The Benevolent Blog

Anthony Says You’re Great Humanitarians - Prove Him Right (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:57:00 +0000

Hey, You Great Humanitarians!

Today’s a big day at Benevolent. Today and tomorrow we’re closing out our biggest-ever matching grant and striving to help the ten people whose needs with expire if we don’t get them completely funded by midnight tomorrow.

Alicia is a mom who’s in school to be a nurse and needs a laptop to help her make it through school so she can support her three daughters for life.

Robert got out of prison recently and is ready to turn his life around and be a great dad and grandpa. He needs to get ahold of his citizenship papers so he can apply for jobs and step up.

Monica and her husband fled persecution in Honduras and need beds to help their daughters settle in and head out to school in their new home in the U.S.

You give $30 and the need gets $60. It could not be more simple and wonderful. Help us make this first big match a success and demonstrate the power of the Benevolent community.

So what’s up with the Great Humanitarians thing? Read this AMAZING note from a recipient, Anthony, who wanted to be sure that all of us know what a difference we make when we help:

“Words are not enough to express how extremely grateful, humbled and happy I am at this moment! Now that this need has been met, I am confident that I will be able to advance in my career and training going forward. This just reassures my faith in humanity and that there are some truly beautiful people and wonderful organizations in the world that will lend their resources, time and attention to those who might be a little less fortunate and for that I sincerely give thanks. A special thank you to ALL OF THE 18 DONORS that helped me achieve my goal and a SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU to the donors who contacted me with such hope, motivation and well wishes to me and my journey. You all are so loved and blessed. Keep up the great works and deeds you mighty humanitarians! Many, Many Blessings.” - Anthony

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 14:34:00 +0000

Much has been made of a recent research study published in Science Magazine about the impacts of poverty on people’s ability to function and thrive. The researchers found that living in poverty is like trying to cope having lost a full night’s sleep – every day.

Similarly sobering news is that a recent Pew study found that 70% of those who grow up in poverty in the U.S. (in the lowest 20% of household income) will never make it past the median income in the U.S. Certainly paints a bleak picture, eh?

So here’s what I’m thankful for in light of this dreary outlook. I’m thankful for the determination of people like Lorena who stepped forward this fall to ensure that her little sister gets the opportunities she didn’t. Lorena asked for our help in paying college application fees for her sister. Here’s what Lorena said:

“My goal is to give my sister the opportunity to be the first out of our family to receive a bachelor's degree. That will be a great start for her independence and have something to hold on to in the real world.”

Lorena hasn’t given up for herself, her family or her sister. She’s seeing the glass as half full and she believes that her sister can and will overcome the poverty and tragedies that have touched their family’s life.

The numbers support Lorena’s belief that with the benefit of education, her sister can rise above her family’s circumstances. While only 30% of those who grew up in poverty rise to the middle or upper income levels, 86% of people with college degrees make that positive move up the income ladder. With a college degree, Lorena’s sister will have much more than a fighting chance.

Here’s another. Shirley, like so many low-income breadwinners, can secure only part time work. Shirley knows full well how difficult it is for a low-wage worker to secure full-time employment. In fact, this year’s numbers show that around 75% of new jobs created were part-time. Shirley, though, is determined to be one of the few who secure a new full-time job this year. She knows that new full-time jobs are coming open at the hospital where she works part-time as a security guard.

To get one of those jobs, she needs to move a roadblock. She knows that without glasses to see, read, and apply she won’t even be in the running. Shirley is doing the hard work of believing and working towards her goal despite the odds against her, and I’m grateful that something as attainable as prescription glasses can help fuel her in her quest.

It would be so logical to lose hope in light of today’s economic realities. This Thanksgiving season, I’m grateful that my kids and I can learn from and be inspired by those who see that sliver of light and drive directly towards it.

Thanks to those of you who set an example of what it means to be a parent, a citizen, a community, and who find hope in overwhelmingly tough situations. Thanks to those who keep alive the spirit of American determination and caring and who help us remember what it means never to say “never.”

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Ready to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 04:11:00 +0000

What happens when a young adult is ready to move out and find his or her own way? What did you do? Maybe you moved on to college after high school. Maybe you worked and went to school at night. Maybe you worked, traveled, lived with friends, did a year of service or followed your favorite band.

It’s no different when young adults age out of programs for foster youth. They take many different routes, too. Like young adults of all backgrounds, they sometimes just need a hand. On the Benevolent site, we’ve had many needs posted in which we hear from a high school grad who’s about to head off to college and needs a laptop, bus or train fare to get to college, or basic dorm room furnishings -- sheets, towels and the like.

My goal is to graduate college,
join the army, and be independent.
I would like to attend a university
and work in the health field.

Today, though, we’ve got a need posted to the site that’s new for us. Lemia is ready to make the move from the group home she’s been living in with other older youth in the child welfare system. She’s getting her own place and she’ll live independently while she’s in school studying for a career in health care. On the Benevolent site, Lemia’s asking for help with the funds necessary to get herself situated in her new place.

Lemia doesn’t have a family basement or closet to raid for towels or kitchenware, or a folding table to borrow while she works her way towards more “real” furniture and slowly accumulates the things that make an apartment a home. I have no doubt she’ll make her place into a warm and peaceful home, but it’ll take some time and some help.

That’s where we come in. We can step in where family would have handed down the folding table from the hall closet, where the lamp no one was using would have been pulled from a box of old things and where a parent or uncle would have joined in a trip to the store and footed the bill for a few essential pieces.

We can do this for Lemia who has already beaten the odds simply by graduating high school. The stakes are even higher now. While she is one of the 70% of former foster youth with a desire to attend college, barely 5% wind up completing either a two-or four-year degree.

Some sobering facts: 50% of “aged out” foster youth are homeless within 18 months of emancipation, 25% are incarcerated within two years, 60% of these young women become mothers themselves within four years. Lemia’s got clear and impressive dreams and they bear no resemblance to those difficult statistics.

I spent a few years running group homes in Chicago and I can’t tell you how incredible each of those kids was. Every one of them had been through many foster care homes and each one had lived through situations that no child should experience. That’s where their similarities ended. They were as different from one another as kids should be and their gifts, strengths and dreams were inspiring.

I have no idea what Lemia’s seen or what she’s had to overcome to thrive. What I know is that she’s ready for what’s next and eager to get started. She’s generous enough to share her story with us, and she’s hoping we’ll believe in her. Let’s.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Prison Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 03:03:00 +0000

This past Saturday, it took only a few hours for Benevolent donors to step up and help Brianna keep her baby. It's not often that a small amount of money can help a mom and baby stay together, but this was a special circumstance. Brianna needed $210 to pay off a traffic fine so she could keep her baby and raise him from the moment he’s born. The baby’s due next month, and Brianna’s in prison. There’s a special program that will allow her to stay with and keep her baby, but not if she has any outstanding fines.

There was something about the simplicity and raw humanity of Brianna’s need. She’s a mom who wants to nurture her infant when he’s born. We can envision what it will look and feel like when Brianna holds her son. We can also imagine what it would feel like if he were taken from her. We’ve been parents; we’ve been parented; we’ve held newborns close and we’ve suffered hurts. We can feel the urgency of this even if we can’t imagine what it’s like to be in prison and to face the reality of a child being taken away from us.

