As a middle school teacher, I love the way that TomTod incorporates so many elements into their students’ experiences. They do more than advocate for community, they help our kids experience being a vital part of it, while also sharing a vision with them for their future options to continue investing in the lives of those around them. I hope TomTod continues growing to reach even more students.
TomTods believes that middle school students matter. They give adolescents hope, support, and a purpose.
This nonprofit does amazing work with the middle schoolers that I work with and helps to engage them in the community they live in and benefit from.
TomTod is going above and beyond to change the narrative surrounding middle schoolers, empower middle schoolers to impact the world in amazing ways and pave the way for these young leaders to take their rightful place in society. Middle schoolers are more than amazing and capable of incredible accomplishments. Hats off to Joel and team for investing in this great work!
My daughter participated in Stark Tank and Stark Idea Quest, and she thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with her classmates and seeing their ideas valued and heard.
Tomtod is an amazing organization that succeeds fully in its mission to empower middle schoolers to create and put into motion their ideas to care deeply for their communities. Students don't have to wait to grow up to impact their communities, they truly can start today!
Previous Stories
Wonderful, creative organization! The students get inspired and then learn how to make the world around them a better place. They interact with leaders and learn about the needs in their community. The schools greatly benefit from having TomTod Ideas as a partner. Love it!
I have been involved with this organization for three years and it is truly wonderful! They welcome kids ideas and make them enjoy their community.
TomTod is run by the best people to encourage people at a particularly challenging time in most of our lives—middle school. If anyone had made sure to tell me at age 12-14 that my ideas mattered and that I was valued for more than the labor I could put into the functioning of my family, it would have been a way better time in my life. I am excited for the possibilities today for these creative, highly intelligent folks who just happen to be young.
Have learned about TomTodd over the past few years and I am always amazed at how much they do for middle schoolers in our community! From camps to programs to inspiring middle schoolers to be the awesome individuals they are!!!
Tomtod is a fantastic organization that is changing futures for middle school students in our communities!
TomTod is an exceptional non-profit that is making a tangible difference in the lives of middle schoolers. Their innovative approach to fostering ideation, creativity, and the realization of student-led projects is truly remarkable. As a board member, I have been consistently inspired by the empowerment and growth I've witnessed in the young people they serve. TomTod's dedicated team creates a supportive ecosystem where middle schoolers learn that their ideas have value and can become reality. They are a leader in youth development and absolutely deserve top-rated recognition. Supporting TomTod is an investment in the future, helping them continue their vital mission of dreaming big with and for middle schoolers.
As an employee of a local nonprofit that funds impactful community programs, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible work TomTod does for our youth. We’re careful to support only those programs creating meaningful, lasting change—and TomTod consistently rises to that standard. Their unique focus on middle schoolers resonates deeply with me, both professionally and personally. I’ve had the privilege of participating in many of their events and witnessing the difference they make. I firmly believe our youth are the future, and by empowering them today, we’re laying the foundation for a more just and equitable world.
I engaged with TomTod ideas through a work function a while back, and they have stuck in my head since. Our work with them was around innovation and your thinking process in that space. Having that experience, I can say that the concepts and framework presented are an excellent approach for middle schoolers to build a foundation for growth and development, and certainly expands/is applicable to older ages as well.
The energy and passion TomTod brings to inspiring and empowering middle schoolers is so impactful! As a parent, they have opened my children's eyes to city planning, volunteer opportunities, and the role of small and large businesses. Activities and lessons have been remembered and discussed years later. Thank you for what you do to inspire our local youth!
Everyone at TomTod is the best in their field. Each person is competent, professional, and passionate.
I've had the privilege of getting to work with TomTod in a variety of capacities over the course of the past 3-4 years. The first time I ever volunteered with them was for a Camp What If program, and I was bewildered by the fact that they were teaching middle school kids the same design thinking principles that I was learning in an Entrepreneurial Accelerator program as a College Educated Adult.
