February 2012
Teens4Charity: Putting the FUN in Fundraising
You may have seen them during the holiday season piling mountains of sweaters, coats and mittens into shopping carts at Walmart. Or, perhaps you've seen them caroling and ringing the bell for The Salvation Army at Cub. You may have even recognized them when they were in costume hosting a haunted trail in a Woodbury neighborhood for the past several Octobers. The teens who run the Woodbury-based, non-profit group called Teens 4 Charity (or T4C) know that it feels good to help others, and they make it fun, too!
"Being part of T4C has been an incredible way to lend a hand,” says teen leader Alexa Erickson, a senior at Woodbury High School. She says, “Working together to help others in need has greatly helped me to look at life in perspective and to understand that no amount of kindness is too small.” The group is made up of 15 leaders, ranging from ages 12-18. Since 2008, they’ve managed to raise and give more than $13,000 to causes both near and afar. It is remarkable to see how quickly the funds have added up when the leaders, with the support of their friends, neighbors and the community, have focused on a goal.
The group’s impact has reached across the Twin Cities and as far away as Africa and Afghanistan. In 2009, T4C leaders held a fundraiser at Just Jump for Madison’s Place (the soon-to-open playground in Woodbury for children with disabilities). In just three hours, the group pulled in over $1,000. In October of 2010, the group hosted a haunted trail and raised over $1,000 for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. In October of this year, the haunted trail brought in $1,800 to be spent on clothing, coats and gifts for homeless teens at YouthLink, a Minneapolis teen retreat. Another initiative had the T4C leaders rolling up their sleeves, putting on plastic gloves and assembling hundreds of sandwiches for 363 Days, a Twin Cities charity that feeds the hungry.
Through these experiences, the teens are learning to make giving part of their lives. “It feels rewarding to make an impact,” says teen leader Lexie Eckman, a senior at East Ridge High School. She feels proud of the group’s partnership with the Minnesota Reading Corp at an inner-city school in St. Paul. “We donated over 1,000 like-new books and opened a free bookstore,” she explains. “It was the first time that the students had teen volunteers there to read with them.” Administrators gave T4C high praise for their efforts, and said that the students were especially motivated by working with the teens. As a result, the school partnered again the next year with T4C. This time, T4C showed up with a jaw-dropping 5,000 books. The book fair has now become an annual event.
There’s always more work (and fun) ahead for the T4C teen leaders, as they meet and recommend the next charity that may need a helping hand. To learn more about T4C, you can go to www.teens4charity.org.
Local teens take on others’ troubles
Amber Kispert
Woodbury Bulletin - 12/23/2008
While most children and teenagers are busy making up their Christmas lists, a group of Woodbury teens are spending their holiday season helping those in need.
“Teens 4 Charity” is made up of 12 “board members,” the ones that operate the organization and help organize the monthly charity projects, and their individual groups of three to six additional teens.
Their latest endeavor is adopting a family made up of a grandmother, a 2-1/2 year-old-girl and a 20-month old boy for the holidays, through the East Metro Women’s Council in Maplewood.
“We have so much and they have so little, it’s kind of unfair,” Emily, 14, said. “A lot of times we forget how lucky we are.”
The teens worked to raise money for the family by selling home-made Christmas cookies. Teens 4 Charity raised nearly $900 to go towards Christmas shopping for the family.
“It was really cool to see how much we were going to give to this family, just the littlest thing can make so much difference,” Ellie, 16, said. “And it’s fun to go shopping, all teenage girls love shopping, so that’s a good thing to work into the charity aspect.”
The teens have already formed many memories.
“Whether it’s scaring people on the haunted trail or just ringing the bell, we all really know how to have fun working together,” Alexa, 14, said. “You can be having a blast and raising so much money at the same time.”
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