Ideas For Your Community Impact Project

As part of the Girls on the Run curriculum, the girls create a Community impact project that aims to give back to their community in some way. The team develops ideas on who to help and how and then figure out in what way they are going to help those in need. The community impact project is a vital part of our program because the girls work together to start and complete a project using the lessons and skills they have learned all season long and watch it come together. Finishing the community impact project gives the girls a sense of accomplishment while also instilling in them the importance of giving back.

Here are a few ideas for your next community impact project.

Write letters to the elderly

Recycle around your team meeting space to help the environment

Put bags of necessities together for a homeless shelter

Gather food and toys for your local animal shelter

Pick up trash around the school or playground

My team decided that they wanted to help the elderly, so my co-coach and I contacted the community center across the street to figure out in what ways did the elderly need assistance. They explained that the community of senior citizens play bingo once a week and needed prize bags for the winners, so coach Lawana and I brought the information back to the girls and let them put their heads together to figure out what to put in these prize bags. Together they came up with putting caramels and other assorted candies along with nice letters in a decorated bag for the winners. Everyone had a part in the process whether your job was to write the letters, bring in recipes, or make them keychains, every girl was involved in the progress of this project.

Remember that you can get as creative as possible and that it is the girls who ultimately come up with the ideas for the community impact project. Most importantly remember to have fun with this and celebrate finishing this project that your girls have worked all season to complete !

Project Community Impact

Company XYZ is a Canadian Credit Union that has a strong focus on improving their ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) priorities. They are currently working on their strategy to transition to net zero emissions, support their community through diversity & inclusion, as well as their code of conduct (structures, systems & practices) and want to be held accountable.

Company XYZ is having a difficult time deciding how they want to display their ESG priorities on their new website. If you were leading this project from idea through execution, how would you display these ESG priorities to Company XYZ’s stakeholders, beneficiaries, investors, clients on their new website?

Leading this website renewal and refresh, what/how would the primary focus (within ESG) be displayed on the website?

1. How would this website refresh reflect our deep values for diversity and inclusion? What demographics would this impact?

2. What would the ESG portion of the layout look like on the main home page?

3. In detail, how would the new website layout increase engagement among the communities visiting the website.

4. How would the website refresh reflect our values for governance and transparency in the work that we do?

5. In detail please describe why this should be a focus and why the local communities would also get behind this project? (Overall we want to hear what would make this successful in the eyes of the local community)

Awards $800

Deadline 17-01-2022

How We Impact The Community

OUR STORY

My mother, Virginia Arrigoni, had a vision of how to help people succeed in sobriety. If only people had a stable home, additional support and more time, how could that impact the community? Her efforts to pioneer this solution began in 1973 when I was just a kid. She declared to me: “Billy, we’re opening a halfway house!”

Now, almost 50 years later, Supportive Living Solutions (SLS) supports thousands of clients each year in our various divisions – all focused on helping them succeed.

OUR MISSION

SLS exists to improve the quality of life in our community. We provide housing and services to individuals that have been historically marginalized. Through our service, we strive to inspire hope, personal growth, and the determination to lead a victorious life.

WIDENING OUR IMPACT

Nearly 20 years ago, we launched strategic giving initiatives inspired by a simple goal: we wanted to make a further impact on the communities we serve. I’ve always had a heart for inner-city youth in low income communities. I knew that if we could help kids and their families, it could change the trajectory of their lives. Our desire for bigger impact sparked some lasting relationships with local charities.

These charities address housing, safe harbor, addiction recovery, job training, and education in the Twin Cities and beyond.

The Dwelling Place – The Dwelling Place provides healing and hope to victims of domestic abuse through supportive services and a safe, transitional place to call home.

Hope Academy – Hope Academy is a private, classical academy founded as an opportunity-equalizer for urban youth.

Cookie Cart – Cookie Cart fosters bright futures for teens by providing first job experiences and leadership training in youth-centered urban bakeries.

Union Gospel Mission – Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities serves people who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, and addiction in our community. They desire for their neighbors to know there is life beyond the streets.

World Encounter – St. Paul based World Encounter creates sustainable economic growth globally by providing capital, coaching, and community to women. They envision a world in which empowered women elevate communities and eliminate poverty!

Follow the links to the individual homepages of each of these local charities to learn more about the transformational work they are each doing. We are honored to partner with these organizations! And as a part of the SLS community, you contribute to the impact we are able to make with our support. Our mark on the community reaches far beyond the day-to-day work of SLS.