I knew instantly that I needed to collaborate with them, because I can't imagine how different my thought processes would have been exiting highschool and entering the adult world had I been exposed to those ideas earlier in life.
Having seen their staff in situations ranging from in-classroom work to being active volunteers in the community - I can enthusiastically say that TomTod is a group that is having a ripple-effect impact on our community in way more ways than one.
Thanks TomTod!
I’ve experienced firsthand the transformative impact TomTod has on middle schools from various perspectives: as a community member, sustaining donor, volunteer, former Board member, and past employee. The work TomTod does to inspire middle schoolers at such a crucial juncture in life is truly remarkable. Their team fosters a mindset of boundless possibilities and emphasizes the profound power of self-belief and belief in others.
TomTod is the only organization I know investing all their time and energy into the creative genius of Middle School students! Where most people write them off, TomTod sees the gold and mines it with brilliance. The staff are incredibly invested and intentional about the way they work to empower students ideas. And the students respond with goofy and seriously ingenious ideas! What they do every day in the classroom, after school programs and summer camps (and beyond!) is worth turning your attention to. So grateful they are in our community!
TomTod is one of those organizations that is truly changing the world. The sincerity and earnestness with which TomTod encourages middle school students is unmatched. My church has hosted a TomTod camp and I have attended the TomTod annual fundraiser “the feast of ideas” and I can honestly say, as a pastor who deals with community organizations across-the-board, I am most impressed with TomTod. This organization is clear on its mission and focus. They remain anchored to their goals with incredible fidelity. TomTod’ has clear vision to empower young people. I have heard the testimonies of youth who have gone through their programs, and each one describes feeling more confident, courageous, and compassionate because of their experience at TomTod!
As a member of TomTod's board, I have been able to see how this organization positively impacts the youth of Stark County. From the fun and energized staff, to the impact of their programming, TomTod reminds the world why middle schoolers matter! I believe the values and lessons the middle school students learn from TomTod will pay dividends to my community in a few decades when former students of TomTod programming are leading our communities. Check out their website and their annual Feast of Ideas if you live in the community. Such a fun non-traditional fundraiser for a great cause. It will be May 9th this year!
The team at TomTod are experts in engaging middle schoolers with creativity and quirkiness while they are simultaneously experts at helping those students engage with the community. They get students in the room for important conversation and help them to raise their voice to be heard in those situations.
In a TomTod program, a student can brainstorm ideas and create a mock-up for a new park with the city planner and then 5 minutes later find themselves creating a pipe cleaner wig for their favorite staff member. Cool program. Cool team. Cool middle schoolers.
Where do I even begin.... I've been volunteering with TomTod for a couple of years now. I love the program. This year was especially unique, because my daughter participated. The energy and attitude of the staff is contagious!! The children ideas are mind-blowing. Keep up the GREAT work!!
I have worked in youth development in several states from the local to the state level. I can say TomTod Ideas is without a doubt a top tier youth development organization. Program quality, organizational integrity, and a commitment to serve make TomTod Ideas stand out from others who receive much more visibility. After seeing first-hand how their participants grow in the programs, I am now actively recruiting its alumni for my university-level community-engaged learning projects.
TomTod Ideas has been absolutely amazing to work with over the last few years! The TomTod Team is so friendly and passionate, and are a great asset to our community. I have had the pleasure to be involved in one of their field trips for a few years now, and it is always so exciting to see the kids get excited and explore the community. This year I had the opportunity to follow up with them at the schools and be a part of the panel where kids pitch the ideas they came up with from the field trip. It was so cool to see the kids' progress and see how TomTod has created an environment where the youth of today can not only be involved in their hometown community, but work as a group to create new ideas that can actually impact that community! Their program has been a boon to our middle school students, and I look forward to opportunities to work with them for years to come.
