Awesome Foundation - Projects

Rio de Janeiro (Non-active) – Bela Arte Jazz

2014-04-04T00:00:00Z

Bela Arte Jazz é uma escola de música para crianças e adolescentes, com idade de 8 aos 16 anos. Propõe um ambiente para vivência musical no complexo do Cantagalo e cultiva a cultura musical através da prática e experimentação do Jazz, sendo uma opção de profissionalização para os jovens envolvidos. Com este objetivo, durante seus 2 anos de realização, o projeto executou as seguintes ações: Aulas Práticas e Teóricas, Big Band e o Jazz na Laje. O projeto teve início através do jovem Leonardo Januario, morador da favela do Cantagalo. Ao ouvir John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker e outros grandes artistas do jazz, surge a percepção do potencial musical da sua comunidade. Após participar do projeto Agencia de Redes para Juventude, deu origem ao Bela Arte Jazz em janeiro de 2012, onde começou com 3 instrumentos de sopro(saxofone, trompete e trombone). Atualmente o projeto possui um grupo de 12 alunos que já adquiriram seus instrumentos e conhecimentos básicos de música, e que se apresentaram no Jazz na Laje e em outros eventos na comunidade. Possui parceria com o Quarteto Cantagalo, um grupo instrumental formados por professores e amigos músicos do projeto O projeto também realiza eventos como o Jazz na Laje: Evento mensal de música instrumental, com entrada franca, no próprio espaço onde as aulas são realizadas, com suporte de 80 pessoas e que possui estrutura independente para eventos com vista privilegiada da Orla da zona sul (Copacabana, Ipanema e Leblon) . O evento sempre tem como público permanente os alunos e seus responsáveis, os moradores do Cantagalo e das proximidades e convidados. Além da música ao vivo pelo o Quinteto Cantagalo (um grupo instrumental formado por professores e músicos parceiros do projeto) e participações especiais dos alunos apresentando seus trabalhos desenvolvidos nas aulas, o evento conta também com petiscos e bebidas para crianças e adultos, sendo isso uma das formas que o projeto encontra de sustentabilidade.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – RE-SPECS Frames for the Needy

2014-04-03T00:00:00Z

The project collects and restore used and surplus glasses frames, redistributing them to Israelis in need. Frames are sold at a nominal price at the RE-SPECS store, where we also provide customized lenses for a nominal price, generating the proceeds back into the operation. Those who are unable to afford even the nominal fees are assisted through our Project 2C Fund. In addition to being a worthy recycling venture whose benefit to the environment is obvious, RE-SPECS aims to ensure that all vision-impaired people, regardless of financial standing, are able to obtain suitable eyewear. RE-SPECS believes that no person should live without corrective eyewear simply because he cannot afford it. To date we have collected 14,000 frames - mostly new, surplus - and this has enabled us to establish 4 additional branches and thus to broaden our reach as much as possible.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – עמותת חיבוק ראשון

2014-04-03T00:00:00Z

הפרויקט לשנת 2013-2014- הכשרה במכללת "צעד ראשון"- ליווי התפתחותי של תינוקות, של 300 מתנדבות פעילות בעמותה: כיום ישנן כ- 500 מתנדבים פעילים המגיעים לטפל בתינוקות הנטושים בכל בתי החולים בארץ מכללת צעד ראשון הינה מכללת המכשירה מטפלים בליווי התפתחותי לתינוקות. מטרת ההכשרה הינה לתת כלים וידע מקצועי ממוקד, למתנדבי העמותה המטפלים בתינוקות הסובלים מתסמונת גמילה וכאבים כתוצאה מחולי ונכות שונים. אופן ביצוע הפרויקט: הכשרת המתנדבים תיעשה בקבוצות אינטימיות של 15 מתנדבות (ההכשרה כוללת התנסות בפועל עם תינוקות ולכן חשוב כי מספר המשתתפים בכל פגישה לא יעלה על 15). כל קבוצה תיפגש 4 פעמים למשך 4 שעות. סך כל ההשתלמות הינה של 16 שעות אשר בסיומה תקבל כל מתנדבת תעודה. יבוצעו ההשתלמויות בתל אביב, ירושלים, באר שבע ובחיפה משך הפעלת פרוייקט ההכשרה: החל מאוקטובר 2013 ועד 12/2014,עם המשכיות לשנה העוקבת לפי הצורך.

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – Help the Dogs

2014-04-02T00:00:00Z

Yuval Mendelovitz is a BSL dog saver. This grant will go toward supporting a farm which houses, rehabilitate and saves pit bulls and other BSL dogs which have been neglected, thrown out or abused by their owners. We love this project because Yuval has taken responsibility for a group of dogs abandoned and rejected by the wider community - giving them a second chance to be the wonderful, safe and happy dogs they can be.

Atlanta, GA – "S.M.A.R.T. Moves" Chess Program

2014-04-01T00:00:00Z

I am employed with the Fulton County Juvenile Court as a Juvenile Court Officer. We serve approximately 50 teens per week with criminal charges including gang activity, robbery, burglary, carjacking, drug possession & trafficking and runaway. Virtually every teens involvement with the juvenile courts began with a history of neglect, abandonment or abuse. Over 90% of our teens also come from homes where the father is absent and many teens turn to substance abuse as a means of self medicating to, in their words, "reduce stress". During their up to 8 hour stay at the juvenile court awaiting a hearing, I have an opportunity to talk with our teens. Most are good kids, dealing with overwhelming environmental and peer pressures, with limited parental supervision, guidance and support. Virtually all are receptive to advice and guidance, but need immediate support and mentoring upon release from detention. We implemented the "S.M.A.R.T. Moves" Chess and Mentoring Program for boys. We meet every Friday at the Juvenile Court, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Our slogan is "teach young men to make Smart Moves in Chess and life". Our mission is to provide activities, services and mentors to prepare males for the challenges of manhood and responsible fatherhood. "S.M.A.R.T." is an acronym for Science, Math, Arts, Reading and Technology. Our mentors (Deputies, Probation Officers, college students and parents) also provides homework help and tutoring for teens. We started the program 2 months ago and we have up to 25 teens and adult volunteers per week attending regularly. Our goal is to register 50 teens in the Chess Program and develop a competitive chess team of reformed "teen leaders" who will share their personal stories of choices, consequences, overcoming obstacles and smart moves with elementary, middle and high school students in Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools. Many participants are former gang members who can also advise teens how to avoid gang involvement.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Frame by Frame : film translation

2014-04-01T00:00:00Z

From 1996 to 2001, photography was completely banned in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime. When the US invaded after 9/11, Afghans saw a Taliban government topple -- and with it, the suppression of media as well. Since then, there's been massive investment in building the country's local media. In 2012, I joined filmmaker Alexandria Bombach to travel to Afghanistan and chase this story through personal, intimate stories of photojournalists building the country's first free press in history. Alexandria and I found four amazing characters with stories worthy of a feature-length documentary... only to promptly run out of money needed to keep filming with them beyond a week. We returned to the US, raised more funds on Kickstarter in summer 2013, and in fall 2013 filmed our first feature-length documentary on these photographers. We spent 6 weeks following our characters through the trails and triumphs of local media -- from covering daily life of women strolling through vibrant markets, to hanging out in press pools for Afghanistan's first boxing match, to frantically covering breaking news at the aftermath of suicide bombings. We have an incredible story to tell that will connect a global audience to professional Afghan photojournalists, while also painting a broader picture of what it's like to build free press from the ground up. The film will be feature-length (90 minutes) and we're planning to submit to festivals and seek distribution support once we have a cut!

