With very little business experience as a high school junior, I had minimal knowledge about starting and running a non-profit organization.
Receiving the Pollination Project grant first compelled me to research and learn more about the different components of starting up a non-profit organization, such as fundraising, grant writing, event planning, and using social media. With the procedural guidance of the Pollination Project, I established a budget which sent forth the essential materials/items I would need to get the organization up and running. The application process alone, for me, has been an incredible learning experience.
Now, six months later, I am proud to say that the Teams For Kids Foundation has made considerable progress and is finally up and running. The organization has raised over $5,000 to date and, just this month, we awarded our first grant of $2,500 to Homeless Solutions, Inc. in Morristown, New Jersey. I am very happy that we have begun fulfilling our purpose: to bring underprivileged children off of the sidelines and into the game. The Pollination Project has enabled me to set forth on a mission I never knew I could actually pursue at my age. Thank you for believing in me.