Volunteering Abroad is great, or not?

When I was in high school, I was extraordinarily motivated to make a difference in the world, far beyond where I lived. I had a close friend who shared the same enthusiasm. Together, we searched for programs where we could volunteer in another, less developed, country. Eventually after weeks of research, I decided this wasn't the right time for me. Plus the costs were extravagant. However, my friend continued to search and pursue this incredible experience.

Eventually, about a half a year ago, she went to Ghana on a philanthropic program where she would volunteer at an orphanage with several other volunteers from around the world. She came back with an incredibly new perspective on the world along with hundreds of pictures and stories that she was all too willing to share. In short, from what I've gathered her experience was transcendent, eye-opening, and simply astounding. She had no negative stories to share and it was clear she made a difference in many childrens' lives.

What brings me to discuss this topic is actually a tweet-of-the-week nomination our class had one week which pointed out negative effects of volunteer-abroad organizations. Upon further research I've found that these were the most common complaints:

• These volunteer organizations are for-profit and therefore motivated by financial gain,
• The comfort of the volunteers come before the comfort of the locals,
• Local communities are unsure about who or what the volunteers are or what they are supposed to be doing in their tightly knit communities and;
• Volunteers do jobs that locals could be doing.

These are all viable concerns. However, I found many positives while researching as well:

• Local programs have more labor power
• Provides financial support
• Offers opportunities to hire local support staff
• Improves facilities such as schools, parks, etc.
• Volunteers typically remain involved and invested in the host community
• and most of all, volunteers inspire others and give a voice to their host communities

I've found that these volunteer opportunities elicit a special type of philanthropic contribution. It makes the world a smaller place. The volunteers who return give a voice to those we wouldn't be able to understand otherwise. My friend came back with a mission to tell her story in order to inspire others to contribute whatever they possibly could into the world. Whether it be money, their time, or their intrigue. She wishes to affect her change by making Ghana a relevant country for her friends to think about, and then perhaps one day they may be able to affect their own impact into Ghana.

Though one must be able to understand the positives and negatives of this type of philanthropic work. While exercising your ability to do great things in areas needing help, you may need to stop and think if your way of helping is truly needed in that form.

So this is my way of spreading my friend's message. I hope you all find an opportunity to give back to the same degree that my friend did.

Skyping with Anita

Yesterday, our class had the wonderful opportunity to talk to Anita Borkenstein about philanthropy, giving, and decision making. What I found most interesting was how many parallels were drawn between Impact 100 and our class. As we discussed Anita’s work, it was as if we were talking about our own. At the core of these two projects is collective giving. Collective giving versus individual giving presents its own risks, challenges, and rewards. I personally like the idea of collective giving. I like that collective giving creates a discussion and presents options to donate outside of our initial individual choices. Before taking this class, I didn’t realize how many non-for profits there were in Broome County alone. By working together, our interests pooled together a variety of options in different fields, industries, and practices that we would not have come up with on our own. Like our Skype session pointed out, as much as we would like to help every cause out there, our funds can only stretch so far to be effective.

What I found most useful was our discussion about decision making. We are at the point in this class where a decision has to be made. One of the questions that Anita asks herself when coming to a decision is, “Is this project transformational”? Each of our finalist organizations presents a unique opportunity to positively affect Broome County. Our grant has the potential to continue a pilot program, provide therapy to those in need, fund after school programs, or start an entirely new program. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever organization we choose, it will enact positive change. Another question we considered was, “What will happen if we don’t support an organization”? We always consider the future of the decisions we make but never the future that would have been from the decisions we don’t make. In the case of the Lourdes Detention After School Program, lack of funding from our grant will eliminate this program all together. As a result, eight children who would have been having a productive summer and developing skills will likely be on the street continuing life as they normally would. The opportunity for a challenging and positive summer experience will be taken away. Is this the future we want for them? Certainly not, but this is the cost of not funding programs like this. After the Skype discussion, I feel that Lourdes best fits the need for our grant. Their performing arts program takes initiative within the community because it would be the first of its kind that is affordable and accessible to at risk children. Without our support, this organization will not even get the opportunity to establish a pilot program to prove themselves for future funding. Unlike other organizations we have met, there are no additional grants to look forward to if ours falls through for them. Furthermore and most importantly, if this program does not happen, students lose the chance to have a paid summer internship, develop leadership skills, and be part of a structured program that utilizes creative outlets that would otherwise be left untapped. My gut tells me that this is the program to choose. I like the enthusiasm of the leaders for the program, their professionalism in preparing answers for the questions we asked them, and the effort they made in engaging us with group activities. I hope that as a class we can apply Anita’s insight on decision making towards every organization to guide our final choice. I look forward to seeing which organization we select!

