As a student of generosity and philanthropy, I have consistently observed that:
1.
Thoughtful giving changes the giver from the inside
out.
2.
The process of thoughtful giving teaches important
life skills.
Consequently,
family giving is a key ingredient of the SunBridge 3-GEN Planning model. In the
quadrant known as “The Academy,” we invite multi-generational families to consider
questions such as
·
What makes us
come alive?
·
What causes are
we passionate about?
·
How do we teach
our family the joy of giving, serving, working together, and finding their
passion?
In
The Academy, we are inspired by this quote by Howard Thurman:
“Don't ask
yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then
go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
In
The Academy we learn two of life’s sweetest ironies: the secret to finding
ourselves is to forget about ourselves; and the key to improving our family is
to think beyond our own needs and focus on the needs of others.
Many
multi-generational families launch a family giving project with an idea of
changing the world, only to discover that the most important changes they’ve
effected are improvements in their own attitudes, their own character, and
their own relationships.
These
principles also form the foundation of Main Street Philanthropy, which sprang
from our work with multi-generational families.
At Main Street Philanthropy, we use thoughtful giving to change students
from the inside out and as a vehicle to teach important life skills quickly and
seamlessly. Visit www.MainStreetPhilanthropy.org.
This week we received a touching testimonial from a South Florida mother whose son had recently participated in the Main Street Philanthropy program in his high school. She eloquently described how her teenager had been changed from the inside out as a result of the thoughtful giving he experienced in the Main Street program. She wrote:
The conversation my son and I had the day his Main
Street Philanthropy group visited the charities they selected to help was one
of the best and at the same time most heart wrenching conversations I have ever
had with him. He was moved to tears
telling me all about the people served by those charities.
Although he was very happy that his philanthropy
group was able to help these people in a small way, he was also distraught that
there were children who, through no fault of their own, found themselves and
their families living in the Pat Reeves Center for homeless families.
My son told me that his experiences that day made
him realize how much he took for granted that he had a roof over his head, his
own bedroom to sleep in each night, and a kitchen always stocked with
food. He felt very guilty for what he
had, in comparison to the people he saw that day.
He was deeply moved by the experience and vowed to
make a difference in the lives of people less fortunate than him. He said the Main Street Philanthropy class
was the best experience he has had in his 3 years of high school.
I
have seen such profound transformation repeated again and again in my work with
multi-generational families and with Main Street Philanthropy students. It is a rewarding part of this approach to
planning.
The
other transformational aspect of The 3-GEN Planning Academy and the Main Street
Philanthropy program is the ease and speed at which important life skills and
values are acquired by participants. As
teenagers and young adults are challenged to make thoughtful gifts using funds from
self-created fund raisers and from generous donors, they organically acquire
important tools for thriving in today’s world.
Some of these include:
•
Financial
Literacy
•
Written and Oral
Communication Skills
•
Confidence and Self
Esteem
•
Community
Awareness
•
Interpersonal
Trust and Communication
•
Identification
of Personal Values & Purpose
•
Group
Collaboration
•
Group
Decision-making
•
Volunteerism
•
Gratitude
•
Creative
Fund-raising
•
Understanding
the Tax System
•
Investigation
& Evaluation of Organizations
In
the Main Street Philanthropy program, we require participants to write about
what they are learning during the ten-week program, and we measure their
transformation during the process. One
of our students from New Jersey wrote this at the conclusion of her Main Street
Philanthropy experience:
Wow… Main Street Philanthropy is actually over. Looking back on the past ten weeks, it is so
incredible to see how much we have learned and how much of a difference we made
in our community. Never did I think that
I, as a high school student, would be donating money to organizations of MY
choice and experiencing all that I have within these ten amazing weeks.
It has been such an honor working alongside my
fellow MSP’ers- I don’t think any of us could have gotten through the program
without each other. I am so grateful
that I chose to be in Main Street Philanthropy.
What an AWESOME program!
Today’s graduation was very nice, and it made me
very proud to know that I made a difference.
My public speaking skills have just been improving day by day; I talked
on stage without feeling any nerves! The
fact that I have grown so much through this program is just unbelievable. I feel that I can tackle anything with the
skills I have learned and developed.
Overall, today was just another amazing experience
in my collection of amazing experiences through Main Street. It’s been such an indescribable journey, but
one that I plan to continue living out in my daily life. Thank you again and congratulations my fellow
MSP grads!!! :)
You
can read more about the impact on these students at http://mainstreetphilanthropy.org/?page_id=44
Parents
and grandparents who make thoughtful
family giving a part of their family culture will equip their teenagers and
young adults with the tools and skills they will need to thrive in a
challenging and constantly changing world should. They will outfit their family members for a
lifetime journey of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
Many
of these families will turn to their professional advisors to show them how to
do this. I’m happy to report that
SunBridge Advisors and Main Street Philanthropy Ambassadors are prepared to be
a catalyst for changing individuals and families from the inside out. I invite other readers to join them.