The overall ideologies and goals that TomTod sets out to create is just fantastic. You can tell these kids truly have a passion for the projects and ideas that they come up with. Not only is it helping to shape these current students into young adults, some of their ideas are actually put to action for the betterment of the community! Cannot speak highly enough about the staff and students that are involved with this program.
I enrolled my 12-year-old daughter in TomTod for two weeks this summer, thinking it would add variety and opportunities to make new friends. Unlike other camps she has attended, my pick-up questions went from quick “yes” and “no” responses to lengthy descriptions of how she spent her day and ideas to improve our communities. Saying that I am impressed with TomTod Ideas would be an understatement. The intention, vision and niche of this mission to focus on the development of this often-misunderstood age range is remarkable and important work. Keep up the greatness!
I have had the good fortune of working with Tom Tods starting in January at Early College Middle School with seventh graders. What a fabulous program for Middle School Students. They were excited to be a part of Tom Tods. The program empowered our students to look at the community differently. The students learned that they could make a difference in the community in which they live.
They now have a voice for change. The students were exposed to the Art Museum where they met many artists and community leaders in the field of art, music or theater. Then, the students were asked to collaborately illustrate what kinds of problems they see in the community. It was amazing to see what they came up with as not only issues that affected them or the community aroound them but to hear them trying to solve the problems as well.
Our students voices need to be validated for positive change to occur and Tom Tods is doing just that. They are allowing students to be creative and listened to. We are so lucky that Tom Tods in in our community helping make Canton a better place to work and live.
As a teacher whose classroom is served by the fine people of TomTod Ideas, I see the incredible and impactful ways students are engaged and ultimately contribute to our community. The rapport that the staff creates with young people is remarkable. Students get a seat at the table, and they are seen and heard. TomTod Ideas fosters their vision when many middle school-age students believe adults are too dismissive of their hopes and dreams. TomTod Ideas takes those ideas and provides a framework and a structure to make them a reality. When we talk about young people needing more opportunities within our community, TomTod Ideas is an organization at the forefront for our youth. Thank you TomTod Ideas, for your continued commitment to making a difference in the lives of Canton's children. - Joe Cole, Teacher
My 7th graders just concluded a 12-week session with Zane at TomTod Ideas, and it was a pleasure seeing the workings of this nonprofit! My middle schoolers were encouraged and empowered, and Zane's positive energy was contagious! TomTod has the potential to be an intergral part of Personal Wellness course in the future!
TomTod's involvement in the local schools cannot be understated. As an adolescent therapist, I understand the significance of the resources that the team provides for students who are most at risk and the most underresourced in our communities. The prevention work that is provided by TomTod enables students to have increased well being with themselves and within their school. I am a proud donor and encourage you to do the same!
TomTod is amazing for the community! It provides foundational growth to middle schoolers. Kids are our future, and TomTod provides the skills necessary to support this.
We are blessed to have TomTod in our community. They are giving children and young adults the skills to adapt, dream and succeed in a world that can be limitless if they just believe. TomTod is creating tomorrow's leaders and I look forward to seeing the good they do to make our community and beyond a better place.
TomTod Ideas has been all about middle schoolers since day 1! Through all of their expansion in programming modes, geographical reach, and staff growth, they have not swayed from prioritizing the middle school experience and expertise. By following the students' lead, TomTod staff and volunteers have had the chance to experience some amazing idea outcomes and learn from the energy, limitless creativity, and goofiness of middle schoolers.
Rob is enthusiastic and gives students the confidence they need to think critically, plan creatively and hone their teamwork and presentation skills! I highly recommend working with TomTod to teach and encourage and challenge your students!
Welcoming, enthusiastic, kind + well-organized staff who have clear, creative + practical ways to help middle schoolers help their communities.
TomTod is a great way to get students to learn how to come up with ideas to help their school or community and how to follow through from researching why something is needed to actually how to implement it. What they learn in this program will help them not only for the rest of their school experience but with whatever they end up doing in life.
I was lucky enough to be involved with talking to the school kids during there projects, I was blown away at how engaged and excited they all were to be working with TomTod program.