Some things to consider:  

How has the Skype discussion affected your decision making choice? Is there a particular organization you are in favor of or against? Were there any questions you thought of now that you wish you would’ve asked?

Christina C.

Site Visit Reflection

Our class has now completed all five of our site visits. Although it took up a lot of class time and required some travel it was my favorite part of our class so far.  I was able to learn a lot about nonprofits and the way they are run but I was also learned about Broome County and Binghamton. The site visits also supplied the class with information about the organizations that we would not have gotten from a piece of paper or a website. For example, I personally was very hesitant about supporting the Lourde’s DAASP program based off only their response to our RFP because I didn’t really understand what the program was trying to achieve or how it was going to be structured. After with meeting with the people from Lourde’s and the specific program I was able to learn more about the type of program they are interested in starting. I also liked that they passed around papers with answers to the questions that we sent them because it allowed our class to learn more about the program from their responses but also saved time for us to ask new questions that we may have come up with that day.

One of the most interesting questions to hear a response to was Professor Campbell’s question about why the employees got involved in with their organization. I really enjoyed hearing the responses of all the representatives. Their answers definitely showed that they were not there for the money, but because they truly cared about the lives of the children and want to see them be successful.

When comparing the site visits, I think one of things that made the biggest difference for me was the attitude of the person or people that were presenting their program. It was great to see Dan at the YMCA be so passionate about his job and the programs they offer. It was also great to see Jennifer and her co-worker at Urban League talk about the kids that they help with their programs. It seemed to me that they are excited to get up and go to their jobs in the morning, and that encourages me to help support their organization.

Based off site visits alone the top two organizations I would like to support are the Urban League and Lourde’s DAASP. I think both of the programs that they proposed help youth in need, which is what our class wanted to see happen. The programs were also presented in a very positive way and their presentations helped us to see what the programs would accomplish. A highlight of the Lourde’s presentation was when they got our class involved in a game that they would play with the youth in their program. The Urban League stands out to me because of the passion of their employees and the scrapbook they passed around that was made by their own students.

What did you think of our site visit experiences? What organization would you like to support based on the site visits alone? Do you think it’s fair to base our decision solely on the site visit or are there other things we need to consider?

Thoughts Following the Lourdes Site Visit

This past Thursday our class had the opportunity to speak with the staff of the DAASP and MHJJ programs of Lourdes Hospital. Of the finalist organizations, this was the one that I knew the least about going into the visit. As a result, I didn't know what to expect going in. Afterwards, I can say that any expectations that I did have were exceeded after hearing the staff explain their programs.

The staff spoke about a number of points that I found very compelling. The first being that there is no similar program to the one that they wish to create in the area. This is important because we don't want to fund a program, especially a new one, that addresses a need that is already being tackled by other existing programs. The new program that they are proposing we fund would provide job experience to youth who would experience immense difficulty when finding an internship. As the program staff told us, many of the kids that the program serves have been given up on by their schools. Employers of interns and part time workers don't favor youth who have been in the court system. Under these circumstances, it would be understandable for a young person to feel rejected by society and lose hope. Providing these kids with internships in fields which they have an interest in could change their perspective on life at a very crucial age. They would be letting their energy and emotions out in a way that is productive and creative which we as students know can be very rewarding. Additionally, the program would provide them with experience that would look good on a resume, something that many of us understand all too well.

What impressed me most at the site visit was the passion that was clearly visible in all the staff members. Our class may have some reservations about funding a new program. Many of us seek to fund a program that will be sustainable as to make a lasting impact. A new program might seem risky because we don't know if it will succeed and be funded in the future. Personally, I feel more at ease knowing that the staff behind the program is passionate about their work with youth. A new program needs passionate leaders and staff behind it to produce results that will allow them to get funding. I think all of us can agree that the staff has this passion. They came off as very dedicated and also positive which must be difficult when dealing with youth who have very little positivity in their lives. This serves a double purpose. Not only does the staff's passion show that they will work hard to make the new program succeed, it also shows us that they are good role models for the youth that they serve. The kids in these programs could use a role model who is positive and dedicated to helping them succeed because many of them probably feel like society has given up on them. Having an adult figure who works tirelessly to improve these kids lives must give them hope in their own futures.

