Help Us Invest in Young Lives

There is an urgent need to invest in our children, teenagers, and young adults.

Our mission is clear.

We want to help keep children, teens, and young adults alive. And while they are alive, we want to help them live quality, meaningful, productive, and triumphant lives.

As an experienced K through 12 teacher and college instructor, I understand the tremendous importance of education, encouragement, participation, opportunity, recognition, and helping young people see possibilities for their lives and futures.

Young people need more than information. They need encouragement, education, opportunities, resources, and people who believe in them. They need people who will listen to them, teach them, challenge them, encourage their participation, recognize their progress, celebrate their achievements, and remind them that their lives have value and their futures matter.

That is why we are asking for your help.

What We Are Building

We are raising funds to expand our ability to create and deliver high quality resources and opportunities for children, teens, and young adults, including:

• Educational programs and trainings

• Podcasts

• Livestreams

• Television programming

• Educational videos

• Short films

• Books and training materials

• Workshops

• Digital educational resources

• Community outreach

• Educational and inspirational apparel and other items

• Participation incentives and recognition

• Resources for young people who may not otherwise be able to afford them

Our goal is to use education, media, technology, training, storytelling, encouragement, and community engagement to reach young people where they are.

We want to create resources that educate.

Resources that encourage.

Resources that equip.

Resources that inspire.

Resources that empower.

Resources that introduce young people to opportunities.

Resources that help young people recognize their value, abilities, and potential.

Resources that encourage them to keep moving forward.

The Equipment Is the Tool. People Are the Purpose.

Part of this campaign involves purchasing professional equipment and technology, but this campaign is not ultimately about cameras, microphones, computers, or lights.

Those are tools.

People are the purpose.

A microphone can become a conversation that encourages someone who needs to hear it.

A camera can turn a lesson into an educational resource capable of reaching people far beyond a classroom.

A computer can help us produce podcasts, videos, trainings, short films, television programs, and other educational content.

A book can place knowledge into the hands of a young person who otherwise may not be able to afford it.

A livestream can make educational programming accessible to someone who cannot attend in person.

A short film can communicate a powerful message through storytelling.

A podcast can introduce young people to educators, professionals, mentors, careers, ideas, resources, and possibilities they may never have encountered.

A shirt, hoodie, hat, or other item can carry words and messages that remind a young person of their value, encourage them to keep going, teach an important principle, or inspire a positive conversation.

When you contribute to this campaign, you are not simply helping us purchase equipment and materials. You are investing in what those resources will allow us to do for people.

Why This Matters

Behind every statistic concerning young people is an actual person.

A child.

A teenager.

A student.

A college student.

A young adult trying to determine what comes next.

Someone's son.

Someone's daughter.

Someone who may need encouragement.

Someone who may need direction.

Someone who may need education.

Someone who may need an opportunity.

Someone who may need somebody to recognize their potential.

Someone who may need another reason to believe that tomorrow can be better than today.

We want to help keep young people alive.

But our vision does not stop with survival.

We want to help young people LIVE.

We want them to live quality lives.

We want them learning, growing, discovering their abilities, developing their gifts, building confidence, making healthy decisions, developing leadership, pursuing education, exploring careers, building healthy relationships, overcoming obstacles, finding opportunities, contributing to their communities, and understanding their value.

We want young people to recognize that their lives matter and their futures matter.

We want to help them move beyond simply existing and toward living triumphantly.

Encouraging Participation and Celebrating Progress

As an experienced K through 12 teacher and college instructor, I understand the importance of encouraging students to participate.

I also understand the importance of recognizing and celebrating them when they do.

Participation matters.

Effort matters.

Progress matters.

Persistence matters.

Achievement matters.

Sometimes confidence begins because someone noticed a young person's effort.

Sometimes persistence develops because someone encouraged a student not to give up.

Sometimes participation begins because someone created an opportunity and made that young person feel welcome.

Sometimes a young person simply needs someone to say:

We see you. We recognize your effort. Keep going.

That is why part of this initiative will focus on encouraging participation and appropriately recognizing and celebrating effort, growth, achievement, leadership, and perseverance.

What Your Donations Will Help Provide

Your contributions will help us obtain and support the resources necessary to deliver professional, high quality educational programming and outreach, including:

• Professional cameras, lenses, tripods, stabilizers, and video equipment

• Professional studio and portable lighting

• Microphones, audio interfaces, mixers, recorders, headphones, and podcast equipment

• Podcast recording, production, and hosting resources

• Professional computers, monitors, tablets, storage, and backup systems

• Teleprompters and presentation equipment

• Livestreaming cameras, switchers, capture devices, software, and related technology

• Television production equipment and resources

• Video production equipment and resources

• Short film production and post production resources

• Video editing, audio production, graphic design, animation, and other professional software

• Websites, digital platforms, cloud services, hosting, captioning, and transcription services

• Books, curricula, workbooks, training manuals, educational supplies, and instructional materials

• Books and educational resources for young people who may not be able to afford them

• Workshops, trainings, presentations, and educational programs

• Apparel, including shirts, hoodies, hats, and other items featuring positive and meaningful words, phrases, and messages

• Design, printing, production, and distribution of educational and inspirational apparel and other items

• Participation incentives designed to encourage young people to become involved and remain engaged

• Certificates, awards, educational supplies, recognition, and appropriate incentives celebrating effort and achievement

• Professional development, courses, certifications, conferences, books, and training

• Administrative and support staff

• Production assistants, videographers, editors, audio professionals, graphic designers, technology professionals, program coordinators, researchers, writers, and other professional support

• Advertising, promotion, social media outreach, printing, community outreach, and distribution

• Software subscriptions, platform fees, website expenses, equipment maintenance, repairs, replacement equipment, supplies, and other ongoing operating expenses

• Development of additional educational programs, media, resources, and opportunities

• Expansion of our work so that we can reach more children, teens, and young adults

What Happens If We Raise More Than Our Goal?

We hope we do.

Reaching our initial fundraising goal does not mean the need ends.

Additional contributions will allow us to expand the work, reach more young people, produce additional educational programming, provide more books and resources, assist young people who cannot afford certain educational materials, develop additional trainings and media, support staffing, maintain and replace equipment, fund software and technology, expand outreach, provide participation incentives, and develop future educational initiatives.

The mission remains the same.

Our goal is to build sustainable capacity to serve young people consistently, not simply complete one project and stop.

Your Contribution Is an Investment in People

When you give, please understand what your contribution represents.

You are helping us create resources that can educate someone.

Encourage someone.

Equip someone.

Inspire someone.

Help someone discover an opportunity.

Help someone recognize an ability.

Help someone participate.

Help someone keep learning.

Help someone keep growing.

Help someone understand that their life has value.

The equipment and resources are the tools. People are the purpose.

We Need Your Help

If you are able to contribute, please give.

If you are able to make a significant contribution, please consider doing so.

If you cannot contribute financially, you can still make a difference.

Please share this campaign.

Share it with family and friends.

Share it with educators and schools.

Share it with businesses and professionals.

Share it with churches, community organizations, and other groups.

Share it with people who believe in education.

Share it with people who believe in young people.

Share it with people who believe that young lives are worth investing in.

Every contribution matters.

Every share matters.

Every person we reach matters.

Help us keep children, teens, and young adults alive.

Help us give them resources and opportunities to thrive.

Help us encourage them to recognize their value and develop their potential.

Help us equip them to live quality, meaningful, productive, and triumphant lives while they are alive.

Thank you for investing in young people.

Thank you for believing in their futures.

Thank you for giving.

And thank you for sharing.