Rivers Givers Embark On Another Year Of Giving
The Rivers Givers recently voted as a group to distribute the money they raise this year to three local organizations.
The Rivers Givers recently voted as a group to distribute the money they raise this year to Camp Arrowhead in Natick, a camp for disabled persons; Birthday Wishes in Newton, which hosts birthday parties for homeless children; and Cradles to Crayons in Quincy, a service agency that provides the basic necessities to children in need. This year’s Holiday Tournament, the upcoming February Walk-a-Thon, the Middle School Martin Luther King, Jr. workday, and various dress-down days will provide the bulk of the funds. Their goal is to raise $10,000.
For the past several years, the Rivers Givers had partnered with the Crossroads Community Foundation, an organization that connects private philanthropies with MetroWest non-profit programs. Crossroads was instrumental in training Rivers students on how to evaluate grant proposals from local organizations and also provided a match to the funds raised by the students.
This year, however, the Rivers Givers, a group of nineteen Upper School students, are on their own, making independent decisions regarding what groups to fund. They solicited applications, made site visits and reviewed the qualifications and needs of each group before making their final decisions.
"I think the way in which the Rivers Givers and other students come together to volunteer their time for community service is truly unique," explains Rivers Giver senior Lindsay Bloom. "As a relatively small group, the Rivers Givers are incredibly passionate about the decisions we make and the responsibility we have to these outside organizations and the school. We all feel really good about what we're doing for our community."
Earlier this fall, Bloom and two other Rivers Givers, seniors Jordan Balcom and Christine Chace, were asked by Crossroads to join a few other students from area schools to participate in a mock site visit and deliberation process that was observed by a New York Times reporter. The story about the students’ decision-making process ran in The New York Times on November 12.
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For the past several years, the Rivers Givers had partnered with the Crossroads Community Foundation, an organization that connects private philanthropies with MetroWest non-profit programs. Crossroads was instrumental in training Rivers students on how to evaluate grant proposals from local organizations and also provided a match to the funds raised by the students.
This year, however, the Rivers Givers, a group of nineteen Upper School students, are on their own, making independent decisions regarding what groups to fund. They solicited applications, made site visits and reviewed the qualifications and needs of each group before making their final decisions.
"I think the way in which the Rivers Givers and other students come together to volunteer their time for community service is truly unique," explains Rivers Giver senior Lindsay Bloom. "As a relatively small group, the Rivers Givers are incredibly passionate about the decisions we make and the responsibility we have to these outside organizations and the school. We all feel really good about what we're doing for our community."
Earlier this fall, Bloom and two other Rivers Givers, seniors Jordan Balcom and Christine Chace, were asked by Crossroads to join a few other students from area schools to participate in a mock site visit and deliberation process that was observed by a New York Times reporter. The story about the students’ decision-making process ran in The New York Times on November 12.
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