I'm not attempting to sway the class into favoring this organization for our grant. The other four candidates are also impressive and have key differences that set them apart from each other. However, I was very impressed with this particular organization and consider it a front runner at this point in our decision making process. I'm interested in hearing what your impressions were of this organization at the site visit.

Elon Musk, the Messiah

Elon Musk has been rightfully described using some pretty incredible adjectives. For those who don't know, Elon Musk is:

1) the founder, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX (areospace manufacturer and space transport services)
2) co-founder, CEO, and product architect of Tesla Motors
3) chairman of SolarCity (designs, finances, and installs solar power systems)
4) co-founder of PayPal
5) co-chairman of OpenAI (a non-profit artificial intelligence research company)
etc...

Musk is a visionary entrepreneur who's primary goals are critically centered around changing the world by "reducing the risk of human extinction" and "making life multi-planetary". Now, anyone else having the same goals may be seen as hyperbolic, over-reaching, or melodramatic. However, Musk has the resources, the drive, and the ability to make these dreams a reality.

Musk recognizes Peter Singer's philosophy of doing the most good you can do. Not only is Musk an extremely successful billionaire, a revolutionary Renaissance man, and a practical environmentalist, he is also an exceptionally generous philanthropist.

Elon Musk established the Musk Foundation in 2001 in order to award monetary grants towards renewable energy research, human space exploration research, pediatric research, and science and engineering education. The total giving as of 2014 amounted to a sum of 1.29 million dollars (and has been voted the ugliest website created by a multi-millionaire by Forbes Magazine: www.muskfoundation.org).

Musk, with all the wisdom of a multi-millionaire and a Ph.D. in applied physics, decided to focus his non-profit organization towards issues we rightfully haven't really discussed much in class. He thinks outside the box and transcends conventional non-profit missions of making the world a better place.

For example, the Musk Foundation has supported projects and research into experiments such as:
1) Placing an experimental greenhouse on Mars in order to make colonization possible (Project Mars Oasis)
2) Creating advanced interplanetary rockets which would make public space travel possible
3) Creating affordable solar power systems in areas hit by disaster
4) Investigating safe and beneficial ways of integrating artificial intelligence into our society
5) Alzheimer's disease research, and constructing modern, technologically advanced pediatric hospitals.
and that is only to name a few.

My question to you is: if you had the power, influence, and opportunity that Elon Musk has (net worth 12.7 billion dollars) what massive issues facing our world and our future would you focus on? Elon Musk wishes to save humanity from extinction. What are your goals?

A new variable to consider before giving

As we started to embark on our tour of The Children's Home's facilities, a familiar face called to me from a distance. As he walked closer to our group, I realized it was my friend JaVon who I often play basketball with.  JaVon was a senior when I was a freshman (Class of 2013), played on the D1 basketball team, and returned to finish his Master's Degree at BU.  A few weeks ago, I had actually been talking to JaVon about how he was spending his time post-graduation and what direction he was taking his career. He spoke passionately to me about the non-profit he was working at and how it not only allowed him to strive towards career goals and apply his education (he studied Urban Planning), it was also incredibly rewarding.  It was so rewarding, actually, that JaVon made a point to tell me that the pay was not great and far below what someone with a Master's Degree can expect to make, yet he still loved the work and was so happy to be working there. Well I forgot exactly where JaVon had said he worked, but to my surprise on Tuesday, he apparently works at The Children's Home.
After seeing JaVon on Tuesday, I explained to him our project and he was thrilled to hear that the home could be getting more money and promised me that there could be no better place to donate the money.  This recommendation means a lot for many reasons.  The first is that JaVon is very experienced regarding non-profits.  He has worked on service projects in recreation parks, in his hometown Boys and Girls Club in Harlem, and he does considerable work with special needs children.  In short, JaVon has seen his fair share of charity.  He is both educated and experienced. He knows a good non-profit when he sees one.  Secondly, JaVon is working there for a measly wage and he has no long term commitment to the charity. He has told me he plans to return to Harlem by the summer time and his time at the Home will then be done. He will not personally benefit from our donation.  Unlike an executive director or head of funding for an organization, JaVon has no reason to sell us on the home.  His opinion carries much more weight to me than anything written in an RFP or said during a round table discussion or tour.  However, let me note that both the round table discussion and tour left me very impressed.
For now, my conversation with JaVon has vaulted the home to the top of my rankings thus far.  But, more importantly, it has instilled in me a new desire to tap into a resource we have not heavily considered: the opinions of the wage workers at the non-profits we are visiting.  As I've said before, these workers can prove to be more reliable sources than the executive directors, CEOs, and RFPs.  Their long-term success is often not tied to the organization.  If they are willing to work there on a lesser wage and speak incredibly highly about the organization that certainly means excellent things for the organization.  I want to find the most enthusiastic, meagerly paid non-profit workers and I want to listen to them tell me why their organization is great--and I'm likely to believe them.
I believe it is in our class' best interest to interview as many workers as we can.  Or even just speak to them as we pass through the locations.
I'd like to raise a few questions for you all.  Can we take all the executive directors have to say for truth? Or must we cynically take it with a grain of salt?  Who are the most important people to speak to when evaluating an organization?
Please, share your thoughts with me.