Over 64% of the women in prison in this country have been convicted of nonviolent crimes, mostly property or drug offenses, and over 2,000 women in prison will give birth this year. Most of us know that babies are born to women serving time in prison and that the vast majority of women who give birth while incarcerated in the U.S. don't get to stay with their babies for even a week after they're born. We don’t often get the opportunity to change that for a mom and her baby. This week, we did.

I knew it. I knew that women in prison in the U.S. have their babies taken from them when they’re born. But I’ve got to tell you, I've never signed a petition, called my legislator or lobbied to urge policymakers to change prison policies and programs to allow women to remain with their babies, if they choose to, after birth.

When Brianna's need came to us, though, I felt an immediate surge of adrenaline. I knew we had to help this young woman get into the program that would allow her and her son to remain together, and I knew that donors would feel as I did. I was right. Seven donors from five different states took only seven hours to completely fund Brianna’s need.

If the donors felt anything like I did, it didn't matter to me how many times Brianna might have been arrested (only once, as it turns out), what the traffic tickets she had left unpaid were for, how many children she had (this will be her first) or whether she had made poor choices rather than paying her fines. All I could think about was the hours and days after my own children’s births, about the sweetness of their new skin, about the way they smelled, cried, and felt in my arms, about all the protectiveness and responsibility I felt for the fragile life in my arms.

In the U.S., we seem to cherish parenting for ourselves, but not always for others. Paid parental leave is not a protected right; all parents are expected to work starting as soon as six weeks after birth; and babies are taken from prisoners at birth. This makes us very different from many other countries and cultures.

In Germany, for example, mothers serving jail sentences can have their children remain with them until age four or six and some are allowed work-release privileges to go and parent their children. That's right; moms leave prison in the morning like anyone else headed off to a work-release job and their work is getting their children ready for school, taking care of their children's needs, and doing everything associated with being moms to their kids. At the end of the workday, they head back to prison like any other work-release prisoner. In Germany, being a parent is considered a vocation; a child’s need to have his or her mom present is valued; and systems are put into place to make the situation work.

We helped Brianna and her baby to stay together. What could we do to help the other 2,000+ moms who will give birth in prison this year to have the same option? I checked into it, because it seems to me that when a need we encounter on the Benevolent site strikes us as powerfully as this one struck me, we should find out how to get involved and become a part of the solution for people beyond the one we’re helping through the Benevolent site.

Here’s what I found...

The Women’s Prison Association appears to be one of the strongest organizations engaging in research and advocacy work around the issues of women in prison. Their program work seems to be only in New York state, but their policy and advocacy work extends nation-wide. Interestingly, the president of the Board of Directors for this organization, Piper Kerman is the author of the book and new Netflix series about women in prison - Orange is the New Black.

The National Institute of Corrections maintains a list of programs for women in prison state by state. You could use this website to find out how to get involved as an advocate or volunteer in your area.

So these are places for us to start. I hope that Brianna’s story touched you the way it touched me. I hit “send” on the payment to Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers earlier today so that Brianna’s fine can be paid and she can qualify for the program that will keep her together with her son when he’s born. I’m so glad we were there to help.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Five Traits of a Great Dad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:05:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a great dad, to live up to the hype of Father’s Day? Here are some thoughts about that, accumulated over years of watching great, imperfect dads in action.

Great dads care how their kids are doing. Whether they express it perfectly or not, when dad is pressing us to achieve, criticizing our decisions, asking us a litany of questions, giving us advice or simply telling us he cares, it’s all the same. He gives a hoot.
Great dads feel responsible. It could be a sense of responsibility to teach us, support us or protect us, or it could simply be that they know their actions and opinions have an impact on us. Great dads feel like they’ve got to be able to be relied on.
Great dads see us for who we are. Whether we’re walking in their footsteps or blazing new trails, great dads see us for how we’re distinct from them, from their hopes and dreams for us, and from what we might have been like in an earlier era.
Great dads have reactions. Those reactions might not be expressed or framed in a way we know what to do with right away, but a great dad reacts to things he believes will affect our lives. Because they care, great dads react when they think we’re on or off course, in or out of a good circumstance, and more.
Great dads are embarrassing. Yep, it might be that they wear their pant cuffs too high, walk out of the house with a bit of tissue on a nick from shaving, cheer too loudly from the sidelines, or hold and express opinions far different from our own. We get embarrassed because they’re ours; and despite our embarrassment, we’re glad they are ours.

So, this Father’s day, all of us here at Benevolent want to celebrate our imperfect, embarrassing, reactive, insightful dads who give a hoot by doing something they taught us to do. Great dads stick their necks out and step in.

In honor of Father’s Day, let’s do that, too. Let’s step in and react to someone who’s in a bind. Let’s embarrass dad by honoring him for the guy he really is - the guy who’s made a difference in our lives and taught us how to make a difference for someone else.

I’ve created a special Father’s Day giving page highlighting some of the stories on the Benevolent site that I think might pique the interest of the dads in our lives. Here’s a link to it.

Last year, I made my dad cry when I contributed to someone in his honor. This year, let’s make all our dads know how much they’re appreciated, in all their imperfection.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Fresh Starts and Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:37:00 +0000

What would it take for you to feel like you were making a fresh start? We start over so many times in a lifetime – when we begin living independently as young adults; when we first share our hearts with someone; when we start parenting, caring for aging parents; when we take a deep breath and reinvent ourselves. Many of the people whose stories are on the Benevolent site this week are making fresh starts, too, important ones. One that stands out for me is Kena’s story.

“It's just me and God in this apartment.” - Kena

Kena seems like someone we’d all like to know – now. Not so long ago, Kena was living a life driven by her addiction. She tells us about years of making bad choices. Now, however, Kena is in recovery, living independently for the first time, and ready to build towards her future.

As many know, recovery from addiction is a very personal and often spiritual process. In fact, Kena tells us “It's just me and God in this apartment.” She’s sleeping on an air mattress in an unfurnished apartment and working towards employment and stability. She has a part-time job and is working hard to make ends meet.

This is Kena’s fresh start. She’s coming to life in ways she hasn’t been able to in years, and I am touched that she shared it with us and is trusting us to help.

The very first need we met on the Benevolent site was for a woman named Anne who was also sleeping on an air mattress. Laughingly she told us that every night she went to bed fearing that the bed would pop and she’d wake up on the hard floor.

This fresh start for Kena is about so much more than a bed. It’s about her determination, optimism, hard work and belief in herself. What we can give her is way beyond furniture. When you reach out and enter Kena’s circle, she’ll know that she’s not walking this new path all on her own. Our recipients tell us all the time that just knowing that there are people out there who believe in them makes a world of difference. I’m glad we can be that world of difference for Kena this spring.

I can just picture it. When Kena gets her new furniture and bed, she’ll know that in addition to her and God in her apartment, a little bit of each of us will be there as well, reminding her that we believe in her and in her new start.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Teaching by Doing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:58:00 +0000

Sometimes when we post a need to the site, there’s more to the situation than what shows on the surface. Elaine’s need is one of them.