San Francisco, CA – Automata Subterranea

2014-04-01T00:00:00Z

I busk all ages and adult shows under the title "Automata Subterranea" (Puppets From The Underground), formerly under the (better known) name "The Flat Broke Puppet Co." The show consists of a vaudeville style variety of acts, including short, ridiculous and cleverly worded puppet interpretations of fairy tales and poems both well known and forgotten; songs to sing along with, songs to dance to and songs to get parents to dance to while their children look on horrified; and lots of interaction. I learned early on that people of all ages love to have their "moment," and I can provide that by just rolling along with whatever they want to chat about. I am pleased and proud to say that my biggest fans and donators are locals Bay Area people, despite me playing in tourist heavy areas. I have a strong, regular, middle school base, and parents who seek me out with their kids, in addition to banker looking ladies that get concerned when they don't see me for too long. That being said, I have a keen interest in bringing my all ages shows to a broader range of local San Franciscans by booking time in the smaller public parks around town. I would like, however, to provide this as a free service; not something where people will feel obligated (or worse yet, not watch or not let their children watch to avoid an implied obligation) to tip. Unfortunately, the fees from Parks and Recreation to use park space are outrageous, somewhere in the arena of 175 dollars per day for their lowest "amateur" permit. As you can imagine, living in San Francisco as an alternative street and burlesque/cabaret performer is rough enough in the current climate that losing a third of your rent a month to provide 2 days of happiness to kids a month seems noble, but also kinda dumb.

Boston, MA (Non-active) – Project M@CH: Makerspace at Children's Hospital

2014-03-31T00:00:00Z

Brandon, a senior in high school and an aspiring engineer, was restricted from returning to school while undergoing treatment for leukemia at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. The Hospital School Program and I came up with an idea to provide Brandon with a variety of digital and physical materials, such as an Arduino microcontroller, LEDs, 3-D modeling software, LEGO’s, strings, & plastic cups. Using the given physical and digital materials, Brandon designed, invented and created a “Nurse Night Light” to, “light up the bathroom in a hospital at night just enough for a nurse to be able to look in the bathroom and see if anything needed to be dumped or not. Keeping the nurse from having to turn the light on and possibly waking the patient.” An idea was born from this experience with Brandon.To support other patients like Brandon who are interested in Engineering, Technology and hands on activities, we came up with an idea to create a "Makerspace" within the hospital to support creative and intellectually empowering experiences for the patients and their loved ones. Makerspaces are places where groups and individuals of diverse ages, genders, and backgrounds come together to “make”: to mess around at the crossroads and fringes of disciplines such as science,technology, engineering,art and math. We are designing and implementing the first Makerspace in a children's hospital. This novel, mobile, maker environment not only provides patients with creative outlets and learning opportunities, but also an occasion for the hospital to explore new avenues in patient care and might just spark an idea for a career or new medical equipment. The Mobile Makerspace meets health,safety and accessibility requirements of the children.Its philosophy is rooted in understanding the unique needs of patients and families, and in constructivist educational approaches. We hope to inspire other hospitals with space restrictions to create and use mobile makerspaces.

Nairobi (Non-active) – 50/50 Board Game

2014-03-31T00:00:00Z

The winner for the March 2014 grant is Casey Marenge. Casey is a quadriplegic who suffered a tragic road accident in 2003 and became paralyzed from the shoulder downwards. Since then she has been championing the rights of people with disabilities while creating awareness on road safety through her charity organization - Chariots of Destiny. Casey would like to generate income to sustain her various charity initiatives. She has to this end developed for sale a truly cool and exciting game known as the 50-50 board game. Casey now describes the project in her own words: I created the 50/50 board game and launched last year on the day my country Kenya was celebrating 50 years of independence. The 50-50 Board Game whose theme is "50 years of Kenya's history in 50 seconds" is a fast paced, educative and entertaining board game that celebrates 50 years of Kenya's history. The game aims to create a fun way to relive memories of our beautiful country touches on words that define Kenya in the past 50 years. I took one year off working on the NGO to carry out research, and to create the board game, 99% done just by voice-activated software. The game which is a points system and team effort game sees players give clues and descriptions to as many words possible out of a total of 20 words and get their teammates to state the word on the cards in 50 seconds. The game has a total of 2500 words touching on anything and everything that has played a part in shaping Kenya's history in the past 50 years. The game also has a "Supreme Court" section which gets team members to either gain or lose points. This section touches on events, good or bad that have taken place in the country in the past 50 years. The vision for the game is to not only promote our countries tourism industry by selling the game in hotels, Curio stores and putting it in Kenyan embassies globally, but to also provide a fun way to educate the youth in our country. We are also working on putting the game in different hospitals, rehabilitation centres as well as schools to be used as an entertainment and indoor activity for those in the facility. The 50/50 board game has also served as a great memory to Kenyan's in the diaspora as they remember events from there childhood and from back home. The game sold out in the first month of production with the greatest achievement yet being invited to Statehouse to present the board game to the First Lady her Excellency Margret Kenyatta which I believe is pretty awesome!!

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – STAND UP FOR THEM

2014-03-30T00:00:00Z

A grant for the renovation and redecoration of a community center.

Washington, DC – Peace Camp Scholarships for Refugee Kids

2014-03-30T00:00:00Z

Through a partnership with TASSC, the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition, LFFP offers free Peace Camp slots to kids whose families have gone through serial hells: first in the country they had to escape, then in navigating the immigration maze, and now in adjusting to strange ways in a strange land & trying to find an economic foothold. Most are housed in a single room or crowded in with relatives. They could spend the summer staring at walls with stunned and depressed parents. Instead they're in the sunshine with a unique mixture of kids from the inner city (many of them also on scholarship) and kids from the suburbs and more affluent neighborhoods. Because LFFP has so many volunteers, and older campers routinely transition through several levels as counselors in training & junior counselors, there will be almost as many staff as campers, and their training will have emphasized relationship skills, empathy, and creating a welcoming, even healing environment. Campers will make friends, eat nourishing food, play cooperative games where everyone wins, and enjoy art, music, drama, healthy exercise, and stories that emphasize peace heroes, relationship skills, cooperation, problem solving, and appreciation for diversity. Parents, meanwhile, will be free to network, look for work, and improve their skills. LFFP provides much of its programming for free. Camp fees are kept low to make this opportunity available to all, and a large chunk of the budget goes to stipends for youth counselors and junior counselors. This makes outside funding for scholarships absolutely essential.

San Antonio, TX – "Let's MOVE! Fun Run and Health Fair"

2014-03-28T00:00:00Z

How awesome is this: Pre-K families from all over San Antonio will gather at Olmos Park on May 17th. There will be a large stage with a Zumba Team encouraging families to dance and burn calories in a fun way. There will be also a Yoga station teaching families balance and stretching their muscles. We have a fun run simultaneously occurring where kids get prizes for running to every station. Selrico’s Farmer’s Market has inexpensive fresh produce to purchase. SATX Pedal Power (an Awesome Grant winner!), will be running a blender station, where kids can cycle to blend their own smoothie. Various Health organizations like the Diabetes Association will have booths to educate families on healthy lifestyles. The event will be from 9am-12pm and we are expecting over 1000 participants. Families will be encouraged to bring picnics and stay in the park all day. It’s an awesome celebration for people from all over our city.

