As each and every one of us maneuver through our unique life path, we hope that we are not forgotten. We hope that the stranger we flashed a smile to on the subway has a good day. We hope that our time volunteering abroad makes a sustainable impact on the communities we served. We hope that the high-fives we gave to the other team at the end of a sports game showed our appreciation and sportsmanship. In the small Northern California town of Sebastopol, Carol Rathmann hopes that rescued animals and at-risk are not forgotten about and can connect through quality interactions. For us at The Pollination Project, we are humbled to provide seed grants to individuals who shine light and give opportunities to those who might otherwise be forgotten, from depleted buildings to survivors of assault.
Please help us congratulate our seven recent grantees ready to change their the communities and impact the world!
Georgia Tzirou and Dan Teuma, Permaculture in an Open Refugee Camp, Mytilene, Greece. Refugees and local community members come together to learn from their cultural differences in an effort to build compassion and understanding.
Dr.iur. Bulambo Katambu Ambrose, Traditional Arts Program as a Therapy for the Rehabilitation of Survivors of Sexual Violence in the Congolese Province of Sud-Kivu, Bukavo, Congo. Survivors of sexual violence acquire skills in traditional arts to best connect and provide economic security.
Farrah Dudley, Forever Home Animal Rescue, Boones Mill, Virginia, USA. A home based animal rescue run by volunteers builds a barn to accommodate rescued animals while helping them find a safe, permanent, loving home.
Sarah Cole, Yellow Key Art Center Ceramics Program, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
Adults with special needs are linked with professionally trained artists to build entrepreneurship and job skills through the use of visual and performing arts.
Germaine Pentsil and Raven Shelman, Adopt an Abandoned Home, Detroit, Michigan, USA. People of all ages come together to transform communities and neighborhoods through murals and cleanups to shift the perception of forgotten, and thus depleted places, to those of hope.
Elizabeth Gabel, Foursquare Community Art, Benicia, California, USA. Libraries and local community places serving as gathering places for the community to come together to promote people-to-people interactions in a world full of screens and social media.
Carol Rathmann, Forget Me Not Farm, Sebastopol, California, USA. At-risk youth are given opportunities to interact with rescued animals to encourage care and quality for all.
Are you inspired by these stories? Do you have an idea rooted in bringing peace and justice to all things? We accept grant applications every day of the year. We love learning about changemakers, from the Pacific Islands to the East African savannahs and cannot wait to hear about yours!