This is something I wish all kids could experience, knowing that they may have a say in something go grand would be such a great feeling and motivator for this young kids.
I can't say enough great things about this, it's terrific!
-Dana
TomTod is an amazing organization where middle schoolers can find a place to thrive as they are given the opportunity to use their wonderful qualities and ideas to help their community. Because of TomTod, students are able to connect with leaders in their community, enhance their ingenuity and creativity, grow in self-esteem and character, as well as turn their ideas into realities - and it’s all fun! I was given the opportunity recently to complete field experience hours with them while I was in college, and it was an eye opening gift to be able to see what TomTod does for middle schoolers! Seeing the enthusiasm and care that the staff members have for the mission of TomTod and the students they work with was a great sign of their authenticity.
TomTod Ideas serves a group that is often overlooked, middle school children. Frequently we see resources available for young children and high school children, but middle school is regarded as a time when "they will grow out of it." Instead, the caring group at TomTod Ideas thinks, "what if they grow into it?" So, during this awkward stage of life where there are so many changes, the Adventure Curators enthusiastically listen and engage with middle school children. They encourage growth and imagination, while fostering a true sense of belonging to their community. The TomTod Ideas team truly believes in the power of curiosity of middle school children and harnessing that power to help them do good.
I had the opportunity to work with TomTod for their Summer 2022 programming. The staff are super fans of middle schoolers and work hard to show middle schoolers how much their voices and ideas matter today! Kids want to come back year after year to continue working on their ideas and that is such a testament to the great work TomTod does. It was great to get to work with an organization that cares so deeply about the youth in our community.
TomTod works so hard to lead the middle school population and support the students in making a positive impact on their communities. The team members are passionate and care deeply about the mission they all believe in! Working with TomTod was one of the best experiences I’ve had and I can’t wait to see what else they’ll achieve here soon!
TomTod truly makes a difference in the Stark County Community. It is so awesome to see the opportunities and possibilities that become a reality for middle schoolers working with this organization. A truly top-notch group of people!
TomTod's staff are wonderfully creative and dedicated to the work they do with middle school students. The experiences they provide are unique, supportive, and lift both the spirits and the sense of agency in youth during this critical period of development. I am proud to support TomTod financially and through volunteering time.
Seeing the work that TomTod does firsthand is a privilege. TomTod is equipping the next generation with the critical thinking skills they need and empowering them to change the world!
TomTod is an asset to NE Ohio! The numerous ways the organization gets middle school students to think about how to become better and make their community better is amazing. So thrilled to get to be a part of it!
TomTod is a benefit to stark county and beyond because of the remarkable vision of bringing out innovation, imagination and possibilities from a demographic that is often dismissed. The leadership of this organization is committed to building the dignity and ingenuity of the next generation. TomTod is committed to this vision and to every kid they impact.
I feel as though the impact TomTod is having on the community is real. When I've worked with the young people this organization is servicing, I can truly see the lightbulb in their heads when they hear about various aspects of their community.
TomTod Ideas is an incredible non-profit that empowers middle school aged students to think beyond today to the future. They have great relationships with local schools and local agencies which enables them to offer amazing programs within the school day, and also during summer months connecting students to their communities. TomTod Ideas is making a huge impact on the communities in which they serve.
I was lucky enough to be hired as a counselor for their summer program, Camp What If. As an employee, I was impressed by the team in many ways. They taught me a lot and I saw that each of them have such a heart for the kids we worked with. The goal of this organization is unique, noble, and very important. I wish they were around when I was a middle schooler. Can’t wait to watch it continue to grow.
The TomTod staff is known for their creativity and energy. This has been particularly evident as they've innovated and grown connections with area schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. TomTod knows and invests in middle-schoolers in helpful, hopeful ways.
I was able to attend a event from TomTod during the summer program. I was very impressed with the event and how much the team cares about the students. The staff is really passionate and knowledgeable!