Orlando, FL – IDEAS For ARTS

2014-03-27T00:00:00Z

IDEAS For ARTS is an effort to show Orlando an example of an "Artistic Representation Towards Sustainability (ARTS)". Through this project, we will raise awareness about our environmental impacts through a creative street art initiative we are calling "sustainable graffiti", with a goal of changing peoples behaviors and #ReThink their impacts on the environment. Unlike traditional graffiti that uses volatile chemicals and petroleum-based paints, (not to mention permanently vandalizes property), the sustainable graffiti method we will showcase environmental messages by pressure washing a stencil on dirty roads, sidewalks, and walls with water. By pressure washing these dirty areas around the city, we will literally be cleaning the dirty surfaces, and revealing our message to the public. This project is non-toxic, temporary, and uses no chemicals in the entire process. As part of the project, we will highlight 5 themes of sustainability: energy, water, food, waste and ecology. For each theme, we will choose 1 statistics, fact, OR solution that relates to our impacts on the environment. To have the greatest impact, we will choose 5 high-traffic locations in Orlando, with a focus on the downtown region. We will also use the hashtag #ReThink in hopes of getting the public to take pictures and share this piece through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Sarnia (Non-active) – Ignite Sarnia

2014-03-26T00:00:00Z

Enlighten us - but make it quick! We are planning to hold an Ignite Sarnia event in May, to coincide with the City's 100th birthday. Ignite is a geek event in over 100 cities worldwide. At the events Ignite presenters share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes. It's like a mini-TedTalk. Speakers share what they are passionate about in the hopes of igniting the crowd to be passionate about Sarnia-Lambton. Talks can be about pretty much anything - as long as it's on 20 slides and exactly 5 minutes long. Our committee will jury the talk submissions to make sure our Ignite event has great speakers, interesting topics, and can really get Sarnians ignited about Sarnia! That's the best part.

Perth (Non-active) – Ivor Burge Basketball Men's team

2014-03-26T00:00:00Z

I started West Rise Basketball which is a basketball competition for people with intellectual disabilities 3 years ago and we now have 9 teams, including 3 teams in mainstream C Mens Competition. Our players learn to play basketball, but also learn to coach, umpire and score. They play alongside mainstream competition and they are quite inclusive and part of the regular competition. From that Basketball WA asked me to coach the state intellectual disability men's team, called the Ivor Burge State Men's Team. All players in the Ivor Burge Men's team play in C Men's teams at Ray Owen Stadium in regular competition as it gives them more experience to play well against other State Teams. West Rise is highly regarded by Disability Services, Basketball WA, Inclusion WA and other bodies as we cater for all levels of disabilities.

London, ON (Non-active) – Food On The Move

2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

The South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre would like to create a new program for the summer months would like to be able to create a program focusing on Healthy Eat and Healthy Activities that would run 4 hours once a week for 8 weeks for youth ages 11-18. In this program we will be looking to take 8 participants. In the first 2 hours of the program we will either like to take the bus down to the local farmers market were we can teach the importance of locally grown food and supporting our community or take a 15 minute walk each way to the local grocery store to purchase healthy food choices. This part of the program will allow the youth to have a hands on experience in picking out their food as well as the importance of a budget. After the shopping portion is done we then will head back to the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre to cook a meal together with the fresh vegetables that we bought. During this time we will be able to teach healthy and affordable ways to create a yummy dish for our youth to eat or take home to their families. We plan on having a few experts in healthy eating and healthy activities (ie. Dietitian from the Health Unit, Fitness Health students) come in and join our cooking class and teach the youth and healthy choices and portions as well as the five food groups and how to read and follow the nutrition guide on food packages. This program has a number of beneficial learning outcomes for these youth: they will learn planning and preparation, money management and budgeting skills, healthy food choices. We will also be looking at weekly flyer to have the youth understand that price matching and coupons can help in saving money in the long run.

Philadelphia, PA – Spells Writing Lab Summer Camp

2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

Spells's summer camp is unlike any other in the city: It is both fun and educational; physically adventurous and intellectually stimulating; wacky and productive. Just take a gander at the description of one week, themed “Out Of This World”: Welcome, aspiring astronauts! For one week, Spells will become Dr. Spells’ Space Camp, as we perform NASA-inspired experiments to expand our understanding of the great beyond! From stars to Mars, and all the black holes and meteors in between, we’ll combine that real space knowledge with our imaginations as we trek across the universe, creating strange new worlds and alien lifeforms and writing science fiction. So grab your pencils and buckle into our spacecraft, the Spells Sputnik 500, as we shoot out to the Milky Way! Each week has a different theme, selected to allow for different types of writing, and to incorporate other disciplines, like science, technology, filmmaking, design, storytelling (and sometimes even cooking). Each theme involves kids in different activities, from field trips to local restaurants, so kids can write food reviews; to video game design instruction; to spy adventures in and around the Lab, at the Village of Arts and Humanities. And every week ends with a finished product--a book of wacky space tales, an animated film, a comic book written and designed by the campers. This gives kids a proud piece of work to take home, and offers a reminder of what they’ve learned. Counselors hail from professional writers, filmmakers, musicians and designers, who pepper the camp adventures with real-life stories of their adventures in creativity. About 90 percent of Spells campers are economically disadvantaged, hailing from the neighborhood around Spells, in North Philadelphia. They attend schools that struggle with the basics, and have no time to teach writing, which has been found to be an integral part of academic success. Videos from 2013 camp: https://www.youtube.com/user/SpellsWritingLab

Philadelphia, PA – Rescue H2O

2014-03-25T00:00:00Z

This awesome project, Rescue H2O, is an eccentric but relevant offshoot from my Schuylkill River photography. While exploring by boat and on foot, over the last year I collected 100+ balls as they floated down the Philadelphia portion of the river or landed on the banks: soccer balls, pimple balls, kickballs, beach balls, ping pong balls, etc. In the next two months more balls will be collected; I'm hoping for 150+. With these rescued balls, I propose to assemble numerous H2O molecules. Like atoms, the balls will be attracted to each other – by magnets. They'll stick together like the familiar H2O models, three balls for each. Positive poles will face out from the smaller H balls, and negative poles will face out on the larger O balls. The assembled model molecules will be elevated 4-6 feet on thin stakes stuck in the ground, adorning the waterfront in a jazzy thicket or formal row. There is a definite date and exhibition venue. I have already been accepted into Art in the Open, Schuylkill Banks, May 16-18, 2014, when I must construct my installation of H2O molecules onsite along the river during those three days. Visitors to the festival, including children, can help me create them by choosing the colorful balls from two piles, H balls and O balls, and sticking them together. The resulting installation along the riverfront will be very beautiful, funny, and educational. The education starts when people ask where the balls came from. Then we can talk about stormwater runoff, and the importance of managing the whole watershed for the health of the river. Though I've had a long career in photography, this will be my first 3D public installation. My Art Car covered with marbles is still in my back yard.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Ka Pa Hula Na Pua o Kamali'i (Houston Hula School)

2014-03-24T00:00:00Z

Last year was the first time we entered Ho'ike Hawai'i, a hula competition hosted in Orlando, Florida. We are proud to say we placed 1st or 2nd in six of the seven categories we entered! We showcased the presence of hula and Hawaiian culture as it thrives in Houston, Texas. You are welcome to see videos of last year's performances on our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonHula. (Please note that this year, we are under new leadership, so our name has changed, but the school remains the same.) We are eager to return to the competition this year and reclaim our awards. We are entering this year with even more dancers because of the energy and momentum last year's success created. This year, we plan to enter into 7 categories across hula, tahitian dancing and Hawaiian chanting. We began preparing for this year's competition shortly after returning from last year's competition because of the time needed to prepare for a competition of this stature. We have many hours of dance practice ahead of us, and even more time dedicated to creating our costumes and implements. We are also planning a variety of fundraisers - ranging from garage/yard sales to a major Hawaiian food fundraising event happening on March 29. For all of our halau members, it is just as much about the journey as it is about the end goal. We are a vibrant community and school because each of us shares this passion for hula and the Hawaiian culture. Of course, for many of us, this activity is what we do in our spare time (as if there is such a thing!) - so we decided to apply for a grant from your Awesome Foundation because we believe that we add to the awesomeness that there is in Houston!