In addition to taking care of her mother, Elaine has found herself raising her granddaughter. This means, clearly, that there’s been some stress and disruption in Elaine’s granddaughter’s life and that more than other kids, this young girl needs not only warm, strong, nurturing parenting -- she needs a role model actively demonstrating that learning is both important and possible, and that adults can find reward in their work.

Elaine believes it’s never too late to go to school and learn, and this is not a vague hope for her. Here’s what she told us: “... I decided I have to do something with my life, and that it’s never too late to start. I went back to culinary school last year to get a degree to work in restaurants and one day maybe even have my own business.” Elaine needs help getting some basic supplies like sturdy shoes to allow her to stand all day, a set of knives, and a mixer that will allow her to practice at home.

There are many factors that can help set a child up for success in adulthood, but none is as important as the people who are parenting and modeling for that child what’s possible in life and how each of us has value and unique strengths. As she pursues her goals, Elaine models determination and success for her granddaughter and all the kids in her life.

So when we wonder what we can do to improve educational and career outcomes for children who grow up in low-income households, here’s an answer – help the adults in their lives succeed and thrive as they pursue their goals.

There’s science behind this. A 2006 study found that while learning cognitive skills in school is important to future success, noncognitive elements like motivation, perseverance and tenacity are equally important. Where do kids learn perseverance? Overwhelmingly, from the adults in their lives who model it. (Heckman 2006)

Here’s where we can make a huge difference. When we help parents (young and old) to succeed in their educational and work pursuits, we change outcomes for at least two generations. “Parents who succeed in completing additional schooling or secure a higher-paying job are likely to have children with better health, schooling, and labor market outcomes.” (Magnuson 2007)

It’s as simple as that. Elaine’s got it right. Let’s help her achieve her educational and work goals as she parents her granddaughter, and models perseverance, motivation and tenacity.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

People Give for Beautiful Reasons

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:39:00 +0000

While browsing through Benevolent’s list of needs a few days ago, Benevolent donor Geetha saw a story that touched her heart and made her think. It was the story of Macaba, a woman who reminded Geetha of her mother, Mrs. Swami, who passed away seven years ago.

For the last fifteen years of her life, Mrs. Swami had suffered blindness which hampered her otherwise stalwart, delightful, spirited life. When Geetha read Macaba’s story on the Benevolent site, she was moved to give in dedication to her mom, honoring her by helping another brave woman struggling against the impact of unexpected loss of sight.

Photos of Mrs. Swami over the years

On the surface, the two women – Macaba and Mrs. Swami - have little in common. Macaba is a young woman; Mrs. Swami lived a long, full life. Macaba is a refugee from Uganda; Mrs. Swami was from India. Macaba is a student; Mrs. Swami raised eight children.

What reminded Geetha of her mother is Macaba’s blindness—and more than that, Macaba’s attitude of engagement with the world that does not let her disability hold her back. “The blindness aspect touched my heart,” Geetha told me.

Macaba's photo is
blurred because
she remains in danger
from her persecutors
from Uganda

Macaba, whose story is posted on the Benevolent site right now, fled persecution and torture in Uganda, leaving everything she knew including her family behind. Once in the United States, doctors discovered a tumor pressing on Macaba’s brain, which has since left her with permanent blindness.

Today, incredibly, Macaba is on the verge of completing her Associate’s Degree. Her goal is to continue her education until she is qualified to be a professional counselor. Her dream is to help others.

Macaba’s need is for a special laptop, outfitted with the tools and software that allow her to use it effectively, despite her blindness. Survivors of Torture International, the San Diego nonprofit working with Macaba towards her goals, put forward Macaba’s need on the Benevolent site just last week.

Geetha’s mother, Mrs. Swami, taught Geetha and her seven siblings about helping those in need. “I have always believed, and still believe, that we are products of the values shown and taught by our parents,” Geetha shared.

I am always touched to read the personal reasons that Benevolent’s supporters have for giving. Geetha’s support of Macaba crosses generations and continents. By supporting Macaba in honor of her mother, Geetha honors both women and draws comfort to herself in a way that is both selfless and fulfilling at once.

We’ve only been doing this Benevolent work for just over a year, so maybe in five or six years this won’t surprise me and move me to heartfelt tears as it does today, but man do I love getting a glimpse like this into what spurs people to give and what they derive from the act of helping someone else in this simple, complicated way.

How incredible that a courageous mother from India should be honored by her daughter on the East coast of the United States through a gift to help a woman from Uganda who had fled to safety in Southern California. I find myself deeply touched by this inter-continental honoring of strong women.

Last week we celebrated International Women’s Day. Is there a strong woman in your life whom you’d like to honor? You never know what will move you to give.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Happy 2nd B'Day to the Benevolent Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:52:00 +0000

The earliest visual depiction
of the Benevolent concept

Can you believe it’s been two years since I woke up with the idea for Benevolent? Yep. It was February 13^th, 2011. Hard to believe that a half-formed idea that was born on a random Sunday morning in a sleepy-headed state has blossomed into today’s Benevolent.

When I look back on my early thoughts and sketches (I really can’t draw, so I used comic software to create storyboards), I am amazed at what it’s taken to get here, what the road ahead looks like, and how many people have been and continue to be a part of Benevolent’s infancy and youth.

So today, I’d like to take a moment and pause to say “thank you.”

Thank you to those who believed in this idea in its earliest days and encouraged me to pursue it.
Thank you to my amazing team of staff, volunteers, pro bono do-ers and advisors, Benevolent’s board, advisory board, kitchen cabinets, and friends.
Thank you to those visionary and trusting nonprofit partners who took a chance on this new idea when we had no track record and nothing to prove we could deliver.
Thank you to those who have stepped up to support Benevolent’s birth and development.
Thank you to those who came forward, eager to help someone else in this new way; and a special thanks to those who took an additional step and sent a note of encouragement to the people you were choosing to help.
Thank you to the bravest of the brave, the determined people who shared their stories, their challenges, and their dreams with us and invited us in to be a part of their progress.

You may have noticed that we can’t seem to keep needs posted to the site these days. People out there in the world can’t believe that we’re actually in a situation where the desire of people to give is out-stripping the pace at which we can get needs up onto the site. We post them; people keep coming back to check the site and contribute; and the needs are filled. It’s a great problem to have because it shows clearly that this is a way that people are excited to give and engage. You all are pioneers in this new-fangled way of lifting our neighbors toward their goals.

Now we on the Benevolent team get to do the work necessary to get more and more needs up on the site; engage more nonprofit partners to let their clients know the help is available; and expand the model to more cities.

So what are we actually doing back here behind the Benevolent curtain? We’re working on expanding to three new cities in an intensive way over the coming months. When we expand, we’ll be focusing on forging partnerships with excellent nonprofits, learning as we go, and improving what we do so that it’s easier and easier for everyone to engage – nonprofits, people who are facing challenges, and people who want to give.

For now, then, know that we’re here in the Chicago area, working on hiring excellent people, raising essential money, and making critical improvements so that we can achieve our dream of becoming national and providing a resource to allow people to connect, give and get help in ways that they couldn’t before.