I went to a TomTod event over the summer where middle schoolers from the Akron What If Camp proposed their ideas to help the Akron community. It was incredible to see how excited and inspired the kids were; TomTod created a thriving environment for them to be creative and imaginative.
I recently joined the board of TomTod Ideas. It is extremely evident from the leadership of this organization through the staff how passionate they are about empowering middle schoolers and facilitating their involvement in what matters to them. I volunteered on an interview panel during Akron's Camp What If this summer and middle schoolers can ask very insightful questions if you give them space to dream and grow. This is an organization worth supporting; one that is actively contributing to our communities.
TomTod Ideas has an innovative approach to youth programming, inspiring middle school students to be problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and leaders for their local community. Every time I volunteer with TomTod I am inspired by how the engage with the youth in our community and are building stronger leaders for the future of Stark County.
TomTod is an amazing organization. I’ve gotten the pleasure of working with TomTod in local schools as well as the honor of working on staff with them. The team is incredible, such insight and compassion. They do what’s best for kids. Everything has intentionally. Kids love TomTod and so do I!
My son, Michael, and my neice, Aireanna, have been a participants in TomTod's summer engagement for the past two summers. The experience from my perspective, and given their feedback, has been nothing short of amazing. They felt engaged daily with the activities and the trips (both physical and virtual over the last two summers), and by the end of the camps they expressed feeling more empowered and capable of doing more than he ever though he could! As a father, it encourages me to see this kind of confidence sparked through exploration of ideas, and I could not be more thankful for such an organization like TomTod. Thank you, Joel , for your unrelenting leadership and dedication to this, often-time, overlooked population of dreamers, and I look forward to seeing what you all do next.
My daughter is entering the 7th grade, and she participated in the "Camp What if @ Home" virtual camp this summer. She enjoyed every minute of it, and is hoping to participate in person next year! The camp was very well organized, provided all the necessary tools and gadgets for the kids to feel like they were active participants in a camp experience, not just watching an online presentation. She was thrilled to receive mail and win prizes and was motivated to do work on projects on her own as well. Also - it was incredibly reasonably priced and I feel like we got much more than our money's worth out of it. Camp What If is a phenomenal program.
TomTod is a highly unique non-profit targeting an oft neglected segment of population: middle schoolers. I was a weird kid in middle school, but full of big ideas. Some folks only see the weird in middle schoolers and not the potential of their big ideas. TomTod seeks to harness the latter. Ideas born within TomTod have had tangible effects in our community. Residents of Canton will know what I mean. And if they don't, they need to do some serious research.
Thanks, TomTod, for making Canton stronger.
TomTod Ideas provides unique programming through a very dynamic staff and collaborative community partnerships, to serve middle schoolers and help them learn how to think creatively for the common good, to become engaged, and to lead our next generation.
I had such positive experiences with all the members of TomTod staff. They are all kind, hard-working people who are passionate about what they do!
TomTod Ideas is a vital nonprofit for middle school students. Every aspect of the staffing, programming, and mission focuses on empowering middle school students to think creatively and become a change maker in their community. I look forward to witnessing how TomTod and these students further impact our city!
I loved working with TomTod Ideas as a camp counselor because it was a unique, engaging experience for campers and adults alike! The organization is so impactful in the Canton community because it encourages middle schoolers to do two amazing things: laugh and make their voices heard.
Working with TomTod has allowed me to see through the youthful eyes of those I have had the pleasure of working with. It has taught me how to be a more effective communicator to relate complex ideas in more simplistic terms for ease of understanding. Above all, it has allowed me to help the dreams of these young people come to reality. Fruitful for them, transformative for me.
TomTod is what I wish was around and supported when I was going through school. It is a program helmed by the passionate Joel Daniel Harris that allows kids to do what they do naturally . . . create and solve problems. But what makes TomTod different is the creative solutions of the middle schoolers are taken seriously and acted upon. TomTom is a staple of the Stark County community and I look forward to its continued success here and beyond.