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – Design Solutions for the Elderly

2014-03-23T00:00:00Z

Cool designs for the elderly make their lives easier and better looking!

Tel Aviv - קרן בקטנה (Non-active) – תערוכת צילום תרפויטית של ניצולי שואה

2014-03-23T00:00:00Z

This project will fund an exhibition of photographs taken by Holocaust Survivors through the Beer Sheva branch of Amcha, a center for the rehabilitation and support of Holocaust Survivors.

Newmarket – Alexander Muir PS Eco Team

2014-03-23T00:00:00Z

We actually have 2 projects for which we would appreciate funding. One of our projects involves building container gardens, and growing vegetables in them. We used the vegetables we grew last year to make a big pot of soup that people in our school shared. Our goal is to expand our garden, and build more boxes, so that we can harvest more produce so that we can donate fresh food to the local food bank or shelters. Many families became involved with what became a community garden. We hope that such a project will encourage our families to plants vegetables in their own gardens, as they see benefits of eating locally. Our other project which we have been involved with now since we opened, involves banning the plastic disposable water bottle. Students and staff at our school are very aware of the large footprint these wasteful bottles creates, and we use only stainless steel bottles., having earned enough money now to have a filling station installed at our school, to help us fill our bottles more safe and efficiently. Our next step, is to help inform the rest of our community. Last year we painted yellow fish on storm drains, and distributed fish-shaped info to houses, telling the dangers of pouring items down storm drains. We are now in the process of creating bottle-shaped info sheets to distribute to homes, telling how tap water is safer and more environmentally friendly...not to mention economical! A third project we have undertaken, now that we have fundraised and established an outdoor classroom, is to plant more trees to provide shade. Our school, when built, had no landscaping, and no trees. We have made some improvements, but have a ways to go yet! I am unable to upload photos from this computer, but am happy to send others soon. We also were part of the Feb 10 Rogers "A Greener York" "TV Show if you would like to see more of what we do.

Toronto – LoveTO

2014-03-21T00:00:00Z

Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America. Like all big cities, people here are really quite lovely and nice, but they are too afraid to talk to each other. The resultant isolation and loneliness is a sad city phenomenon. When I moved here from my native South Africa, I was taken with how closed off and unfriendly people seemed. I couldn't make new friends and had trouble integrating with my new society. I thought I was alone until I started speaking with local people and realized that they felt the same way too. Matthew's lovebots are made from concrete to represent the concrete jungle we live in. We're all a little like Matthew's concrete robots, running on auto pilot as we go about our daily lives. These little lovebots are here to remind us to reach out, love each other and be kind. This resonates with my greenmoxie drive to get people to do one act of random kindness a day. I always get such a great response to our calls to action. Its because at heart, people want to be kind, lovely and friendly, but sometimes they just need a little nudge or a call to action. And that's what we want to give then, a little reminder that in a city of millions of people, there shouldn't be loneliness or isolation. IT TAKES A CITY TO RAISE A VILLAGE That's why we are organizing a spring picnic social. We hope that this will be the first of many social picnics that we will arrange through the summer. The rules are simple; bring a picnic and make sure your picnic blanket touches someone else's. Between us, Matthew and I can leverage a lot of support. We already have a team of dedicated volunteers who help with our current endeavors and we have the design and media savvy to launch a formidable press campaign.

Miami, FL – The Asylum Solution @ Dirt Therapy Farm

2014-03-20T00:00:00Z

With over 50,000 asylum applications to the United States filed each year, and only 126 immigration judges throughout the country, we face an overburdened immigration system. For the subset of asylum seekers who are survivors of torture, a 3-year average wait time for their applications to be processed strips them of potential for human dignity and mental health improvement. The Asylum Solution @ Dirt Therapy Farm is a social enterprise created to address the healthcare access barriers faced by torture survivors seeking asylum. Because asylum seekers, unlike refugees, are often legally prohibited from seeking employment, they are unable to access health and legal services, which aggravates the physical and mental health condition of torture survivors. Dirt Therapy projects to be a community-support agriculture farm where asylum-seeking torture survivors can benefit not only from the therapy of growing things, but also from the sales of their produce through free access to health and legal services on site. Clients will farm communally under the guidance of a farm manager, and benefit from community, while the produce is sold and revenue is invested back into operational costs of providing comprehensive mental health and legal services. Miami has a substantial population of torture survivors seeking asylum here, primarily from Colombia and Venezuela, but also, most recently, coming from Syria. This population is still invisible in many ways, and my project aims to raise awareness and integrate them here. I currently have a site donated for AS@DT by Little River, in addition to partnerships with attorneys from VIDA and private practices, who have agreed to donate pro-bono hours to my clients' complex case needs. I am in the process of writing an MoU with the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, for them to refer clients to me, and to aid Asylum Solution with administrative procedures. AS@DT will start with a pilot, backed by Awesome Foundation!

Kingston – If Wishes Were Dresses

2014-03-20T00:00:00Z

If Wishes Were Dresses is a not-for-profit group; started in Napanee in 2011; we provide under-privileged girls in our community with the formal wear needed to attended their Graduation or Prom. Many girls would not attend these milestone functions because they do not have the appropriate attire. If Wishes Were Dresses relies on the generous donations of gently used formal wear from the community to provide to these young ladies, free of charge. We try very hard to make these girls feel as special as possible. It is not just a dress, we guarantee a dress to every girl who applies to our group; and do our absolute best to make sure that they also have shoes, accessories and appropriate undergarments for their dress. With increasing interest, this year for the 2014 Graduation and Prom season, If Wishes Were Dresses will be expanding from Napanee into Kingston.

Detroit, MI (Non-active) – Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company comes home!

2014-03-19T00:00:00Z

But now we have an amazing opportunity: to lease a storefront on Grand River from Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation in the heart of that amazing neighborhood. For the first time, we will put down roots, become neighbors and not just itinerant artists, and go gangbusters to fulfill our mission and have a real impact on our community. Beyond productions, being in a permanent space means that we can greatly expand our programming. We can share space with other theatre companies and local theatre students. We can reserve gallery space for local visual artists. We can host open mic nights, concerts, film screenings, and other events. We can provide space for workshops and educational programming not only for artists and adults, but for youth. And we will do all of that with input from the community. Magenta Giraffe putting down roots means we can dedicate ourselves even more to providing services and programming that our community wants, needs, and deserves.

Plano, TX (Non-active) – The Leading Tone Foundation

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

Our name, "The Leading Tone Foundation", is derived from the name of the seventh scale degree of a major scale. A leading tone often leads into the start of a new scale, so just like a leading tone, we hope to lead a copious amount of people to a life of music and beauty. The Leading Tone Foundation's project is focused on spread. My peers and I want to spread music to whomever we can. We focus on people who don't get the chance to experience music all the time or who have not yet even gotten the chance to be exposed to music. As musicians, every single person in our group understands how music has benefited each of us personally. With that being said, we all collectively volunteer to perform for free to change people's lives. Our group is run by a board of six people, of which I am representing. Recently, we have performed at senior homes, schools, public parks, museums, and etc.; however, our methods aren't limited to performances. We accept donations to help to support fine arts programs in schools and to buy instruments/music for the underprivileged. We, as members, individually encourage and perpetuate the passion of music. We think music begins at any age. Whether it is from a family, a friend, or even the media, music has, in some way, manifested itself into every person’s life. Music is a blessing, and we are here to be its ambassadors. This is what The Leading Tone Foundation is about.