New or Established?

Towards the end of class on Thursday, we discussed shortly the idea of giving to a brand new program versus giving to an established and proven program. This is a very interesting discussion to me, as I see the merits in both sides, and I am still not sure where I lean. I think this is as especially important debate because this is an issue we are facing to some extent with our grant decision this semester. Do we give to a program that has been established for years, providing know results, or do we take a chance and give to a program that is just starting out and has potential to build into something permanent?

Established programs are a strong choice because they appear safe. We can, to some extent, expect this program to continue to be around, and we are contributing to their continued success. It is a known quantity in that we know what kind of result they produce because we have seen it year after year. We know they are having an impact, and we don’t have to worry about our donation being for nothing if they aren’t there next year because in all likelihood, they will be around for a while. We also have more specifics about the programs operations and budgets because they have it all down to a science. However, just because a program has been around for years does not mean

Newer programs look less secure. We do not know how long these programs will be around, or if they will go on after this year, or if they will exist at all if they do not receive our grant. We do not know the impact new programs will have because they have small or non-existent track records, and without results it is difficult to justify giving. We do not know if the community needs a these programs, because if there was a need, it would seem logical to expect one to already be in place. The real issue, I believe, with new programs, is that we are unsure and we do not want to take a risk.

I would argue that all philanthropy is inherently risky. Even established programs have unfortunately ended, and every established program has to start with someone taking the plunge. We are taking a gamble that our grants will be impactful wherever we give them, so ruling out young and new programs right out of the gate might be acting prematurely because they might be exactly what is needed. I like the idea of funding a young or new program and helping them get established, because if they find their footing and can really serve the community for years to come, it would be nice to know we played a part in that change. On the other hand, giving to an established program eliminates some of the risk involved and allows a community staple to continue to work. Hopefully the upcoming site visits can shed some light on this topic and we can make a decision that will impact the youth of this community for the better.

Please share your thoughts on  new programs and organizations versus established ones.

Catholic Charities VS. YMCA

            We first visited Catholic Charities where we were able to talk with Valerie, the executive administrator. Although she was able to answer most of our questions, I don’t think that she was able to fully answer all the questions we had. For example, when asked about the budget deficit, she said that she was unsure and would have to ask someone else to fully have our question answered. I understand that her position does not require her to know about the budget but I do feel as if the other person should have been around in order to answer our questions since the budget of the organization has to do with our decision-making process. Another reason that I am hesitant to donate our money to Catholic Charities is because there is a long wait list for the program. According to Peter Singer, if we wanted to do the most good with our money, we should pick somewhere that could help children as they need it instead of being put on a wait list. Although I have other concerns about Catholic Charities, space permits only these few flags.

           

            After visiting the YMCA, I feel as if I better understand the program that they applied for funding. However, the way Dan, the fund development officer, answered our questions were much different than the way Valerie did. For example, it was questioned why they chose to apply for funding for this program rather than another. Dan responded that it was the program that he was most passionate about. Although it is good to see that members of the staff are passionate about what they do, I feel as if that still did not answer the question. Another thing that I found fishy was that when asked about the operating grant, we were told that the CEO did not want to apply for that grant. I believe that the YMCA does great work, especially after talking to Dan, and feel as if they could benefit from that grant as well as well as the program grant and they would both be put to good use.