Our 12 year old daughter had a great time at Camp What If: Canton! She was eager to go each morning and was excited to tell us about the adventures she participated in when she got home each evening. She had so much fun, she signed up for the next camp already! So grateful to have TomTod in our community!
TomTod Ideas is an exceptional organization that takes a truly innovative approach to SHOW (not just tell) kids that their ideas matter and have real potential RIGHT NOW regardless of their age.
Through fun and creative programs, camps and school partnerships they are providing middle schoolers the resources, structure, freedom and support that teaches them about the community around them and how they have the power to transform it by turning their ideas and creative solutions into action.
Over the last year I've had the great opportunity to learn a lot more about the various things the organization is offering kids and the community. I've been able to talk to and hear from the kids themselves and they obviously are engaged and love what this program offers them.
In addition to all the great things they are providing for kids, It's been great to see how much TomTod Ideas is also influencing a renewed sense of creativity, passion for doing and the desire to think outside of the box within the broader community and the parents, educators, community leaders and volunteers it works with.
My son came home EVERY day full of excitement to tell me what he did at camp. He went places he doesn't normally go and he loved every minute of it. Now every time we ride through downtown he has a story to tell about the different outings! I'm so happy he was able to experience this amazing week of adventures!
This has been a wonderful organization to work for. They work hard to invest in the future of canton, especially its youth. Students who attend this camp will have the experience of a lifetime, meet incredible people, and discover a Canton they never knew. This organization is highly recommended.
I love everything about TomTod - from their mission and philosophy to the way they implement this philosophy in their work and overall organization culture. I support all that they do and the way that they go about doing it! I have been fortunate enough to have worked closely with TomTod over the past month or so, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. They genuinely care about those that they serve as well as bettering the community as a whole. The youth who are involved in their programs always have an incredible experience - they have an absolute blast while still learning, growing, and becoming better people and more responsible citizens. I fully support this organization and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who may be interested in giving their child a fun, rewarding, and meaningful experience!
I have worked for TomTod for the past two years as a camp counselor at their Camp What If and it honestly is the best job I’ve ever had. Not only because it’s a great work environment but because you really get to see middle schoolers blossom within their community. It’s amazing to see what the students can come up with. They absolutely love it and love to be able to have a say in their world. I was also a middle schooler who worked with TomTod as one of their first projects and it honestly taught me a lot of great life skills and helped me realize that my opinion matters. It’s truly a great program and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
The mission of TomTod Ideas is to empower middle school students - something I support whole-heartedly! As a summer staff member, I have been able to see the inner workings of this company, and it is truly an innovative, unique, and very needed organization. I am a school counselor by profession and I can clearly see how the work of TomTod Ideas positively impacts students. I have witnessed the students thinking creatively by coming up with ideas that will positively affect this world, and in the process, the students are gaining valuable confidence in themselves. In today’s age, where kids are sometimes forgotten or pushed aside, I applaud TomTod Ideas for giving kids a chance and for building into their lives. I am thankful for all this organization does!
This year, is our second experience with TomTod Ideas Summer Camp. We chose to send our daughter to Camp Wilds because our experience last year at Camp Masters was so positive. This year did not disappoint. My daughter learned so much about this summer's chosen topic (Water) and had a wonderful time creating and experiencing new things with the group. The leadership as well as the counselors always make an impact on her and we are thrilled with the outcome. We are looking forward to our youngest attending Camp Canton in a couple of weeks. I highly recommend exposing your child to all that this organization has to offer!
My son went to a TomTod camp this summer and it was such a positive experience that I am truly thankful for. Not only was it action packed, it was also educational. The experience pushed and challenged my son to be a global citizen. Since this summer he has been working with a professional mentor team through TomTod to further develop his project idea. I love TomTod's mission and vision and I believe in TomTod as much as they believe in our middle schoolers!