Plano, TX (Non-active) – STEM 4 R Gym

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

The overall goal of “STEM 4 R Gym” is to introduce Hickey Elementary to various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) concepts and the physical sciences while learning core content in the fitness arena. The program will seamlessly connect both the physical sciences and physical education, while reinforcing concepts through kinesthetic learning. The STEM 4 R Gym program will allow our students to use multiple senses to experience, comprehend and remember core concepts. Statistics show that 75% of children remember a concept when they experience it, rather than just hearing a lecture. STEM 4 R Gym allows the students to be physically involved with the learning process by utilizing human power to complete the tasks, all while keeping their heart rate elevated and working on muscular strength and endurance. The STEM 4 R Gym program will allow our students to maximize their senses for a full mind-body comprehension of STEM concepts. The focused goal for K-2nd students is to build a foundation in vocabulary for STEM concepts. After completing the program, the students will be able to understand and identify the relationships between the various simple concepts. Since these concepts are tied to a tactile or physical activity (wheel and axle, levers, pulley), the students will be able to discover the concepts through their own body movements. Over time, they will develop their insight to begin investigating connections between energy and force. The focused goal for 3rd -5th students is to allow the students to demonstrate their knowledge of force, load and energy through physical fitness concepts. They will then demonstrate that they are able to analyze and modify these core concepts to create cause and affect scenarios. While demonstrating their modified concepts, the students will also be working on their cardio and muscular endurance, which is part of our state mandated Fitnessgram.

Plano, TX (Non-active) – Operation Grease

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

I am looking to improve the choir and theater departments at my school, which have not had nearly enough funds to do as much as they would want to. This year, the Choir and Theater departments are combining to create a musical production named Grease. This is only the third year of the school's existence, and the first year anything like this is occurring. Both the choir and theater teachers are looking to expand and this production will greatly help with that. Unfortunately, neither of these departments have had decent funding from the district due to budget cuts, and although they do hold fundraisers, they still don't have sufficient funds to be able to expand like they would want to. This production will really be a big step in developing the programs, and hopefully will spark interest in others to participate in more of these types of productions in the future, as students don't have to be in the actual choir or theater classes to participate. Talent is always wanted, and there is always a bunch of hidden talent within the students at school. Because of the lack of money there are several apparent issues within these departments. For example, the school's light board and communication system has always needed improvement, as sometimes the lights just completely shut off or the sound system malfunctions and productions have to be delayed. Along with these, the sound system could really use individual and hanging microphones for the actors. With the way the stage is set up, the acoustics aren't a;ways the best, and it is often difficult to hear anything on stage, even though there are a already few microphones there. This obviously will not bode well with the type of production that is planned. Also, wood is always needed to build the sets and costumes, and makeup and meals are needed for the actors. This production will go a long ways, not only in the choir and theater departments, but also in the overall success of the school.

Plano, TX (Non-active) – Make a Splash

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

The Make a Splash program is a community outreach program that focuses on teaching the lifesaving skill of swimming to children. There are approximately 3,000 unintentional, fatal drownings in the United States each year. This averages out to nine per day. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 14 and is the leading cause of accidental death in children up to four years old. There were more fatal drownings in Texas in 2009 than ever recorded previously. The YMCA understands this and is trying to make a difference. One program that we have had great success with is Make a Splash. The program is centered around the knowledge that the kids that need swimming instruction the most are the ones who are not able to make it in to traditional aquatics programs. Our Make a Splash team is made up of a travelling group of two Lifeguards and four Swim Instructors who take YMCA Swim Instruction in to local apartment communities and offer free swim lessons to the community. We bring all our own safety equipment and teaching aids and while we are at a pool we treat it like any of our actual facility pools. While in the water we never exceed a one to six student to instructor ratio and focus on very basic water safety skills. Over the course of 8 classes, each 45 minutes long, our goal is develop the skills in every child to make sure they could save their own life in an emergency. In 2013 our Make a Splash team taught swimming lessons to 165 kids in 6 different Plano apartment communities. We do not deny any child the right to learn and last summer we had mothers with their toddlers in the pool alongside 15 year olds who had never had the chance to learn. By the end of the lessons 89% of the kids tested could jump in to deep water, turn to find the wall and then safely climb out. 65% could swim at least 15 feet unassisted. Our goal for the 2014 summer is to expand to 8 Plano Apartment Communities.

Gloucester, MA – The Cape Ann Social Club

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

The Cape Ann Social Club is a community based group of individuals who are over 18 years old that suffer with serious emotional challenges and mental health disabilities. Through The Cape Ann Social Club members are able to meet consistently twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Saturday from 12:00pm until 4:00pm. The club provides social, recreational and rehabilitative support to these adults who have been stigmatized against due to their disabilities. Members of this club find friendship, support and are able to focus on empowering themselves by attending the club. The activities that club partakes in are things such as karaoke, bingo, trivia, talent shows, lunch outings, holiday parties, leisure activities, arts & crafts, movie outings, ice cream socials and annual anniversary celebration.

Boulder, CO (Non-active) – The Humanity Project

2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

As the leading service provider, Bridge House plays an instrumental role in educating the public about homelessness. To do so, we create provocative and innovative campaigns to explore the complexity of this pressing issue. The goal of The Humanity Project is to generate awareness and provoke conversation using photography as a medium for exploring both the similarities and differences of how housed and homeless people live in Boulder. The concept is simple – we selected individuals from both the housed and homeless communities to photograph snapshots of their daily lives, such as where they sleep and what they ate for dinner. Those selected from the housed community include active/well known Boulderites, including a member of City Council, a CU Professor, athlete and several business leaders. We gave each participant a suggested shot list and disposable camera if needed. Once the images are turned in, we will curate a visual display and accompanying video that juxtaposes the photos of the housed and homeless. The photos will then be shared with the community at large through a variety of channels creating a dialogue about homelessness and humanizing those who are homeless. The initial launch of the project will be the evening of May 29th at the Dairy Center for the Arts.

Oahu, HI – K9 Emergency Evacuation Preparedness

2014-03-17T00:00:00Z

The tsunami warning sirens sound across the island. Families begin packing up their cars, grabbing belongings & heading to higher ground. Some people make their way to the nearest emergency shelter. For the homeless, evacuating dangerous areas in an emergency is extremely difficult. For homeless pet owners, the difficulty is amplified. They know that an emergency shelter will not let them bring their pets because they do not own a pet carrier and other pet supplies required by shelters. What do they do? Stay with their animals and risk their lives? In an emergency, access to supplies may mean the difference between life and death. K9 Kokua is comprised of unpaid volunteers who assist and rescue dogs on Oahu and Maui. K9 Kokua is the only animal welfare organization in the State of Hawaii whose primary focus is assisting dogs owned by the homeless and financially destitute. Assisting 100’s of dogs annually, volunteers provide dogs with medical care, veterinary services, flea/tick preventatives, community advocacy & education at events year-round and more. When K9 Kokua responds to a distress call, everything humanly possible is done to assist a dog in need, and often it means paying for medical costs, supplies, etc. out of volunteer’s own pockets. While K9 Kokua can provide cover basic needs for the dogs, K9 Kokua does not have all items necessary to assist homeless dog owners in the case of emergencies. According to the American Red Cross, “With the threat of flu pandemic, terrorist attacks, and major natural and man-made disasters…It is not “if,” but “when” a major disaster in Hawaii will occur…” When disasters arise, homeless dog owners face increasing danger. Not only do many of them reside near beaches and lack transportation, but emergency shelters that allow companion animals will not permit an individual to enter unless their pet has an appropriate carrier, food , leash, medications, and all other necessary items.