Thanks for believing in us and thanks to all those who have been a part of making the first two years of the Benevolent concept so groundbreaking and thrilling.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

We Come by Mule Carts, in Old Trucks, by Facebook and Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:19:00 +0000

In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King had expanded his focus and activism to include the legions of impoverished Americans, creating what he would call the “Poor People’s Campaign.” Dr. King believed that change would be effected through the dramatization of the reality of “joblessness and deprivation.” His intention was to bring the realities of poor people’s lives to light through a march on Washington, D.C. He said:

“We ought to come in mule carts, in old trucks, any kind of transportation people can get their hands on. People ought to come to Washington…and say ‘We are here, we are poor…’”

Today, we build on inspiration from Dr. King and we don’t have to resort to a one-time march or press opportunity to get a message across. Today we come by Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and mobile uploads, and we come in droves. Together we’re engaged in showing one another the “content of our character” as Dr. King might have put it, every day – across boundaries of race, distance, culture, and whatever else separates us. Today, we want to act on the content of our character to step in and help when helping is the right thing to do.

At Benevolent, we are inspired and amazed at how many of you have been converging on our site (www.benevolent.net) to take action and help someone. So many in recent weeks, in fact, that the site nearly crashed twice, and three times now we’ve out of needs to post. Some have sent us messages asking why there aren’t more people’s needs posted to our site. Others are asking how they can tell their stories and seek help.

Here’s the situation. Benevolent is just beginning. We hope one day soon to be working with nonprofits in every state to help them meet the needs of their clients and community members, but we’re intent on doing it right.

One of the reasons Benevolent makes so much sense is that each person whose story and video appear on the site has come to Benevolent through a local nonprofit in her or his community that knows her/him, the circumstances and the local resources and programs available.

This week, we met a need that had been posted by Life Initiatives, a nonprofit in South Dakota whose work is to support Native Americans “by addressing physical, emotional, spiritual and relational needs.” When we send the funds along to Life Initiatives, they will use that grant to help their client. He is getting the funds that he urgently needs -- and he didn’t have to ride in a mule cart to make his need known. You heard him.

To get this right, to spread Benevolent everywhere, we need to find and work with local nonprofits all over, to show them how to use the Benevolent platform to get the help their clients need when there are no resources in the local community to meet them.

So today as we celebrate the life and work of Dr. King and as we’re all inspired to act, we ask for your help, this time in reaching as many excellent local nonprofits as we can. Think about the social service agencies, workforce development programs, churches, and schools in your community. Take action to help introduce them to Benevolent and bring this critical help to their work.

Here’s a link to the pagewe’ve developed for nonprofits. It’s aimed at helping nonprofit professionals understand how they can work with us. Use what you learn there and reach out to a local nonprofit. Offer to help them engage with us. This way we can continue to expand organically. You can help.

Meanwhile we’re here behind the scenes, working to make it as easy as possible for nonprofits to work with us, seeking grants to expand into new communities, and using those grants to hire people to introduce Benevolent to local nonprofits in those areas. So far we’re hiring in Detroit, Charlotte, and the Bay Area.

Thanks for being inspired along with us and being on board with us at these early stages of growth. We’re doing something together that couldn’t have been done in Dr. King’s day and we’d like to think he would have been gratified that we are bringing to light the lives of people living in poverty, and we keep his words close to our hearts as we shape our work: "We need to be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted."

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

You’re Incredible

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:13:00 +0000

On the morning Christmas eve day, I put on a nice shirt and some makeup, asked the kids to excuse me for a little while, then sat in front of my computer for a TV interview accompanied by Benevolent supporter and believer Lisa Bloom (she was in a studio in LA). What happened next was nothing short of incredible.

If you haven’t been following Benevolent from its tiny inception this past year, here’s a recap. Benevolent started as an idea in February of 2011. By December of 2011 we were running a small pilot in the Chicago area. In September, we were ready to branch out and started working with just a few nonprofits in other cities to see if our systems stood up to the test. We were bolstered in that month when I was invited to speak to a gathering of philanthropy leaders at a White House Forum on Philanthropy Innovation. Benevolent began to get attention, and the opportunities started to flow.

In the weeks before that Christmas eve, a few wonderful grants were committed by some excellent foundations to help us expand into three to four new cities in the new year (stay tuned for those announcements next month). So on Christmas eve, the Benevolent office had been closed for the holidays. We had divvied up the responsibilities for responding to questions and managing the site through New Year’s, and then the interview ran on HLN – first live and then in one city after another across the country throughout the day.

Immediately, there was so much traffic on the Benevolent website that our servers had trouble keeping up. Within 33 minutes, 35 contributions came in, completing the funding needed for seven people. We filled all the needs that were posted, and people continued to reach out.

Since the 24^th, almost 200 new people have liked our Facebook page, over 90 signed up for our email mailing list, dozens posted to and liked messages on our Facebook wall and twitter feed, and several more sent us emails of encouragement, offers of help, ideas for expansion and contributions to fuel our work. Here’s one staggering (for us) number: on and after December 24^th, over 8,000 people – new people who had never heard of Benevolent before – visited our site.

What an amazing holiday gift. We’re thrilled to have helped so many people this year, and to have added so many members to the growing Benevolent community all in one day was breathtaking. We’re so pleased you’re all here.

There’s a flip side to this story, though. By the end of Christmas day, over 100 people had reached out directly to Benevolent asking for help. Homeless families, people with medical needs and debts too deep to tackle, seniors living without heat, students unable to continue their studies because of tuition burdens, and more.

So many stories of people sidelined by illness and injury, so many stymied in their efforts to reach sustainability for themselves and their families. They came in all at once and they’re still coming – like a flood, really. Each story tests my social worker mettle - my ability to continue to move forward and help, even when the stories and situations before me are painful and overwhelming.

In the middle of the flood of needs, on Christmas day, I took a breath and took a moment to focus on and read the outpouring from people wanting to help others in their communities, people eagerly awaiting new stories and new needs we’d put up on the site after the holidays, people asking how they could help bring Benevolent into their communities. I realized at that moment that this was it, this was the original idea I had woken with on February 13^th, 2011 – not even two years ago – the certainty that there was a match to be made between those facing one-time challenges with those who want to help.

I believed that if we made it possible for low-income adults to tell their stories of striving and to invite others into their success, then we, their neighbors, would step up to the challenge, eager to know who we’re helping and how we’re helping; that the way we give can transform someone’s life at a critical moment.

I believed in you, and you came through. Thank you for that. Thank you for believing in people who need our help to reach their goals. Thank you for sharing your stories and your personal experiences with us. Thank you for proving in Benevolent s first year that this is a way we want to give and get help, and that the way we give really is transforming.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you. May this year prove to be one in which you get to be the person you want to be. May this be the year we bring light into one another’s lives and hearts.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Giving With Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:46:00 +0000

It’s the giving season, the perfect time to invite kids to get into the spirit and the act of giving. How, though, do we instill understanding and generosity in the kids in our lives without making those who live in challenging situations seem “other” or in a world apart from the lives our kids are living? It’s not simple, but it’s where we -- coaches, parents, teachers, grandparents, cousins and neighbors -- can make all the difference.