WHAT’S NEXT

Supportive Living Solutions has grown as a company over the years. And we want to do more to make a difference in our global community! We are excited to announce a new partnership with an organization that has a tremendous impact on some of the most greatly disadvantaged kids in the world. Learn more about our latest endeavor.

Our Global Impact

Have you ever learned about a big problem in our world and had some of these thoughts?

That’s so awful, it breaks my heart! I wish I could do something… but the problem is too big, and too far away, how can I make an impact? I really hope someone fixes that issue… maybe the government could step in, or a big charity… someone needs to do something.

ONE LIFE AT A TIME

SLS exists to improve the quality of life in our community. Through our service, we strive to inspire hope, personal growth, and the determination to lead a victorious life.

And we know from our own work in the community that it is always worth helping individuals, one life at a time. It doesn’t matter that we feel unequipped to fix the whole problem, our efforts are completely worth it to each and every person that we are able to help.

GROWING OUR IMPACT

As an organization we have formed relationships over the years with local charities who are making a positive impact on our community. We are honored to support these charities and their work.

Recently our leadership team was introduced to an organization that is making a global impact. They tackle some of the toughest issues in the world: extreme poverty, human trafficking, and refugee crises. Venture is a Twin Cities-based organization that serves in areas of the world that are the least reached and least resourced by partnering with local leaders in those communities to end some of the world’s greatest injustices.

THE PROBLEM

We learned from the team at Venture that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, global poverty has risen significantly. They helped us better understand the direct correlation between poverty and human trafficking.

For example, if an entire village is on the verge of starving to death, traffickers may prey on the dire situation by offering the village adults money, food and medicines in exchange for some of the children. Can you imagine choosing between watching your entire family starve to death, or selling one child to save the rest?

Some quick facts:

The global pandemic and lockdowns have plunged an additional 120 million people into extreme poverty.

There are over 700 million people on this planet living in extreme poverty and 50% of those are children.

Lack of food, water and essential medicine creates a breeding ground for human trafficking, a $150 billion per year industry.

There are an estimated 45 million people held in slavery today, more than ever before in human history.

HOW WE CAN MAKE A GLOBAL IMPACT

This problem is HUGE and unbelievably heartbreaking. We can’t solve the whole problem, but we can do something.

What if, just like we do here in our local community, we focused on one life at a time? What if we helped feed one child at a time in a poverty stricken area? Not just feeding a child one meal, but committing to continually feed ONE child for every ONE client we serve here?

That is exactly what we’re going to do. Beginning June 2021, we are making a one-for-one commitment in our partnership with Venture. For every client we serve at SLS – across all 4 divisions – we will commit to continually feeding one child. By feeding one child for every one client we serve, we could provide meals on an ongoing basis for 1500 children in poverty.

Our efforts won’t end global poverty or human trafficking, but we could help save hundreds of children’s lives, and we might prevent dozens of families avoid the impossible decision of feeding their families or selling a child into trafficking.

As a part of the SLS community, you contribute to the impact we are able to make. We are proud to be able to say that for every client we help here in Minnesota, we’re also doing something to help children overcome extreme poverty.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about our local and global impact and how we got to where we are today, check out this blog post and follow the links to visit the websites of our partners.

Second Community Impact project makes a difference in Denver

Eleven companies and their employees, who offered their rental expertise, equipment and sweat labor, successfully completed the second project of the Community Impact Program at the Green Valley Ranch East Park in Denver on Wednesday, July 21. This project was a joint effort of the ARA Foundation and The Toro Company Foundation.

Colorado rental businesses and manufacturers that participated in the daylong event included:

• All Purpose Rental & Sales, Greeley

• Arvada Rent-Alls, Arvada

• Aspen Rent-All, Basalt

• Chair Rental, Sheridan

• Ditch Witch of the Rockies, Commerce City

• Best Rental, Fort Collins

• Quipli, Colorado Springs

• Rusty Rental, Frederick

• Toro, Aurora

• Ventrac, Denver

• Wanco, Arvada

In addition, the ARA of Colorado offered lunch for all participants and the Denver Parks and Recreation Department prepped the site.

The partnership of the ARA Foundation, the Toro Company Foundation, the ARA of Colorado and the Denver Parks and Recreation Department proved to be a dynamic combination.

“We all came together to restore the Green Valley Ranch East Park, which included restoring a baseball field, laying sod, repairing fencing, painting backstops, spreading mulch and much more,” says Marcy Wright, ARA Foundation executive director.

“This effort was made possible because of the $20,000 donation from the ARA Foundation and The Toro Company Foundation and the equipment donations from local rental companies in the Denver area. The park looked beautiful at the end of the day and everyone had a huge sense of accomplishment. We were all glad that we could give back to the communities that the park serves,” she says.