Portland, OR – Youth-Empowering Sewing (YES) (working title)

2014-03-17T00:00:00Z

I want to teach people how to sew. Specifically, I want to teach youth. My main focus with this project is to offer my services to those in the Queer and Houseless Youth Continuum (which have a large than average overlap due to social, educational, housing and job discrimination). Knowing how to alter your own clothes is a vital skill for low-income and at-risk youth; being able to present yourself in a professional and or fashionable light is vital to acquiring employment and education. It's also huge for maintaining self-esteem. If you were ever a teenager, you know how important clothes are! Low-income youth are often left at the mercy of charitable donations for clothing and food. Fortunately, Portland youth can get clothes for free at the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC). My project is to hold recurring classes that teach youth how to alter these donated clothes to fit them. I also want to teach them how to mend their clothes, and how to dress for interviews. Clothing is everything when it comes to presenting yourself to the world, and my classes would be hugely empowering. I'm also a great role model for how to be an awesome queer adult. (Hey kids, it gets better!) Body issues are so present for youth, especially those who are trying to figure out how to present themselves in a gender or size that is not mainstream. This hits home for me, and is something I feel very passionate about, because this is a struggle common and current in my community. Right now, SMYRC has 2 donated sewing machines, which do not work properly. This grant would allow me to outfit SMYRC with supplies for a functional sewing studio that will serve them for years to come. I have already been approved by their steering committee (which is run exclusively by the youth attending programs at SMYRC) to come in twice per month to teach. I would love nothing more than to be able to show up with the necessary supplies. And please note, I am not paying myself for any of this.

Oahu, HI – Bringing "Most Good, Least Harm" to Honolulu!

2014-03-17T00:00:00Z

We have worked very hard on this over the past 10 months, and are proud that the first Hawai’i Humane Education Week, March 11-15, 2014, is becoming a reality! We have already sought and obtained funding for the Tu-Fri itinerary shown below: Tues, 3/11/14: –2 Student Lectures at Kaimuki High School: Become a Solutionary –Public Lecture at Vegetarian Society of Hawaii: Doing the Most Good and Least Harm when You Eat Wed, 3/12: –2 Student Lectures at ‘Iolani School: Become a Solutionary –‘Iolani&Kaimuki Teacher Training Workshop: The World Becomes What You Teach: Educating for a more peaceful, just, and sustainable future Thurs, 3/13: –Kaimuki & ‘Iolani Schools, Evening Lecture for Parents: Doing the Most Good and the Least Harm Friday, 3/14: –Public Lecture at UH Manoa, through the Dai Ho Chun Distinguished Lecture Series: How to be a Solutionary Each of these events is free for the audience, and the Tuesday and Friday evening lectures are open to the public. On Sat, 3/15/14, Ms Weil will offer IHE’s transformative 8-hour Most Good Workshop for the Honolulu community. Participants will “examine what’s most important to you, combine your passions with your talents, and connect with others who share your commitment to live according to their deepest values to create a just, compassionate world for all” (IHE website). We need help to fund this community workshop. We’ve reserved and paid for a lecture hall and classrooms at UH Manoa for the workshop and its breakout sessions. IHE’s cost for the workshop is $2500, with a maximum of 50 participants. If we charged 50 participants $50 each, we could raise the $2500 fee. We request $1000, to help make this workshop more affordable for the community. We would like to offer 10 partial scholarships for students; they’d pay $25 for the workshop. The general public’s cost would be $40. With 40 participants @ $40 ($1600) and 10 participants @ $25 ($250) we would raise $1850 from registration fees.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Mothlight Microcinema

2014-03-17T00:00:00Z

When Ben and I moved into a loft in downtown Detroit two years ago, we took one look at the long and narrow open room and immediately thought: this would make an amazing micro-cinema. We purchased some cheap folding chairs on craigslist, bought a large screen to cover the front windows, and began putting together programming for what would become Mothlight Microcinema. Mothlight holds monthly screening events that are free and open to the public. From the beginning it was our mission to use our resources to highlight the work of local filmmakers as well as bring high quality film and video to Detroit audiences. Each month we ask a local filmmaker to show some of their work, attend the screening to speak about their work, and take questions from the audience. We then curate a program around their work, bringing together material that either provides context or contrasts in interesting ways to the themes and styles of the local maker. In this way, we aim to elevate the conversations surrounding the work and to put them into a broader artistic and historical context of film and video production. We have consistently had about 30 people in attendance at our screenings and we hope this number will increase as we move into a larger and more public venue in the coming months. Given the rather large income disparities in Detroit, it has always been important to us to keep these screenings free and open to the public to increase and expand the growing film and video community in the region. Additionally, our long-term goals include starting a film residency program, which would bring filmmakers to Detroit for an extended period of time, help them connect with people and places in the local communities, and provide them with an opportunity to program a screening as well as screen their own work. We may team up with the Windsor-based Mobile Frames (http://mobileframes.org/) program to bring additional free workshops and screenings to Detroit.

Austin, TX – SKAM mural rehab: Preserving a piece of history

2014-03-15T00:00:00Z

Creative Action’s Color Squad, in collaboration with mural artist Nate Nordstrom, will be renovating of the four-sided “Don’t Drink And Drive” mural, originally by artist Al “S.K.A.M.” Martinez. The mural is located on the concrete base of an electrical tower located in the Longhorn Shores hike and bike trail off of East Pleasant Valley. The mural was originally created in the early 1990s as a commission from the city. It is a four-sided mural that includes a Selena memorial and a mural encouraging passers-by to not drink and drive. The other two sides are script based spray can art. The original artist, Al Martinez, passed away in 1995 and this mural has become a memorial of sorts to him as well. For that reason, his family and other members of the spray can art community of Austin, would like to restore the mural to its original condition. Martinez was an important figure of the spray-can art community in the 90s and is still considered and important figure to this day. One side of the mural was restored in 1998, but the mural has suffered fading from the sun, peeling, and small pen and marker additions from passers-by. There are also parts of the mural that have been painted grey by the city due to tagging. Color Squad would like to work to restore it in collaboration with Nate Nordstrom, a professional mural artist and a mentee of Martinez, along with other local spray can artists. We feel that the restoration of this mural is a valuable contribution to the community as well as an incredible learning experience for the youth involved. The mural is located in an area of Austin that is rapidly changing. We feel that the renewal of this mural will both reflect the general facelift of the area and preserve an important part of the history of that neighborhood. It will also serve as a chance to teach our youth about local history of Austin while providing an opportunity for them to hone their technical skills.

Seattle, WA – Seattle Loves Rain

2014-03-15T00:00:00Z

Seattle is full of dreary, drizzly days. Because we can't change that, I want to give people a reason to look forward to our rainy days! Here's what it looks like: Imagine—Each day you walk to work, along the same gray sidewalks, past the same ordinary walls. (Maybe you don't need to imagine.) One day you wake up and it's raining out. On your walk to work, you notice a heart-shaped spot on one of those ordinary walls is dry, Cute. You take a picture. A little further on, you stop and stare at a dry section of sidewalk that literally spells out "I <3 RAIN". What! You take a picture and post it for all of your friends on facebook. The next day is dry, and you see nothing in those spots. But every day it rains after that, the mysterious rain-proof messages show up again! You hear that other dry messages are showing up elsewhere in Seattle when it rains! Awesome. Here's how it works: NeverWet is a superhydrophobic coating sold as a 2-can package. When you spray those two cans on a surface (like a sidewalk), over the course of two hours, you can make any surface superhydrophobic—meaning that water will ball up and roll right off it. It will not get wet AT ALL. So by creating various stencils of positive messages and spraying over them with NeverWet, we can make any surface have a secret message that only shows up when it rains. Because most surfaces get darker when they get wet, anything coated in NeverWet is lighter, visibly standing out. If it's on a rough horizontal surface like a sidewalk, lots of tiny water droplets actually ball up on it, making it sparkle. What's the plan? I have a lot of friends willing to help. Over the course of a few weeks, we will design and cut out a variety of stencils (some small, some HUGE) then travel all over Seattle and make the magic happen! How long will it last? I made my first Neverwet test 5 months ago on a sidewalk near my house and it's still visible any rainy day of the week! (See attached pictures)