TomTod inspires imagination and creativity and helps develop middle school students into the leaders of tomorrow. A truly amazing organization! Joel and his team are making a difference in the lives of young people in a big way!
Why do I love TomTod Ideas? Well, for one thing, their leader, Joel Daniel Harris, strongly believes in their mission and uses every penny wisely to achieve it. Second, I like that their mission focuses only on middle school students and empowers them to dream and create innovative ideas to benefit their community. When you hear an 8th grade student say how amazing it was to be part of a project that they never thought that they could achieve, then you know the program has long lasting effects on students' lives.
Tom Tod is a great organization fulfilling the unique mission to empower middle schoolers. I’m proud to volunteer with them when they need help and to serve on this board.
Joel Daniel Harris, Executive Dreamer of TomTod (which stands for tomorrow's ideas today) has taken the integral concept of giving middle school students a "voice" and supporting them as they ideate concerns of our community in order to actualize their "solutions" into reality. As a former middle school teacher for 35 years, I know the excitement and passion that these students exude when given the opportunity to turn ideas into actions that truly "make a difference." Our community is all the better because of Joel and his team as they help to cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets while assisting these remarkable students into believing in themselves.
Middle schoolers are often stuck in the middle. There are many early childhood programs and opportunities for young children and older teens, but those magical, awkward yet formative years of early adolescence are consistently ignored. TomTod Ideas fills this need by empowering middle schoolers to explore possibilities, take what they learn, and change their world.
I've partnered with TomTod on projects, I've supported them by helping promote their mission. I think highly of what they do, and how they connect with middle schoolers and guide them to better their community. My daughter attended the camp more than once, and said it was the best camp she attended all summer. I can't speak highly enough of what this team accomplishes. I'm proud to have them in our community, and doing what they do to make it a better place.
As a local public library, we've been fortunate to have several opportunities to collaborate with TomTod. The work TomTod does is so unique. Personally, I will have my own middle schooler soon and I've been anxiously waiting for him to reach official TomTod age. I love that TomTod inspires a younger generation to change the world.
Our 3 sons have all participated in the summer camps put on by TomTod and loved it every time! As parents, we love seeing our middle schoolers in a place where their voices are valued and their dreams are significant instead of squashed. TomTod is changing the world one middle school kid at a time and it is exciting to watch!
Wonderful experience! My 4th year volunteering and I had a amazing time! Every year gets better, and the staff was just great!
I enjoyed my time working with TomTod for their Camp What If: Canton this summer and would do it again in a heart-beat! I taught the kids about different forms of art and found ways to connect our projects and conversations to the Canton Arts District, which I am very involved in. The staff was amazing and the children were wonderful-- all ready to learn! TomTod is an amazing organization and I am honored to have taken part!
This summer was my first time working with TomTod and I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere of the work place and camp was always a joy to be around. I loved working with all of the campers this summer and hearing the point of view of a middle schooler and trying to push their brain further than they thought was possible. Campers also faced many challenges this summer and it was enriching to see them overcome these challenges by their spirit and creativity.
As a counselor I also experienced many challenges which only lead to positive work experiences. I learned a lot about middle schoolers, how to be a camp counselor, diversity, problem solving and myself. I loved all of the staff that was involved in making this summer great and appreciate every single one of them.
I hope to one day work with TomTod again!!
Middle school students + concern for their fellow humans = amazing results, like $5000 for homeless shelter, $2000 for kids with Down Syndrome, bike borrowing from the public library, school improvements, summer camps to learn about what the community does for others, projects to raise money for food for kids on the weekends and on and on. Did I say all dreamed up and done up by middle schoolers??? Yep. (Sure, adults help a little. It's crazy fun and I love it!
TomTod is a superior organization fueled by a comprehensive, strategic planning process that seeks to intentionally make the greatest impact within the lives of young people and its community. In only four short years, they have truly created a team and mission that the community would dearly miss if they ever ceased.