ARA of Colorado President Jeff Jackson, owner, All Purpose Rental & Sales, is glad he was able to take part. He donated both his time and equipment — a walk-behind and ride-on aerator — to the event.

“The Denver Parks staff did a great job of prepping the area for us. We had plenty of people who took part. Everyone had a good time and, in the process, we made a difference for our community. The ARA Foundation and The Toro Company Foundation should be commended for launching this program and having the second project take place here in our state,” he says.

The Community Impact Program, which kicked off with its inaugural event in Ohio during June, involves both foundations partnering with local nonprofit organizations to coordinate community service projects across the country. The purpose of the program is twofold: to allow those in the rental industry an opportunity to give back to their community as well as build public awareness and demonstrate the advantages of rental.

Two more projects are planned for this year and will involve the collaboration of American Rental Association (ARA) members, ARA state associations, and Toro and Ditch Witch representatives in each of the select locations who will source donations and volunteers to work on the project. The next event is scheduled for Sept. 14-15 at Fort Snelling State Park in St. Paul, Minn. For more information or to volunteer, contact April Kleckner, ARA Foundation program manager, at 800-334-2177, ext. 234.

Community is a very important piece in our mission here at PhotoUp, and we are passionate about being able to give back. We are constantly searching for ways to create positive impact in our communities as part of our social mission. Recently we were given a great opportunity to partner with a group of individuals who are just as passionate as we are in contributing back to communities.

For our most recent Community Impact Project, we teamed up with Ripples Surf Camp and PAPEL to distribute school supplies to 200 students from 2 schools in Borongan City, in the province of Eastern Samar. The province was along the path of Typhoon Haiyan when it crossed the central part of the Philippines.

Our Partners

PAPEL (Filipino term for the word ‘paper’) is a group of generous individuals who regularly organize donation drives of school supplies and other goods to far-flung communities and schools. Not affiliated to any private or political organizations, they describe themselves as a group who are for “pure generosity, love, peace and harmony.”

Ripples Surf Camp is organized by a group of surfing friends. Apart from providing participants an introduction to surfing, the camp also includes community outreach programs as part of the camp’s itinerary. Guests and participants not only get to enjoy surfing, but are also able to give back to the community.

Through Ripples and PAPEL, we were able to broaden our impact from Cebu and all the way out to Eastern Samar

Our Experience

It has been one of our plans to go on a surf trip. Myself (Ossie), Lawrence, Clyve, and Brian enjoy board riding – on land and water – among other things. With the Ripples team a few staff members short, the four of us volunteered to be part of their kitchen crew. The team from Ripples also reached out to PhotoUp to see if the company was keen on co-sponsoring the planned donation drive which was to be part of the Ripples Surf Trip itinerary. We saw the said instances as a good opportunity to be able to go on our long-planned trip, and be able to volunteer for a good cause.

With the budget approved, we were able to purchase the supplies needed for the 200 kids we plan to hand out the school kits to. The kits consisted of crayons, notebooks, paper, pens, pencils, rulers, and assortment of other materials kids needed in school. Assembly of the kits was done in the PhotoUp Office with volunteers from our staff members

Cebu to Borongan City

A few days after the kits were put together, we took a ferry from Cebu to our first drop-off in Ormoc City. From Ormoc, we took a chartered van to Borongan City after briefly passing through Tacloban City (one of the cities severely affected by Typhoon Haiyan). After three hours, we were finally able to reach our destination.

Bato Elementary School was one of the first schools we visited. It was accessible enough as it was located along the city’s main road. Just across the road from the sea, it received some of Typhoon Haiyan’s force. The school is attended by residents within and around the town’s center. For Bato, the team chose to give out the kits to incoming first-graders to ready them for the next school year. The team from PAPEL headed the donations in Bato Elementary School with volunteers. Snacks were also prepared for the kids and other guests.

The following day we headed to a more remote area which was still part of the city’s jurisdiction. San Pablo Elementary School was the second school we visited for the donation drive. While the community of San Pablo was not as affected by the storm 3 years ago, it is however among the least accessible communities in Borongan. San Pablo is only accessible by small outrigger boats navigating through a network of small riverways.

Aside from being remote, San Pablo is also a very small community. The school itself is only attended by about 70 students ranging from day-care all the way up to the 6th grade. We were welcomed with fresh coconut water, local delicacies, and smiles from kids and parents. We were also treated to lunch by Pahungaw Falls.