Pittsburgh, PA – Art in the Garden

2014-03-15T00:00:00Z

When we planned the garden, we left open space for future projects and community fun -- such as the concert we had here in the fall. But one of the wonderful byproducts of this venture has been the number of kids who are involved with the garden. We would like to create an experiential art space for these children and their families, so that they can experience what they're learning about planting, growing, and harvesting through art. Ideally, we'd like to set up art boxes, art tables and seating, art equipment and supplies, and even musical instruments that can stand the elements! We want the kids to be able to come to the garden and open up the art boxes and have access to paints, paper, chalk, beads, wire, triangles, chimes -- you name it. We'd also like to have exhibit space to show their art work. We do have a roof over part of the open space, so it could be assembled underneath. We had a contest for the kids to design how the rain barrels will be painted, and they look great! We want to have sights and sounds of art all around the garden, created by children. Last, but certainly not least, we'd like to bring in artists who can teach the kids and their parents to create artworks they can't do within the confines of school or home. Large works or small, collaborative or individual; the only common strand would be a connection to nature. And we want more concerts! As you can see, we visualize a true community arts environment for families, within the realm of our treasured garden.

Ottawa – Chirps, Tweets, and Trills

2014-03-13T00:00:00Z

March’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Adam Smith and the Ottawa Bird Count, to support “Chirps, Tweets, and Trills,” a free birdsong identification course. “The Ottawa Bird Count,” explains Adam, “is an environmental and educational organization that runs a volunteer-based bird survey in the city of Ottawa. Our volunteers survey birds in their neighbourhoods, and we store and analyze the data, making the results available to the public, conservation organizations, and city planners.” “Participants in the Chirps, Tweets, and Trills course,” Adam continues, “learn to identify the birdsongs of Ottawa’s neighbourhoods. After the six classes, many participants can identify 70–100 species, just by their songs! We do not charge for the course because we want no economic barriers for people to learn more about the biodiversity of their neighbourhood.” “Participants in the course,” says Adam, “start to realize that everywhere they go they can hear ten times as many bird species as they can see. They say things like: ‘I can’t believe I heard that bird singing in our park. I’ve never seen one. I had no idea such a beautiful bird lived in the city.’” You can learn more about the free course, which runs over six Saturday mornings in April and May, on the Ottawa Bird Count website. Adam is Coordinator of the Ottawa Bird Count.

Connecticut – The Look for the Good Project

2014-03-13T00:00:00Z

The Look for the Good Project uses public art and gratitude to build a more peaceful community within schools, hospitals, public parks, and retirement centers. How does this work? Researchers are finding that gratitude builds stronger bonds, it makes you happier, healthier, decreases teen violence, and builds the resilience you need to carry you through tough times. This is why a public display of grateful thoughts has such a positive impact on the community. Not only are we inspiring viewers to read a multitude of grateful voices and creative expressions, but we are giving THEM a voice too with the invitation to answer the question, "What Makes You Grateful?" So far, this has been wonderfully effective in transforming lives. In fact, the project is being used at CT Valley Hospital, the largest mental health hospital in the state, as a tool among all their units (including their forensics unit). In addition, the CT Association of Schools has recently endorsed the project and I have been featured on MSNBC, WNPR, The Huffington Post, Reader's Digest, and Good Housekeeping Magazine, among others. This summer, I am installing the second annual gratitude trail at Hammonasset Beach State Park. This consists of 100 grateful moment postcards reproduced on weather proof signage, strung along the boardwalk. As project founder and curator, my job is choose these cards, design the reproduction signage in an artistic way, and then print and install these cards along the beach. I will additionally have to maintain the trail all summer as well as start the process of producing gratitude trails like this in other areas. Additionally, I am putting together another book as well as creating a video series sharing some of the more powerful stories that have come in. Please see www.lookforthegoodproject.org for more Or: http://www.msnbc.com/craig-melvin/watch/postcard-movement-helps-look-for-the-good-144520259800

San Francisco, CA – NMU, The Wire People

2014-03-12T00:00:00Z

The Wire People is a growing family of human-like sculptures made out of chicken wire and recycled electronic chords. There are seven in total and more to come. They sit, slouch, and stare into their clear plexi-glass shaped phones of nothingness. They are placed in public places-from restaurants to the Bart, serving as a commentary of simply what we see constantly: a growing population with heads down using smartphones or other devices. The Wire People is a portrait of this all too common scene, yet when placed among others doing the same thing, they promote a striking image. An ironic twist. Interactions. Engagements. Discussion. Our project, although the main theme centers around a connected disconnect, has an underlying theme: it is a visual representation of waste and environmental degradation. While searching for our materials, we are continually astonished by the excessive amounts of electronic waste. We find laptops, printers, keyboards, phones, and an endless massive entanglement of chords. Our personal electronic devices are extremely disposable. By taking the chords from the trash, or from student free piles, we bring them back to life, yet in another form, in the form of that which has thrown it out. To be able to discuss all of this, through art, is the most important part for us.

New York City, NY – LICKESTRA: A Lickable Orchestra

2014-03-11T00:00:00Z

Lickestra, a collaboration between designers Emilie Baltz (www.emiliebaltz.com), Carla Diana and musician Arone Dyer, is a musical licking performance at the intersection of food design and smart objects. Created as part of a residency at the School of Visual Arts, Lickestra plays with the experience from tongue to taste by presenting a series of conductive ice creams that trigger various baselines and tones when licked. Riffing on the "ice cream stand", guests are invited to stand inside a classic white pedestal and lick the ice cream that is presented to them. The result is a "4-piece band" that operates only by the licking of each guest. Lickestra lasts until all the ice cream is licked. We would like to place Lickestra in "Specials on C" (http://specialsonc.com) a bodega for community and expression, located on Avenue C and 12th street in Manhattan, across the street from the public housing projects.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Terminus

2014-03-10T00:00:00Z

I am a site-responsive artist who uses simple, temporary materials that evolve into sculptural work. With twine I make three-dimensional drawings to emphasize obscured elements within recognizable objects and correlate the symbolic with lived experience. My work is multi-sensory and requests participatory involvement that reawakens the simple intrigue of looking. Lines expand and contract in spaces examined to uncover hidden meanings and encourage appreciation for what they are. Inspired by both the interior and exterior, I look for sites where nature has been permeated by manufactured elements or ways in which structures can communicate certain particulars about the current human condition. Both natural and synthetic light interests me as an additional drawing medium. I believe the use of light encourages one to slow down and reconsider where they are standing. Blacklight creates an incorporeal feel to the installations because the work is experienced in the dark, an unconventional way in which to view art. Light influences the design of my work as a form of emphasis, highlighting the lines that accentuate the intricacies of the surrounding elements. I have been invited to participate in the Hambidge Art Auction and Performance Gala at the Goat Farm Art Center in Atlanta, Georgia on May 31, 2014. The work I have proposed is a large scale, site-specific installation based on Atlanta’s original name, “Terminus”. The audience will be able to interact with “Terminus” directly: the piece will be a work of art that people can walk directly into and become submerged by blacklight illuminated twine. A video of Brooklyn subway trains will be projected onto the work and the walls behind creating horizontal movement against the verticality of the line. Conceptually, “Terminus” references Atlanta’s public transportation issues, a city that is rapidly growing into the emerging artist capital of the US.

