Start A Snowball, Inc. is committed to empowering kids to engage in philanthropy. They realize that in order to create and foster a culture of service, we have to start with children. In the Spring of 2013 a 1st grader named William told his parents he was worried about kids at school who receive food each week from the Backpack Buddies program. He didn’t think one backpack could sustain them through a whole week of Spring Break. William decided to put together a week-long food drive and raised 1,400 pounds of food and $310 in cash. Extra backpacks were sent home in the weeks leading up to Spring Break so none of the kids went hungry.
His program has “snowballed” and through its growth it is now providing annual support for dozens of kids from food insecure homes.
The success of this project is not just measured by the benefit to William’s chosen charity. It inspired an entire community to become more involved in the issues around them. Because of what they witnessed could happen when a single child became determined to help and had the support necessary to make it a success, William’s parents decided that if kids choose to help the world around them, they deserved the necessary support. In order to offer a place to inspire kids to take on their own projects, as well as supply funding to help them get it off the ground in late 2013 they started Start A Snowball.
“We inspire and fund kids to engage in their own community service efforts. By doing so, children will see the power that they hold to change the world around them. This will begin to create a culture of service and a generation of givers.” ~ Mac Winslow, William’s Dad.
Start A Snowball affects change in our world starting with children by creating a culture of service and a generation of givers. They are:
- Developing an online community in which stories of youth philanthropy can be shared in order to inspire others.
- Offering ideas for projects for youth to undertake.
- Creating a library of resources to teach children about giving.
- Providing funding to get kids started in their chosen projects
- Encouraging projects to build sustainable impact.
Why Bhakti Chai loves this project
We are inspired by William and how he is helping kids see that they can make a difference in the world. Kids can choose any cause or issue that speaks to them and work to make it better. Start A Snowball has funded projects in the areas of childhood hunger, literacy, bullying, homelessness, education, and more.