Kids are always listening. When we talk with kids openly and with an empathetic lens about what we see around us, we’re building responsible, thoughtful kids. When we make it personal through visiting Benevolent.net, reading people’s stories together and talking through some of the reactions that kids might have to reading about people’s circumstances and needs, we’re stretching all our perspectives, learning from each other as we go.

If we give with our kids, not just once a year but as a part of our family’s weekly life, and if we talk about the needs and ambitions of people who have greater challenges than ours, we’re modeling something they’ll carry with them into adulthood and into their own children’s lives.

I asked a handful of people to share the ways in which they weave giving into their family life. Here are three that I think I’d like to try with my kids:

1 – One family collects money throughout the year, setting some aside from allowance and spending money every week. At one set time each year, the parents sit down with their kids and each family member suggests a cause or effort they think the family should support. They talk about what issues are important to them, come up with a list of organizations that address their chosen issues, and make sure each kid gets to direct at least some of the funds for the year as they send off their family donations.

2 – A second family does a range of things, both as a family and as individuals. They go together as a family throughout the year to bring donations to the local food pantry and shelter. They have regular conversations about their own blessings and how fortunate they feel they are. Their oldest started teaching classes to younger kids as a required community service, but then got hooked and kept on volunteering.

3 – A third family has a rule that 10% of any money the kids get (as gifts, from working, etc.) is saved for giving to others. Each kid decides how to give his or her money and when. Sometimes they give to a cause or project through their church, sometimes to a person in need in their community, sometimes to a nonprofit. This way, each child is learning to set aside some of his or her own funds for others and then gets to decide on his or her own priorities for giving.

What if you chose a person a week on the Benevolent site? What if I did this with my kids? We could use that one person’s story and need to spark conversation, talk about choices and personal commitment, to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes. Then we could give.

Maybe this week, it’ll be Tiffany who has already been certified as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) but wants more for herself and her family than minimum wage. She wants to be a Nurse, an LPN.

Tiffany shares a great deal of her story, including the fact that she had been pregnant with twins, but lost the babies, then lost her job. She shares which college she’ll attend and how she will use the laptop she’s hoping to get to help with online classes. There’s a great deal to talk about there – goals, loss, setbacks, plans, and balancing kids, school and work – a lot to talk about at the dinner table or on the drive to school.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Let the Giving Begin!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 04:26:00 +0000

It’s early Thanksgiving morning, so perhaps my blog post should be titled “Let the Eating Begin!” or “Let the Shopping Begin!”

I hope you get to eat with your family, hug those you love, and shop for your friends and for yourself this week. Then, on Tuesday, when you’ve lived through the turkey, through Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, you’ll be ready.

You’ll have made it through the melee and you’ll have earned the calm fulfillment of Giving Tuesday. Benevolent is a Founding Member of the GivingTuesday movement and we’re hoping that Tuesday will, in fact, be your most rewarding, most self-rewarding day. After all, shopping is stressful - we worry about how much we’re spending and whom we’ve forgotten on our list; we worry about getting the best deals and about the buying decisions we’ve made.

Giving to help someone else, by contrast, is stress-free. We can do it without worrying that we’re paying too much, without worrying if the person we’re buying for will like or appreciate the sentiment behind our gift.

This Thanksgiving day, I’m thinking about Bart. He and his wife and kids could have such an excellent holiday season if we come together to help them over these few months while Bart’s training to become a welder. They need help with winter clothes for their three kids, including school uniforms and snow boots.

Here’s how Bart describes himself:

“I think of myself mostly as a great dad, loving husband, provider, humble, positive, and self-motivated. I live with my wife of 11 years and three beautiful kids - two sons and a daughter. I am going to school at JARC to become a welder. I've worked at jobs including parking attendant, machine operator, sales rep, security officer, and a material handler. Something interesting about me is I enjoy reading books, playing video games, playing sports, and traveling. I have a positive attitude and am a good father.”

Today is the opening bell of the giving season. Today I invite you to join me: take a breath and reward yourself by stepping away from holiday stress and helping someone out when it really matters.

When you take stock of all you’re thankful for today, remember to be grateful that you have the opportunity to give. I know I am.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Stand up for someone this election season

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:07:00 +0000

A case for voting with your empathy foot forward

Last year, my son stood up to someone who was taking horseplay too far and crossing the line into bullying. He stood up to his own friend on behalf of a kid who was not a friend. Afterwards, the boy who had almost gone too far thanked my son and told him he’d been right to stop him. I can’t recall a time I’ve been more proud of my kid.

This election season, I’ve found myself thinking about what it means when we stand up for someone, even if that person is not our friend, not in our community, and perhaps quite different from us. I’ve been thinking about apathy and about those who consider not voting because they don’t feel certain that the candidates represent them or reflect their needs or beliefs. I’ve been thinking about people who believe that their vote won’t make a difference in their own lives and therefore refrain from voting.

To me, voting is the epitome of standing up for someone else. When we vote, we have the opportunity to stand up, as my son did, for someone who needs backup, even when that person is not a friend.

So this year…

- If you believe that those who live in low-income circumstances need a country which affords them the opportunity to achieve, vote.

- If you believe that the children of families quite different from your family deserve a safe, respectful start in life, vote.

- If you believe that hard work should result in improved earnings and security, vote.

- If you believe that something that might incrementally improve your own circumstances is less important than something that others need more critically, vote.

This year, I’ll be thinking about some of the amazing people whose stories we’ve read on the Benevolent site, thinking about what they might need, thinking about their children, and I’ll be voting.

One person I’ll be thinking about will be Stefanie. Stefanie is really different from me. She was a teen mom, made some decisions that derailed her life, and has been without permanent housing for about six years. Now she’s about to get a job, be ready to pay her own rent, and reunite with her daughters.

I want her to succeed. I want her kids to have stable, successful lives. So, thinking about what will affect their lives, I’ll consider what it will take to ensure the availability of affordable housing, a job with a living wage, high quality education and health care for her girls, and I’ll vote.

This year, stand up for someone who needs, really needs, something that you can help make possible.

Vote.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

External Validation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:59:00 +0000

It does something for us when someone who's not on our team gives us props for what we're doing. When we get external validation from someone who doesn't need to care, it fuels our drive to push onward towards what might seem impossible goals.

Here at Benevolent, we've had a great couple of weeks in the external validation department, but when we stopped to think about it, we've been brokering just this sort of positive reinforcement to our recipients all along.

When I had the honor of speaking about Benevolent to a group of movers & shakers in the field of philanthropy at the White House Forum on Philanthropy Innovation on September 20, I was met with a warm and generous reception from people I hold in great esteem. Leaders like Jean Case, Clara Miller, Ellen Alberding, and Jonathan Greenblatt* responded to my presentation with excitement and appreciation, and that meant the world to me. To know that people who were virtual strangers to me felt moved and inspired by our creation of Benevolent has been the wind beneath my wings in the week or so since.

I'm experiencing just the kind of reinforcing vigor that Benevolent recipients have been sharing with us from the start. They tell us that it's more than the fact that they've received help in overcoming their obstacles; what Benevolent has given them has been that warm revelation that there are people out there -- people who aren't already friends or family -- who believe in them so much that they felt moved to step forward.