Being a TomTod Ideas Idea:X Pioneer is one of my proudest titles. In 8th grade, I had the privilege of organizing my first service project with this nonprofit. My ideas were valued, challenged, and stretched to their fullest potential. My leadership team and mentors had a genuine interest and respect for my vision. My project, Shack A Thon, raised over $5000 for a local homeless shelter. Without TomTod, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this incredible goal. As a 15 year old at the time, I couldn't have imagined how profound of an impact this nonprofit would have on my life. Currently as a sophomore in college, I look back with utmost appreciation and love for TomTod Ideas. This is an organization that truly loves it's community, and stretches and grows the hearts and minds of middle schoolers who are going to change the world.
Joel Daniel Harris 08/13/2016
We're so grateful for Leah's inspiring us to get TomTod up and running to begin with. Without her sticktuitiveness, passion, and compassion, TomTod wouldn't exist. It's been a privilege to watch her keep changing the world! *(On a side note, our program that was originally known as Idea X has been renamed What If You Could).
My name is Sam and I am currently a senior in high school. I met Joel from TomTod after he presented at my middle school my 7th grade year. My friends and I had an idea for a community service project that would raise money–and awareness–for girls in Africa that have to walk several kilometers multiple times a day just to fetch contaminated water for their families. Joel was ecstatic and wanted to help us! He led us through the design, logistics, and implementation of the project! He brought on another lady that had experience planning marathons and her advice was invaluable. TomTod is a unique organization in that it does exactly what it says it's going to do. Most organizations would say that they want to help young people get their ideas from imagination to reality but hardly ever take the brutal and monotonous steps needed to work with young people. TomTod and all its volunteers are some of the nicest people to work with and have given my project the ability to be going on its 5th anniversary! Thank you to Joel and all the people at TomTod for helping my team and I make our dreams become reality!
I've had the privilege of being involved with TomTod for almost 3 years now and every year they exceed my expectations of what is possible for middle school students. They provide an outlet for middle school students to be heard, taken seriously, and given the opportunity to put their ideas into action. I'm so grateful an organization like TomTod exists!
It is a pure pleasure to work with the staff at TomTod Ideas! Their creative and inspiring programs offer middle school students a voice, place and presence in our community. The student-directed camps and classes give students the power to choose, collaborate and create, fostering a true sense of ownership over their learning. I love being part of their creative fundraiser the "Feast of Ideas." It is an enlightening evening where middle school students showcase their work in front of a room full of adults who are memorized by their amazing and innovative ideas. I am proud to support the work of TomTod and am excited that they have found a way to engage this often overlooked and underappreciated age group.
Why wait for tomorrow when great ideas are here today? By working to empower middle school students to launch absurd ideas for the common good, TomTod Ideas made it possible for my community to have a bike share program that is free with your library card. Students came up with the idea to make bikes more accessible so that community members could take advantage of all the great trails. Now, all you need to head out for a bike ride is your library card and it's free. Now that's a great idea!
I came to know TomTod Ideas through a friend. Once I got to know about them... I wanted to know more and more about them. I attended a couple of their functions and was so impressed with what they were doing. Challenging the minds of middle-school students isn't an easy thing to do... but they do it. It's awesome to see the ideas that come of out of these young people. I am a graphic designer by trade and volunteered my services to TomTod, little did I know that TomTod would also challenge me. I thought "they're so out of the ordinary, the designs I do for them have to be out of the ordinary too." Their challenge to me also pushed me to challenge my other clients in their way of doing (things). It's infectious what they do. It's so cool to see someone's idea take off like TomTod has.
TomTod Ideas works to empower middle school students in ways that matter today. In a time when a true sense of community, social justice and possibility are most needed, they are making it happen in the young people of Stark County. Who doesn't want to see middle schoolers believe in themselves and make the world a better place? I've been blessed to work with the organization on a few projects and each one has been as fulfilling for me as it has been for the middle schoolers. Supporting this organization means supporting young people who are making a difference in their own communities and beyond.