Los Angeles, CA – Swipes for the Homeless

2014-03-07T00:00:00Z

By the end of the school semester, college students are often left with hundreds of dollars in meal points or "swipes", which disappear at the end of the term. Swipes for the Homeless [Swipes, as we affectionately call ourselves] allows students to do donate those remaining dollars to their local homeless population while learning about the realities of homelessness on campus and in their community. Students sign off on their meals, the school converts those dollars into non-perishable food (or writes a check), then students drop off the donation to a local food bank or shelter. Simply reallocating an unused resource. In march of 2012, our original chapter at UCLA was invited to the White House and acknowledged by President Obama. Since, over 60 universities have reached out to us to start their own chapters. Swipes's next step is to meet this need and create an effective, smooth and streamlined process (or tool-kit) making chapter establishment easy. The greatest challenge students face in starting a chapter is getting their school's Dining Services on board. This is when we usually step in the most and provide counter arguments, troubleshooting & community organizing strategies to ensure the students success. Some background: Swipes was created at UCLA in 2009 to address the hundreds of thousands of dollars that disappeared from our meal plans every semester. Once the program gained notoriety in 2012, we decided to become an incorporated non-profit to help the program spread. Swipes grew from the dedication of a few friends who invested themselves in it voluntarily. In September of 2013, I came on as our first staff person and Executive Director in order to dedicate the time the organization needs to scale and expand. We're now up to 5 student run chapters. We (the "royal we") work out of The Hub LA in Downtown Los Angeles and love being able to connect with our community. More details/video/info-graphics on our website! Thanks for considering us.

Yerevan – Who Bought Yerevan in 1264?

2014-03-07T00:00:00Z

My awesome idea is the following: to produce a max 3-minute documentary on the oldest inscription (1264 A.D.) in Downtown Yerevan, located on the northern wall of St. Katoghike Church, and to screen the film on the very same wall for the public. The inscription is very interesting and unique. Many people cross Sayat-Nova and Abovyan streets every day, yet very few (if anybody) know that there is such an artifact -- probably the oldest Armenian document stating that Yerevan has been bought and that if anyone refuses to recognize the owner's right will be subject to several curses. Thus, my goal is to produce a short documentary on this inscription and screen it to the public to raise awareness on this unique treasure. I'm going to organize this in partnership with Tsirani NGO in order to pass them all rights toward the documentary and use its channels for disseminating the clip.

Sarnia (Non-active) – 4 Friends

2014-03-06T00:00:00Z

We "four" friends want to make mittens "for" friends in the community. We have been invited to team up with Feather Your Nest, a eclectic gift store in downtown Sarnia. They have offered to sell our mittens with all monies going to our chosen charity, Community Living, an organization that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities. Our opening night would be First Friday, October 2014. We would be providing warm mittens for our community and the community would be supporting Community Living.

Liverpool – Pawsome dog coats for the Homeless and dog

2014-03-04T00:00:00Z

My awesome project is to make dog coats and give them to homeless people who have animals with them on the street, when I go to my shop in town I always see homeless people with dogs, I would like to make pet hampers which would have a travel water bottle for dogs, and a travel bowl, and a warm coat which I will make as I am getting really good at sewing now. I think this would bring joy to the dogs and the people who have them, also it will solve a problem of them being cold and might help them to not get sick.

Liverpool – Norris Green News

2014-03-04T00:00:00Z

My project is called Norris Green News NGN that is a project I have started off on my own. My project is a newspaper to rid the community of Norris Green of its bad press and change the stereotypical view portrayed on Norris green to a positive lime light that people feel safe in. This is a project that I want to not only not consider them thoughts but banish them completely. Norris Green News is helped by local councillors and youth attenders that make it a huge success and I am the Editor of this magnificent project that will be a great success. Norris Green News provides positive news around the area and some great events to look forward to. It also helps various young journalists reach their abilities and achievements to the highest of their abilities when they write in and we display their articles about the area. Now I could go on for the next 988 characters but I am hoping the project speaks for itself and if this is called awesome Liverpool then hopefully This paper can make Liverpool that.

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – Mondays at Racine

2014-03-03T00:00:00Z

Mondays at Racine began in 2003 when we opened the doors of our spa & salon on the third Monday of every month to provide beauty and wellness services to anyone undergoing treatment for cancer, free of charge. At a time when no one was recognizingthe emotional side of being diagnosed with cancer, Racine set out to attempt to offset cancer treatment's ravaging side effects and provide solace, care and support to it’s community members stricken with this disease. Having addressed the needs of this population for more than ten years, we have a keen understanding that the key to a patient’s wellbeing entails more than just the clinical side of healing; it requires attention to the mental, physical, spiritual and social side as well. We aim to work in conjunction with a patient’s standard care regimen, and offer services and support that treat the whole person, and not just the disease. We now offer our services every Monday.

Washington, DC – Funk Parade

2014-03-02T00:00:00Z

Funk Parade is a one-of-a-kind street fair, parade and music festival for DC and the U Street neighborhood, on May 3, 2014, the 211th anniversary of the DC’s incorporation. It's a celebration of what makes U Street great, what makes Washington DC, great, and what makes being alive such a groove. The day's schedule is as follows: The Funk Parade street fair (noon-5): The U Street neighborhood teems with music and performance, artists and vendors, food and art, workshops and spontaneous acts of soul. The mighty Funk Parade (5-7): The main event! Imagine a gyrating horde of dancers, a marching band behind them, and a drum corps. Hear beat-boxers and junkyard drummers, see pot-bangers and clappers and kids on their parents’ shoulders. Horn players wander in and out of the crowd, neighbors come out of their homes to join the procession. A thunderous syncopated army of groove, winding its way through the neighborhood, calling the city to the funk. The Funk Parade music festival (7- ): Grooves from all corners of the human soul play in venues on and around U Street. The sounds of the city’s best acts call from every doorway. One day, one spirit, one celebration of funk: the subatomic particle of love. The Funk Parade — free your mind and your city will follow!

Awesome Without Borders (Non-active) – The Indigo Theatre Project

2014-03-01T00:00:00Z

My colleague Nick Gereffi and I founded The Indigo Theatre Project in the fall of 2012 when we realized that there were many remarkable pieces of theatre we'd never had the opportunity to see live. We decided to present readings of these pieces, but resolved to do more than simply reproduce them. Combining artistry and advocacy, The Indigo Theatre Project's mission is to produce readings of high-profile plays to benefit specific, related non-profit organizations. We seek to pair our plays with an organization aligned with the play's author or that resonates with the plays' themes. In 2013, we were fortunate enough to present three sold-out readings with star-studded casts: Lynn Nottage's INTIMATE APPAREL in January 2013, directed by Jade King Carroll as a benefit for Donor Direct Action; Wendy Wasserstein's UNCOMMON WOMEN AND OTHERS in May 2013, directed by Leigh Silverman as a benefit for TDF Open Doors; and Craig Lucas's RECKLESS in October 2013, directed by Kate Whoriskey (starring Golden Globe winner Tina Fey) as a benefit for Safe Horizon. In total, we were able to raise almost $20,000 in our first year. Audiences have responded positively to our mission and we recognize that we've developed a powerful artistic model. This year we endeavor to produce two benefit readings: Robert Harling's THE FIRST WIVES CLUB screenplay in the summer of 2014 (to aid a women's center, as they do in the script) and Lisa Kron's IN THE WAKE in fall 2014 (to aid an LGBT organization as the play explores the themes of sexuality). However, we still have to cover the costs of space rentals, marketing tools, food for actors, and various other expenses that arise throughout the process. For these reasons, I've decided to apply to Awesome Without Borders. We believe that with a grant from Awesome Without Borders, we would be able to extend our impact--bringing in more audiences and funds to the nonprofits we support--thus empowering the mission of The Indigo Theatre Project.