Our First Panelist - GH's Mission and Poverty

I met Dr. Mark Bergel about five or six years ago while working for another nonprofit organization, and upon meeting him I realized he was one of the nicest people I'd ever met.  Truly.  Even though he was in midst of growing his own nonprofit organization A Wider Circle, which he founded in 2001, he was ready and willing to roll up his sleeves and help our cause in any way he could.

The mission of A Wider Circle is simple - to help children and adults lift themselves out of poverty.  They do this through innovative work like Neighbor-to-Neighbor, their largest program.  The Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program provides furniture and other home items to families moving out of shelters or otherwise living without their basic need items.  I worked with Dr. Bergel for a few months writing grants and doing other development work, and I can tell you that this program changes lives, and Dr. Bergel makes everything personal.  He wants to ensure his clients walk away with everything they need to move forward. 

For all of these reasons, we've asked Dr. Bergel to serve as a panelist for our "Access in Action" Town Hall Meeting/Kick-Off Event, providing insight on the impact of college access and completion for teen parents on poverty.   In his day-to-day work, Dr. Bergel sees the realities of poverty -- children sleeping on floors, adults in poor health, teen mothers trying to care for a baby while going to high school -- and he understands the vital role education plays in helping individuals lift themselves out of this environment. 

I'm pleased to say that he has accepted our request, and he will be contributing to the discussion on April 28th.  We're honored to have his involvement and support.

We want to see you there.  Be a part of the discussion and celebrate with us!  To register for this free Washington DC event, click here.

- Nicole

Please Vote for Us in the Pepsi Refresh Project Every Day This Month!

We're so excited to announce that we're competing for a $50K Pepsi Refresh grant in the month of January!  We need the most votes in our category to win!  So we need your help.  Please vote every day this month by visiting http://www.refresheverything.com/generationhope and please tell 10 others to do the same and to help spread the  word.  These much-needed funds will help us launch our program and begin making a difference in the lives of 10 teen parents and their families!  

You can also vote by texting 105319 to Pepsi (73774)! 

Thank you!!!!

- GH

Social Networking Advice From Other Nonprofits

We attended a workshop at Discovery Communications a couple weeks ago on social networking.  Of course, Discovery is a huge corporation, and they have an entire department dedicated to spreading the word via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.  We wondered if other nonprofits had a budget to support social networking staff and if they had general tips for social networking on a dime.  Here's the advice we received:

@akmcquade: @SupportGenHope In my experience, it's ok to start small and part time until you can really work it into your everyday happenings.

@fdncenter Why, thnk u! :p Keep it casual, be conversational & gracious - and content might be king, but context is prime minister!

@peninsulasymph "The Networked Nonprofit" is on my to-read list. Perhaps you could host a discussion on your blog? 

We're not ready to hire a social networking guru, but like many organizations, we're spreading the responsibilities among existing staff.  Bottom line - if you're not tweeting or on Facebook, you probably should be.  It's a vital tool in spreading the word about the wonderful work you do.

If you have other tips, please let us know.  And, if you're not following our Twitter and Facebook pages, please do!

@SupportGenHope
FB:  Support Generation Hope

- GH

A Holiday Message from Our Founder and CEO

Dear Friends,

As 2010 comes to a close, I want to thank you for your support over the past nine months.  During a keynote speech I recently delivered at a summit on preventing high school drop-out, I told the students in attendance that the ideas generated during the summit could have major impacts on people's lives.  The proof I gave them was Generation Hope.

What was once an idea has now grown into an innovative organization that is about to begin its critical work of decreasing the number of families living in poverty by providing direct sponsorships and support to teen parents who are attending college.  I am so proud of where we are today and proud of the wonderful people who have helped us get here.  We are certainly ending 2010 with a bang.

Last week, we met with our law firm, Shearman and Sterling, to discuss their pro-bono legal services for our 501(c)3 status and tax exemption.  This is a huge step for Generation Hope as it will allow us to apply for much-needed funding and to move forward with our FY2011 Strategic Plan.  The most exciting part of this plan is enrolling our first class of Generation Hope Scholars in the Fall. 

There's truly no limit to what you can do with passionate and dedicated people.  This is why I have high expectations for 2011.  There is a tremendous amount of work ahead, and current economic conditions indicate that fundraising will not be easy.  Therefore, as we work to fully launch Generation Hope, we will need your support, efforts, and dedication more than ever.  

As a group unified by our commitment to strengthening families, investing in education, and decreasing poverty, I have no doubts about our ability to rise to the occasion in 2011.  Thank you again for your support.  Enjoy your holidays.  Enjoy your families.  I look forward to experiencing Generation Hope's successes together in 2011.

Ways to Give to Generation Hope This Season!

While you won't be able to write-off your donation to Generation Hope just yet, you can still donate!  Your support this holiday season will help launch our organization and will give us an awesome start for 2011!

Here are some great ways to support our work:

*Gift cards to office supply and equipment stores such as Staples, Best Buy, and Office Depot.  These gift cards will help us stock our office with much-needed supplies and equipment. 

*Gift cards to general department stores such as Target and Walmart.  These gift cards will allow us to purchase miscellaneous items for our Scholar program, meetings, etc.

*General donations.  These gifts will go toward the implementation of our Generation Hope Scholar program.  

If you're not able to give, please help us spread the word about our program by retweeting our Tweets and joining our Facebook page.

We are so thankful for your support.  Our critical work to decrease the number of families living in poverty by providing direct sponsorship and support to teen parents who are attending college would not be possible without you. 

Happy holidays from everyone here at Generation Hope!

- GH

Our Board Member Lisette Orellana's Recent Interview

Lisette Orellana really cares about teen parents and their families.  She is one of our most dedicated supporters, and she is the Secretary of our Board of Directors.  Becoming a teen mother at age 15 posed some real challenges for Lisette, but she graduated from high school, earned her college degree, and has done extremely well for herself.  It's no wonder that The Young Mommy Life chose her for a recent interview. 

Click here to read the post!

We wanted to share this with you to show you the wonderful people that are working to get Generation Hope up and running.  Lisette is phenomenal - her enthusiasm and passion are so valuable to us here at GH!

Congratulations Lisette!

- GH

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

The number of children and teens living on the street is alarming.  The National Center on Family Homelessness released a study last year stating that one in 50 children in the United States is homeless.  Another alarming fact is that many teen mothers and their children are among this number.

Often shut-out from their families, fleeing difficult situations, or already living on the streets when they become pregnant, teen parents can be found in shelters or curled up on park benches with their children. 

The House and Senate declared November National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in 2007.  This month, we'd like to help raise awareness about homeless youth while underscoring the importance of our work.  Education is the key to higher wages and a better quality of life for young people.  Our critical work helps teen parents earn their college degrees so they can establish their own warm, safe homes for themselves and for their children.






To learn more about youth homelessness:

Stand Up for Kids

Virgin Mobile's Re-Generation USA

National Alliance to End Homelessness

To find out how you can  help us as we launch Generation Hope, click here.

- GH