In the early, early stages of Benevolent, my mom sent a note to the office along with a contribution. Her note read: "I am honored to step forward and support Benevolent as it faces challenges and hurdles along its way to success and sustainability." She was poking fun at the language we use when we're explaining to potential contributors how their donations can make a direct impact through giving to Benevolent recipients, but the parallel she was drawing resonated.

In our early months, Benevolent is striving, facing down challenges, learning, and overcoming hurdles along our own path towards sustainability. The external validation from professionals engaged in sparking community solutions to social problems, and the financial and pro bono support we receive today will make the difference between stagnation and forward momentum.

Today I'm feeling especially moved by the power of external validation. So, thank you to the dozens of people who made sure I knew you felt excited about Benevolent on September 20th. Your wind-power has impelled Benevolent forward and we'll be storing up those positive feelings to get us through the coming challenges and opportunities.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

* Jean Case is CEO of the Case Foundation.

Clara Miller is President of the F.B. Heron Foundation.

Ellen Alberding is President of the Joyce Foundation.

Jonathan Greenblatt is the Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation.

Not the Stereotype

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 02:07:00 +0000

This weekend, I had an interesting Facebook interchange with a friend from high school about the availability of jobs and what constitutes a living wage. What I found distressing about our conversation was not our disparate points of view, but rather the persistence of negative stereotypes of low-income families across the political spectrum.

Every time I think we’ve moved beyond the presumptions that the majority of low-income adults mis-spend money on lavish luxury goods, that presumption rears its head. I don’t know which families my friend has been encountering, but when I look at the Benevolent recipients and their families, I see people who are striving to reach new goals, working hard to make ends meet, and trying hard to hold on to the things that matter.

Here at Benevolent, we look at things person-by-person; moving past stereotypes to learn the stories behind the people. Al was homeless and unemployed. He’s now working as a waiter. Al’s not aspiring to luxury purchases, simply to self-sufficiency.

Christina was a low-wage worker when she worked in after-school programs. Now she’s employed as a nurse - a profession that promises a better future for her and her family. Christina's family scrimped and saved to support her as she completed nursing school and those sacrifices paid off.

Behind all the statistics, there are faces, stories, families. Some are success stories like Al and Christina and others continue to struggle to gain and maintain their footing. At Benevolent, our mission to is to help low-income adults over their hurdles along the way towards their goals. We’d also like to be a part of the growing chorus of voices countering negative stereotypes with the real stories of real people who inspire us.

Al’s not sporting $200 gym shoes and Christina’s kids won’t be heading off to school with iPhones this school year. These families are working hard, reaching for their goals, and overcoming challenges many of us can’t imagine.

So, this Labor Day, I want to honor Al, Christina, Bridgett, and all the success stories on the Benevolent site. Thank you for sharing your journeys with us and for providing us all with proof positive that those negative presumptions about low-income families are the exception, not the rule.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Bugged

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Ever wonder why we post needs for furniture on the Benevolent site? If you’re anything like me, when you moved into your first apartment, you made several trips to local thrift stores to find things like upholstered chairs, recliners, padded kitchen chairs, and couches. It might not have looked like a million dollars, but it served the purpose and it made our apartments feel like home.

Maria “has been sharing a two-bedroom mobile house with her two sisters, their five children, her stepfather and her mother,” says Sizzy West, Maria’s Home Visitor. Now this young mom has succeeded in moving herself and her daughter into their own apartment and seeks our help in getting the funds she needs to buy furniture for her first-ever living room. We might wonder why she needs to buy it new, rather than at a thrift store.

There is one simple answer: the reality of bed bugs. No, Maria does NOT have bed bugs, but they are the reason she can’t buy upholstered furniture from a thrift store.

Chicago has been one of the nation’s top cities in bed bug infestation in the last few years – not an honor we relish. Whenever we hear news stories or read articles about how to protect ourselves from bed bugs, they inevitably contain a sentence like this one from Dateline on NBC:

“Do not buy used furniture (especially bedding items or upholstered items), or at least do not bring them into your home until you, or a competent expert, have inspected them carefully for any signs of bed bugs.”

For a struggling earner, this turns the furnishing of a new apartment into a significant expense. It’s no longer a safe option for someone in a situation like Maria’s to purchase a couch from the local thrift store or to accept a contributed or hand-me-down mattress or padded chair.

Nonprofits that might once have accepted donations of furniture to help their newly-housed clients settle in have entirely stopped accepting these contributions. One news story reported: “Most agencies no longer accept donated beds or mattresses to resell or provide to clients in need.” So for Maria new furniture is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

It would be easy for us to misunderstand someone who, like Maria, asks for help with furniture, and to quietly doubt the validity of her need without speaking up and questioning it. Things have really changed since I bought those tattered green armchairs and that well-worn brown couch back in the 1990s.

This is yet another example of the ways in which the small things can make a big difference.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Undermining Economic Segregation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A study of African- American and Caucasian households in the U.S. found that residential segregation between these two groups has decreased over the past decades. At the same time, according to a study released this summer by the Pew Research Center, segregation by income level is on the rise in the U.S.

The Rise of Residential Segregation by Income

by Richard Fry and Paul Taylor

So while we seem to be breaking through racial barriers, we’re becoming more and more economically isolated, and this has significant implications for those who are striving to rise out of low-income circumstances.

If we continued this trend towards economic isolation, we would expect to see some increasingly significant social challenges:

1) Because neighbors help neighbors, we could see a decrease in capacity to access help in over-burdened areas.

2) Because diversity begets empathy, we might well see an increased divide between those with and without resources, particularly among young people who grow up in increasingly economically homogenous communities.

3) Families who experience a drastic shift in income (up or down) could experience heightened isolation and alienation from their communities.

4) Low-income youth may increasingly lack access to and familiarity with the educational and professional norms, opportunities and possibilities prevalent in upper-income communities.

5) Sentiments of xenophobia and class hatred might find a more fertile breeding ground on both sides of the fence.

Dire, eh? Yes, but that’s not the whole story. It’s true that we’re living more segregatedly than in previous decades, but we’re also living more connected. Some of the biggest changes to residential segregation along income lines have come in the Southwestern U.S. which posted an over 60% increase in income segregation between 1980 and 2010. Houston posted the biggest change.

In Houston, though, just this week, a woman from Chicago picketed and protested on behalf of striking Houston Janitors. She said:

"I know the fear that so many have to live with, the fear that you could lose your job for speaking up. Janitors in Houston can't risk arrest without risking their jobs too. I can, so I will."

Across the internet -- across states -- the Chicago woman connected with her community, reached out, stepped up and supported people she felt could use her help. This doesn’t change residential economic segregation, of course, but it does speak to the fact that community is no longer constrained by where we live.

Using technology and human connection, we’re creating a different kind of neighborhood, beyond geographic limits. We can build community and empathy, and extend help to neighbors across boundaries that were once impassable. Benevolent is one tool for this, driving from Chicago to Houston to support those you can relate to is another.