Personal Notes

Overall the experience was very eye opening. Besides being able to see a part of the country we were not able to see before, we were able to meet people who are very passionate about giving and sharing. The experience also challenged our concept of comforts and luxury, and resilience. To see people live simply and be surrounded by nature made us feel so deprived being city-dwellers that we are. The people of Borongan experience being battered by typhoons on a regular basis yet they refuse to be weathered. With each storm, the community and its people become stronger.

We’re very thankful to have been given the chance to experience the culture of Eastern Samar. My sincerest gratitude to the entire PhotoUp community for allowing us the capability to reach out to our communities. Our thanks also goes out to our partners in this activity, and the individuals who have contributed in cash and kind to this trip: Maria Theresa Cardenas Lanit, Hannah Melissa Enage, Lilibeth Caballero King.

– Ossie Lozano

Samar trip was definitely different from my other trips. It was my first experience on going on a surf trip while doing an outreach activity. The feeling of helping other people and reaching your hands out to those who have less, it gave me goosebumps. I have experienced genuine smiles, and have built in me so much respect for people who came from all walks of life. It made me realize how lucky and blessed I am in this life. This trip has been a dream come true for me.

– Den Clyve Cabanig

I did not expect for the trip to take me THAT far. As we arrived, we were welcomed by locals. On our trip to San Pablo Elementary School, the plan was to sponsor lunch and give away school supplies to students. As we distributed treats and snacks, you can just see from their smiles their excitement. The best part was when we started giving away their school kits, kids were just overwhelmed with joy to be receiving such gifts. In reality however, I feel that it was me that was gifted with great joy for being able to experience and see the happiness from the kids.

Thank you PhotoUp for this experience!

– Brian James Navales

First of all, thank you PhotoUp for the opportunity through our EDP. It has been very meaningful and worthwhile time spent in giving back to others. Our trip to San Pablo was one of the most memorable activities we were able to do as part of our Community Impact Projects.

Seeing how the locals reacted to a bunch of tourists coming to their community to share simple joys through the school supplies we were able to bring, was just priceless. The trip has allowed us not only to create impact in the community, but also allowed us to meet new people and build friendships. It has also allowed me to look at the simple life that we can live even in times of modern conveniences. The trip was fun, and the stoke has not left me since, hence the term we coined the trip ‘Endless Samar’.

-Lawrence Getio

After distributing the school supplies to students, the locals guided us through a 30-minute trek into the mountains to have lunch at Pahungaw Falls. We couldn’t resist the urge to plunge in the cool jungle waters.

State highway crews complete RM 2222 road widening project

The Texas Department of Transportation marked the completion of the RM 2222 widening project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at United Heritage Credit Union in Four Points on Oct. 29. The roughly $24 million project added an additional travel lane in each direction, intersection improvements, and accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists, according to TxDOT.

The newly completed project added a southbound travel lane between the new RM 620 bypass road and Sitio Del Rio Boulevard and a northbound lane from Ribelin Ranch Drive to River Place Boulevard, according to TxDOT.

Center medians with turn bays were added along RM 2222, and sidewalks were constructed on both sides of RM 2222 between McNeil Drive and the RM 620 bypass road, a statement from TxDOT said. Turn lanes for RM 2222 were also added on McNeil Drive and River Place Boulevard, according to the statement.

After breaking ground on the project in 2018, a yearlong delay resulted from the relocation of a utility on the widening project. The northbound bypass lane opened over the summer, and the construction of a new bypass road that broke ground in 2019 is scheduled to finish early next year, according to TxDOT.

“We’re already seeing the benefits of this project on traffic flow and improving safety,” TxDOT Austin district engineer Tucker Ferguson said. “Once the bypass is completed, that will work hand-in-hand with this widening project to really get traffic moving more safely, more conveniently, to keep everybody safe on this whole corridor.”

TxDOT contributed $24.3 million to the project, and the city of Austin contributed $203,500. Austin council members and state representatives spoke at the event, including District 10 Council Member Alison Alter, who said RM 2222 is an important thoroughfare for area citizens.

“These improvements will help Austinites who make use of 2222 get where they need to go more quickly and safely,” Alter said. “This area is one with a high wildfire risk, and in the event of a major wildfire, it’s important to have roadways that can serve as effective evacuation routes, making these improvements that much more important.”

Though the area is seeing improvements in traffic flow from this project alone, construction on the RM 620 bypass must be completed before citizens really see the benefits of the projects, TxDOT Public Information Officer Brad Wheelis said.

“Not only is this a mobility improvement, but it’s also a safety improvement project,” said Ashby Johnson, executive director of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. “As this area continues to grow, TxDot is helping facilitate that growth and doing it in a safe manner.”