Tombstone Nonprofits and Charities

We strive to make the best choices for our families. This is why I choose to live in and support Michigan's Avondale School District. Nestled between larger, wealthier school districts, our small community (a snippet of four cities) emulates the 21st Century version of 'It takes a village, to raise a child.' Here, families are both culturally and very economically diverse. Households range from those of automotive executives to skilled laborers and include immigrants from Mexico, India and other countries.<br /><br />In 2015, the Kakudas ' an Avondale family with three school age sons - launched the non-profit organization Gift of Giving (GoG). Why' because every young person has the potential to make the world a better place, and as adults, it is our responsibility to provide opportunity and mentoring to develop them to their fullest potential. Through the generous support of community members, GoG connects with civic affiliates, church groups, and businesses to provide the district's youth with food, winter gear and other basic needs. Without full stomachs and warm clothes, children can not thrive and learn. In addition, this GoG works with students and educators to teach the joy of giving, so they are empowered to make a change. Activities include back-to-school supply drives, winter clothing collections, student career prep/mentoring programs even fundraising runs. See the video to be amazed at the level of involvement from elementary through high school to parent-centered groups.<br /><br />There are activities I cannot do in support of our district's kids due to my disability. This does not limit my actions towards empowering our kids' my community. I donate resources, buy coffee from GoG's student-run start-up Beans-to-Bags, and purposely write this #MyGivingStory to share how truly blessed I am to live in a community where actively caring about others is a paramount virtue. I ask you to like and share my joy of giving story to honor this positive example in our community. <br /><br />Even with GoG's unstinting contributions in time, leadership and resources, there is always a need to put more food on our neighbors' tables, to ensure classmates have adequate clothing along with school supplies for learning and to instill kindness with philanthropic-based youth mentoring programs. The divide between those who 'have' and 'not have' is present, but together we can tighten this gap. The impact of supporting GoG has a ripple effect. Today's students will be tomorrow's compassionate adults. They will be empowered to help their communities, to make more positive marks on the world' and this will be hundreds, even thousands of Avondale Yellow Jacket marks!