If we took each challenge I listed above one by one, and considered them through the lens of our new-fangled communities and networks using media, technology, and human connection, the outlook might look at least a little bit brighter.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Through Al's Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:44:00 +0000

What do you see when you open the door to your place? When your hand extends to the lock with your key at the ready? If you’re like me, you take the fact that you have a key, a lock, and a door to your own place mostly for granted. Walking into your place seems like no big thing.

When I read an update that one of our recipients, Al, sent in this month, I started seeing my own front door differently. Here’s what he said abou the support he received from Benevolent and all the work that the nonprofit Inspiration Corporation did with and for him:

“I can’t believe that with the help of Benevolent and Inspiration I was able to turn my life completely around. I have a great job and a place to live where I pay my own rent. What a feeling. It’s nice to see that there are still people and programs out there that still care and don’t think that homeless people aren’t worth helping. For those people who donated thank you so much. For those who are still out on the street don’t give up - don’t ever give up.”

Reading that message, I suddenly saw things through Al’s eyes. Pictured him coming home from his job as a waiter in a restaurant, wearing the work clothes that Benevolent donors helped provide, pulling keys out of his pocket, turning the lock, and stepping into his own place. The image and the feelings that went with it were overpowering. Picturing this new reality through Al’s eyes – the transition from jobless and homeless to employed and housed – made it all powerfully real.

Try it. Imagine that you’re Amaya and you’re getting ready to pack up for college – packing yourself and your daughter. Imagine that you’ve just heard that 25 people contributed the funds to pay for your security deposit for your college housing.

Imagine that you’re Toya, the oldest of a family of refugees from Bhutan, trying to acclimate to life in the U.S. and to help your parents and siblings navigate a new country, new language, city life, and more. Imagine the relief of receiving the computer that will help you all to establish yourselves here and then the sheer sensory overload once you start to take it all in.

It’s a cool and mind-expanding exercise, this seeing things through other people’s eyes. I hope you’ll try it.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

benevolent

www.benevolent.net

We are the Donors, my friends

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 22:40:00 +0000

We, who give less than $200 a pop make up over 87% of all those individuals who give to charitable organizations each year. We’re the ones who make an impact, fuel services and supports and make things happen.

No one names a building or a brick after us. Our gifts don’t buy us influence in a political campaign – not as individuals, anyway. We’re certainly not the ones who give big in order to cover over a public gaffe.

"I promise I will be the

best waiter this city has

ever seen. I will never

forget what you have done

for me." - Al

We give what we can, whenever we can, because we want to help someone. As it happens, we 87% are fueling the bulk of the change that happens for people across our country and beyond.

Where’s our ribbon-cutting ceremony, then? The newspaper piece about the incredible gift we just gave? Well, I guess our props come differently.

“I want to express my appreciation

for your generosity in supporting

me with the certifications.”

- Christina

Not only are we – with our small gifts -- the major driver behind social impact in this country, but we’re also in it for a great reason: We want to transform someone’s life. The reward we want for our good work comes to us in the form of a note from Al telling us that he’s gotten the job he wanted as a banquet waiter and that thanks to us, he’s got the uniform he needs to start work.

We get excited when we see the photo of Christina with her nursing certification certificate or the video Bridgett sent us thanking us for her winter clothes for her commute to school and letting us know that she’s graduated.

I’m pleased and proud to stand with you as a regular ol’ donor and to step up to claim our place at the head of social change in our country.

- megan kashner

founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Only 2% Make It - We Can Help

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:44:00 +0000

Amayah is a teen mom
headed off to college this fall

She came to the US five years ago, when she was about 12. She made her way through a new country, culture, school system, and more. Now she's headed off to Southern Illinois University in the fall, full of promise and expectations.

The American Dream: believing in yourself; overcoming expectations and obstacles; succeeding through hard work. Amayah is all that, and more.

Amayah is also a teen mom. She's nothing like the flashy and combative young moms we see on reality TV. She’s the real deal - the young woman who had a child at 16, kept on going to school, is graduating and is heading to college without missing a beat. She's got her future in clear focus, and she's got her baby's future in mind as well - a balancing act that many parents decades older than Amayah have not mastered.

Right now, though -- this is when it gets hard. Amayah has challenges to face as she heads off to college that the other young students won't be burdened by. She'll need to find housing suitable to a small family, child care, and time to cook for, read to, play with, and care for her child. She'll have to plan her course schedule and her study groups around her child's timetable and then there will be other things that crop up - a babysitter bailing, her child getting a fever, or the stroller refusing to open.

Amayah is asking the Benevolent community for help with one singular challenge: for help paying her housing deposit and getting her apartment set up for herself and her child. I hope we'll meet this challenge and step up for Amayah. More importantly, I hope we'll be able to jump back in future years if another big challenge pops up. Maybe create a community of support just for Amayah.

On average, about half of all teen moms finish high school. Another 15% will get their GED by the time they're 22. Only two percent - 2% - of teen moms complete college by the time they're 30. Those are ridiculously long odds.

Let's step up, step in and become a part of Amayah's story, and let's hang out there for a while to keep an eye on her success and be there when she needs us.

Who's in?

- megan kashner, founder & CEO

Paying Forward for Dad this Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:39:00 +0000

A Father’s Day Card for my Dad

Dad,

I stink at these holidays. I generally fail to send a card, so I wind up calling you on the phone late in the day. I’m a failure at holiday-invoked expressions of feeling. So this year, I’m taking a different tack and amplifying my Father’s Day message out into the public domain. You’ll either love it or be mortified.

Thank you. There is no way to effectively repay or adequately honor all that you’ve done for me over the course of time. From before I was born, you were planning for my security and my future. All my life you’ve believed in me, supported my dreams, picked me up when I fell, stood up for me, run interference, and never flagged in your ardent belief in me. You haven’t always understood my choices or even the specifics of my career, but you’ve been in my corner, always.

I know I’m not the only one with a dad as great as you, but you’re mine and I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world. You’re the one I argue with most in the world and you’re the one whose opinion I value. We often disagree, coming at things from opposite sides of the equation and opposite sides of the brain. Let’s never stop that.

I know too well that not everyone has the benefit of a dad like you, so this Father’s Day, I’m going to honor you by paying forward the fierce belief you have in your children. I’m going to help someone else who needs to know that someone’s in her corner and supporting her dreams.

As a tribute to you, I’m going to contribute to help meet Jean’s need. I feel compelled to help Jean because as a single mom she’s striving to be a nurse, and what’s holding her back is so basic – she needs special contacts to manage her eye condition just so she can see to study. I was a medical mess when I was young – glasses, braces, a back brace for scoliosis – and you shelled out a bunch for all those things and never, never made me feel that it was difficult or an imposition. Now that I’m a parent and paying for braces and sports and supplies, I see how difficult it really is.

So, this Father’s Day, your parenting extends beyond me, through me, and on to Jean. She can use some of your brand of belief and support right now, and we’ll help her together.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo, daughter of howard kashner

To pay it forward in honor of your Dad this Father's Day:

1) Contribute to any need on the Benevolent.net site

2) Send us a quick email to dad@benevolent.net and let us know:

- your dad's name,

- his email address (or snail mail address if you'd rather we send a card), and

- a note you'd like us to include to your Dad with the note he receives from us letting him know you've made a gift in his name.