            Based on these 2 organizations alone, I feel as if the YMCA would best use our money. I think that Dan was more passionate and excited about the difference that his program could make. It would help more than 360 children in the Binghamton School District, impact the families of these children, and could also have a lasting impact on the children because the things they learn through this program could be applied throughout life. Best of all, the program is free to students and it takes place at the school, which is a concern I know that many people had. Based on the results that Dan talked about, there was an increase in demand for healthier food options at school, a better understanding of healthy lifestyles, and more communication at home about healthy food.

            Based off these site visits, where do you think our money would be best used? What still raises concerns for you? Are there any other questions that you still feel are unanswered? After the site visit, do you feel as if Valerie and Dan made the best case for their programs?

There Is More That Meets the Eye than the RFP

So far in our class, we were able to conduct two site visits - one at Catholic Charities and the YMCA. Both were very different experiences in my opinion. Before we conducted these site visits, we were given the chance to review the RFP. After each group's presentations, we were able to get a sort of in-depth view at what the organizations requested money for and how successful they were at accomplishing their respective missions. However, I think that there is more that meets the eye than just the RFP alone - as both of the site visits were unlike what the RFP had set forth.

Upon hearing the RFP presentation on Catholic Charities, I was pretty convinced that they did a good job at accomplishing their mission statement and reaching out to as many people as possible. However, after seeing the site for myself, my high opinion of the organization sort of changes. Yes, I still believe that they are a respectable organization that should receive aid if our class provides it, but I don't think that they are a top contender on my list so far. Yes, I am well aware that we only have attended two site visits so far, but I thought that the YMCA site visit was much more eye-opening. We were able to see the facility and see actual people using the services that the Y actually provides. To me, seeing is so much more effective and emotionally appealing than just hearing someone talk about what their organization does and does not do. Rather than just chatting with us for an our, the YMCA donor outreach director took us around the whole site and even did a quick Q&A session that was rather emotionally appealing. He shared with us why he loves the job that he does and I think that that really got the classes attention. I just wish that they also applied for the organizational grant just so they have a better chance of receiving any type of funding if they do not end up winning the program fund. It is amazing how much a site visit can really alter one's opinion of the organization as a whole! Also, I think that Catholic Charities had a lot of debt that they have incurred over time - so that is another set back. The YMCA seems more established as they have the funds to support this program but they are seeking our class funds to expand to other school as well.

Here are a few questions that I have for the class:

1. What is your opinion of the site visits so far?
2. Do you think that the RFP's did a fair job at conveying the organization's goals? And vice versa.
3. What's more effective in your opinion, touring the organization's facilities or have an hour long Q&A session?

Comparing Site Visits

As we consider our five finalist organizations, continue site visits, and approach our final decision deadline, it becomes very important that we be able to compare the different organizations and be able to differentiate their strengths and weaknesses from the other organizations. After our second site visit to the YMCA last week, I started to reflect on what we have gained from these site visits and how we can use the information gained from each visit to compare the organizations eventually as we move towards making our final decision as to where our money will be given.

                  For our first site visit to Catholic Charities, I think most of us went in with many questions about their Community Connections program, specifically how it operated and how our money would be used to help fund it. At the site visit, most of our questions were answered. We learned that the program has been evolving from the old Gateway program to become more easily accessible to kids in schools, that the social workers must be licensed but are paid well below the usual rate for similar work, and that Catholic Charities needs money from grants like ours in order to continue and hopefully expand the program to other schools and serve the 80 kids currently on the waitlist for the program. From the information we have so far, strengths of this organization include: history of involvement in the region, large network of other related services in the organization, recognized need, and great potential for meaningful impact from our grant. Catholic Charities and the Gateway program have been addressing mental health needs for children and families in the community since the 1980s and are therefore trusted/known in the community and have been able to evolve to meet the needs of the community. Also, they are a large organization with a variety of youth and family services, so they can refer youth to different services depending on their individual needs, which is valuable to impacting youth in multiple facets of their lives. Another strength of Catholic Charities is the demonstrated demand for their program, evidenced by the wait list for the program. This demand and Catholic Charities’ plans to expand their program to other schools is a positive thing for us, because our money would make a huge difference in allowing this program to continue and to expand. However, some weaknesses of this organization or things we still have questions about include specific budget information, how the program site runs, and how results are measured. At the site visit, the representative was unable to answer financial questions. In addition, we didn’t get to visit the actual site of the program and see how it looks and runs on a daily basis. Finally, we could use more information about how the satisfaction surveys were given and how their statistics about 70% meeting objectives were obtained.

                  For our second visit at the YMCA, I think that we were more prepared for how the site visits go and what questions we should ask. We learned that the YMCA, similar to Catholic Charities, has been involved in the community for a long time and has evolved their programs and services as well as expanded and updated to continue to address community needs. We also learned that the program we would be funding would be integrated into local schools in order to address nutritional and physical education needs for children and that the program would be provided free of charge. From the information we’ve gathered, strengths of this organization include: history of involvement in the region, a wide array of programs for children and families, and great potential for meaningful impact from our grant. YMCA is a well known organization that has been around for many years and is well accepted and utilized in the community. Also, with a membership to the YMCA, families can access a variety of services including sports programs, childcare, and specialty classes that help in child development in many aspects of children's lives. This organization also has a great opportunity for us to make a meaningful difference, because our money would go a long way to fund the program and expand it to include schools in need who have already expressed their interest in implementing it. However, some weaknesses of this organization or things we still have questions about include how the program runs at the schools and how effective it actually is in creating lasting impacts on the children’s health knowledge and overall health in the long run. The program was only piloted in one school and although post test scores increased about 100% for the children, it would be good to get more information on how the program impacts their home life and overall health. In addition, we weren’t able to see the program in action at a school, which could have been more informative than touring the YMCA.

                  Overall, from the site visits we have gained a more in-depth perspective on the organizations, the people running the programs and their motivations, how the programs are run, and how the organizations would use our money to make a difference and amplify the change they are already accomplishing. At this point, it is already difficult to determine which organization would be better to donate to, but after the site visits, I personally left the YMCA with a better feeling about their program and organization in general than Catholic Charities. I think that the YMCA was able to describe their program with more clarity, and was also able to tell us how many kids would be helped and that our money would be going to pay the educators and provide snacks and sports equipment for the program as it expands to multiple schools. At Catholic Charities, there seemed to be less passion for the program, and the specifics of what our money would be going towards (How many schools could CCC be expanded to? Is short term counseling for minimal hours truly effective for most kids? Would additional qualified social workers be hired?) were less certain. As we move forward in this process, let’s continue to get valuable information from site visits, keep asking questions, finding comparison points, and analyzing the organizations skeptically. Also, here’s a link to an article that discusses tips for conducting site visits http://www.bridgespan.org/Philanthropy-Advice/Researching-Nonprofits/Due-Diligence-Tool/Quick-Guide-to-Conducting-a-Nonprofit-Site-Visit.aspx#.Vwra5RMrL-Y

Questions:

Do you think site visits are important in our decision-making process?

What information do you think is most valuable to gain at site visits?

So far, which organization do you think could be the best fit for us to give our money to and why?

How do you think can we begin to compare organizations and their site visits?

Final Decision

Hello! 

Based on this title, you might know what this post is about. I have finally decided where to donate my two weeks winning money to! Drumroll please….. It is a local organization called Center for Employment Opportunities more well-known as CEO. The only reason for my delay in donating is because I had a difficult time deciding between Catholic Charities Food Pantry, where I volunteer or to CEO, an organization I learned about through the Public Learning Service Community.

Although I did not request RFPs from these two organizations, I was mentally comparing several criteria’s which are similar to what we have discussed throughout the course:

        -    Where would my money go towards?

              -    Who am I helping?

              -    Which issue do I want to help more?

What really made me choose CEO was when I talked to Katie Blaine on the phone. She told me honestly that most funds or money given to the CEO is used on salary for the workers. But because I personally called and asked about where the money would help in the organization, she said would make sure the donation will be used towards the clients they target. More specifically, someone who is employed for a month or two will be rewarded a $25 gift card. This gift card is a motivation and recognition for men who wants to make a change and really integrate back into society. This also provides them extra money in their pockets and a great encouragement. 

As a college student, I don’t often think about issues like incarceration because it is not a common issue raised in conversations. But most of us know, a criminal record makes it very difficult for felons to land a job after they come back out from prison. Organizations like CEO teaches them how to work around that stain on their history and help them acquire new skills for future employment. And I hope my donation can really brighten someone up and encourage him to really join the community and make Binghamton an even better place. 

Thank you for reading and I hope this makes you think about the issues we do not focus in class as much. Should this be an issue we should worry about?