My Nonprofit Reviews
Ycarington
Review for The Radiant Peace Foundation International Inc, St Petersburg, FL, USA
This jewel of a museum is a one of a kind in the entire world and is located on Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, FL. This non profit began in 1986 and has thrived on donations, and volunteers at the grassroots level. The museum houses many of the award winning children's art projects sponsored by this association. All projects support the mission statement: 1) To inspire, encourage and promote Radiant Peace and 2) To serve as a center point for Radiant Peace Education worldwide.
Focusing on children in grades 1 - 12, sometimes the entire class particaptes in the art project or class video. Other times individuals in the classes are individual award winners. Everyone submitting an entry receives a Radiant Peace Patch and the overall winners receive cash awards. To that point and as an illustration of the growth since 1986, $10,000 dollars was distributed to children world wide for their winning art, videos and or essays in 2010.
When you first drive to the museum, you will walk up a purple sidewalk, at the door a purple awning, and inside there is a light blue floor covering with multi-colored walls in each of the rooms in the museum and ceiling mirrors reflecting light. From there the children's art, essays and videos about Radiant Peace envelops you and opens and expands your heart. And that's before your Radiant Tour guide takes you on a guided tour of the Intergalactic Radiant Peace room.
The Radiant Peace Foundation International has many other projects world wide such as Radiant Peace Places, and Worldwide Celebrations of The International Day of Radiant Peace, just to name a few. Please visit www.radiantpeace.org. The museum is one centralized place to see the world-wide award winners expressions of Radiant Peace.
The vision is to expand the museum to be able to house entire classrooms of children and have more inspiratonal and writing projects by people of all ages and countries and possibly even to have a Radiant Peace community center.
Encase you were wondering, all of this has been accomplished by donors and volunteers as there is only one part-time, minimally paid employee- so you could say overhead or admn costs are nominal and your donations truly go to the projects and services provided.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I think the museum is the one best place to see this organizations growth and outreach, as it is common now to get entries from many different nations. Just last year we had an entry from Cairo, Egypt. The child whose art was selected as the winner in 2001 is from Romania and we used it for the cover of our Radiant Peace greeting cards for 2011.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Find more donations. The museum is sorely needing to expand which will entail a new building as they have maximized the current space available. There are far more winning entries in storage than can be displayed in this current museum, pretty as it is! Currently the space will allow 15 children and their chaperones at one time and we all know that class sizes range from 20 - 30 students.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
What one change could this group make that would improve your volunteer experience?
A lot of the volunteering is not necessarily helping with a mailing, as so much is done electronically now a days. What is needed is for volunteers to take the free literature and celebrate The International Day of Radiant Peace , organize a Radiant Peace Walk, etc. with your friends and family where you live and continue to network and outreach to others about Radiant Peace, this non profit and its projects. The foundation generously gives free materials to those who will use them appropriately.
Did your volunteer experience have an effect on you? (teaching you a new skill, or introducing new friends, etc.)
There's a quote that I will paraphrase that says it all: "The more your give the greater your capacity is to receive".
How did this volunteer experience make you feel?
Always more enhanced and inspired.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
