Our Community Is Only As Strong As Our Next Generation Of Leaders

Header from the Joel's Place web site

Header from the Joel's Place web siteWe love the work that Joel’s Place does for the youth of our community. In fact, we love it so much we made them our primary charity and committed to give them $2,000 in free printing in 2012.

But there’s a problem: it’s not enough.

It’s not that it isn’t enough money, it’s that there is so much more to do.

So I recently met with James Menaker, the Executive Director at Joel’s Place, to identify ways we could participate in a deeper way. In the course of our conversation I came to realize that the needs of Joel’s Place are so broad, almost anyone can contribute in some way.

Joel’s Place, for those of you who don’t know, is a mashup of an indoor skate park, concert venue, and a clubhouse. A warm and safe haven for the youth of our community, especially during those long winter months, Joel’s Place is there so kids can hang out, skate, play video games, eat, play music, create art, laugh, cry, and more. Young people need an outlet for their energy and they need people who will care about them. Joel’s place provides both.

As you’ll read below, Joel’s Place needs your money. But they also need your talents and your time. They can use your help if you are able to spend time with kids, help with homework, cook meals, teach kids about music, teach kids about art, be an adult presence at concerts, help with maintenance projects around the facility, or just simply advocate for them to your network.

So allow me to advocate for them. During the month of September Joel’s Place has a goal of raising $4,000 from at least 50 donors via a partnership with the Global Giving platform. If they are able to rally this support they will be able to continue to participate on Global Giving’s platform to pursue their ultimate goal of $30,000 to provide much needed staffing.

As of this writing they need at least 30 more donors to donate $2,880 by September 30th. You can donate as little as $10 and make a difference for the youth of our community. It’s $10 you won’t likely miss, and it can help change the life of a youth in our community for the better.

And it’s so easy to do. You can CLICK HERE to donate any amount (perhaps a recurring monthly donation) via the web, OR you can simply text GIVE 10805 to 80088 right this minute to donate $10. It’s okay, I’ll wait. 30-seconds is all it takes to make a difference.

Oh, and if you really want to help, share this post with your network. Here’s the link to cut and paste: http://datelinedigitalprinting.com/us/joelsplace/. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ (people use that, right?)… Helping to spread the word makes a difference.

Of course the folks from Joel’s Place can tell their story much better than I can, so watch this 3-minute video and consider how you can help.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *