be posted on the Scroll website, along with an explanation of the organization and an overview of what participants will be doing.