Who is Graduating?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:42:00 +0000

It’s graduation season and while the news is full of depressing stories of young adults with few job prospects, planning to move back in with parents after graduation, the statistics show an improvement.

According to the Associated Press, the unemployment rate for college grads under 25 is lower in 2012 (so far) than in either 2010 or 2011 (ABC News). Perhaps the clouds are clearing for graduates – at least for those who complete their degree by age 25.

Of the over 19 million college students in the U.S., though, about 40% are attending part time. Of the almost 7 million attending community college, it is anticipated that fewer than half will complete an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year university within six years of enrollment. (US News & World Report; Institute for Education Sciences)

This brings us to the question – who is graduating? Estimates show that in the U.S. this year, over 3 million will graduate high school or earn a GED, over 700,000 will complete an associate’s degree, and over 1.7 million will complete a bachelor’s degree. That’s a lot to celebrate, especially when you know the odds that many of them have had to overcome just to get to school every day.

On the Benevolent site (www.benevolent.net), we feature many people who are pursuing degrees – associate’s, bachelors, certifications – and each one faces incredible challenges along the way towards those goals. Almost none of them reflect the stereotype of the 21-year-old fresh-faced graduate, ready to take on the world. They look like Jean, a 42 year old nursing student who recently interned for the Transit Authority cleaning trains.

They also look like Samantha who is married, works full time as a home visiting aide and goes to community college in the evenings. Despite her young appearance, Samantha is a 26-year-old mother of a three-year-old.

Benevolent’s students are mothers and fathers. They’re studying to be nurses and radiology technicians. They’re studying criminal justice and business. They’re going to school part time while working full- or part-time. They’ve survived cancer, domestic violence, homelessness, and more. They’re not the students the headlines and stories focus on when they’re pondering the fate of this year’s class of graduates.

For us here at Benevolent, these are the learners and strivers with whom we’re most concerned. When a low-income parent succeeds in improving his or her education, getting a better job, and finding increased stability, then the children in that household will have vastly improved chances of achieving in their own rights and landing in a more stable circumstance. When we help adult learners succeed, we help more than one generation of students -- and those triumphant graduations, for us, will have twice the weight.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent

www.benevolent.net

Fierce Love...Unplanned?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:55:00 +0000

A few weeks before she passed away, my Great Aunt Mil contributed to one of our Benevolent recipients. She chose to help someone who has seven children living at home with her. Aunt Mil was glad to give and glad to help, but as she did so, she said (in her 95-year-old pithy way): “Seven kids. I don’t see how she’ll ever get ahead.”

When we hear or read about the allegorical welfare mom (or welfare queen, depending on your source), she often has a great number of children – a brood, if you will. She is, of course, hyperbole, as are her numerous children. This Mother’s Day weekend, however, I found myself thinking about this allegorical figure in a different light.

On Mother’s Day I got to sleep in, celebrate with my kids and all that. Later that day I sat down to write for today’s blog and my mind kept going back to a piece of research I read recently and some trends we’re seeing among the recipients on the Benevolent site.

We launched the Benevolent site only this past December, but as early as March, I started to see a thread of connection I hadn’t anticipated. It seemed to me that of the women who posted their needs to the Benevolent site, those who described having fled and survived domestic violence had more children than those who did not report a history of domestic violence.

Of course as we seek to help the mother who has escaped and overcome domestic violence to thrive, we do not and should not ask whether the number of children she has a connection to victimization. This started me wondering, though - was this a real trend, and if so, why? I started looking for research to help me understand what I thought I might be seeing.

I found some articles and papers that described the ways in which abusers undermine a woman’s control over her fertility choices. These included interference with contraception (making holes in condoms, discarding a woman’s contraceptive pills or devices), sexual assault, and more. (Black, 2011) But this article posed no quantitative analysis to indicate how prevalent this was.

Another article summed up the scholarly research on the connections between unintended pregnancy and domestic violence. This one told me more. I discovered that in one U.S. study, “almost 70% of women reporting physical violence had unwanted and/or mistimed pregnancies,” and women with unwanted pregnancies were 4.1 times more likely to have been physically abused “than women with intended pregnancies before adjusting for other variables.” (Gazmararian et al., 1995)

Again, not clear causality, but certainly an arresting correlation. The author of this article explained: “The association between intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy implies an intergenerational cycle in which unintended childbearing in abusive households can lead to repeated cycles of violence and unintended pregnancy.” (Pallitto et al, 2005)

What is clear is that the more children a mother has, the harder it will be for her to protect them, provide for them, and promote their education, simply by virtue of numbers.

Aunt Mil had a point. If there is any causality – whether widespread or even sporadic – between intimate violence and unintended pregnancy, then I want to take this moment – this Mother’s Day moment – to express my immense respect for those women who fiercely love, protect, support, and nurture children whose existence they had not planned or intended.

As a mother who held complete control over when and how I would choose to try to conceive, I concede all maternal kudos today and award them all to those mothers who protected their children, brought them to safety, fought to rebuild and thrive, and fight on today as they raise children they pray will never repeat the violence of their mutual past.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo

Benevolent - www.benevolent.net

Opposite Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Yesterday. I was having a conversation with a 7th grader from the East Coast about Benevolent and something she said really struck me. She said that what she thought was cool about Benevolent was that the people who needed support got to say what they needed and actively seek it out. From her perspective, this is like flipping giving on its head – rather than givers giving to nonprofits who then figure out what their clients and communities need, Benevolent offers a platform for those with needs to seek out support, with the nonprofits as their background supporters.

It was an interesting lens on our work and made me think about a couple of things that came to light last week – both instances in which the funds that had been raised for someone’s need wound up being spent slightly differently than had been thought originally.

Jenny requested help with car repairs,

but wound up needing a new used car.

Al thought he'd need a tuxedo to work

as a banquet waiter. As it turned out,

the required uniform was different.

In the first instance, Jenny had requested support to repair her car so that she could get herself and her sister to and from work, her kids to and from school, and her sister to and from chemo and dialysis. As it turned out, the car she had been driving broke down completely, so she plans to use the funds raised through Benevolent to help buy a new used car.

In the second instance, Al, who had sought support to purchase a tux-like uniform for work as a banquet waiter, wound up getting the job and found out that the uniform he would need was not a tuxedo – it was somewhat different. So when Al and Eva – his caseworker – went shopping for the uniform Al needed, they had the latitude to get what was required.

What this speaks to is the level of control that we’re trying to provide for those who have needs met through the Benevolent site. To us, it’s all about agency:

Personal Agency: The awareness that one is initiating, executing, and controlling one's own volitional actions in the world.

In so many instances, those living in low-income circumstances have little or no agency in the determination of how they receive support. On the Benevolent site, we try to be all about agency and dignity – respecting the self-determination intrinsic to any person’s success.

So perhaps my 7th grade friend was right. Maybe we are turning giving on its head. I strongly believe in the power of philanthropy and active benevolence in all its forms – giving, voting, speaking up for ourselves and others, advocating, and acting to change circumstances. Benevolent fits in as a sort of “opposite-day” form of delivering support – a form in which those who need something hold the reins.

- megan kashner, founder & ceo