There are many organizations at work to better the childhood experience and support our vulnerable youth population. This week we heard from four organizations with vastly different missions, but all seeking the same common goal for the young people in our community. Joining us were Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, Living Voices, Unleash the Brilliance, and Pongo Poetry Project.

Watch the recording or click on the links below to learn more.

From the Employee Giving Drive website, you can make donations and pledges, set payroll deduction, or volunteer time to these wonderful nonprofit organizations. Remember – the PeopleSoft payroll and time donation options close on 11/18/22. 

(photo caption: Living Voices participates in community outreach at venues like Bainbridge Historial Society and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Their unique multi-media shows offer a powerful, personal approach to understanding issues of social justice through history and their relevance today.) 

Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center        EGP# 9147 

Little Bit was founded in June 1976 by a woman named Margaret Dunlap. Margaret had Multiple Sclerosis and found that being on the back of a horse slowed the advance of her disease. From our humble beginnings of one horse and five riders, they have grown to be one of the largest nationally accredited, industry-leading PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) International centers and one of the largest full-time therapeutic horsemanship programs in the United States. Little Bit offers Adaptive Riding and Hippotherapy, and serves 260 riders and patients each week with 24 horses and the help of more than 350 volunteers! 

Living Voices     EGP# 10957 

Living Voices uses historical perspectives based on real people and events, by combining live performance with audio/video, visual aids, and discussion. Using archival film and photos, blended with sound and synchronized with a live actor, their performances provide a dynamic, interactive experience of how the world looked, sounded, and felt during a significant time in history. Living Voices serves K-12 schools, universities, community groups, museums, and corporations.  Their innovative, accessible programs promote diversity, encourage empathy and learning, build community, and inspire social change. Audiences view history through a personal, inclusive lens, and see themselves as a part of it—what is past, and what is yet to be written. 

Unleash the Brilliance     EGP# 9906 

The mission of Unleash the Brilliance is to help youth reduce at-risk behaviors, increase school attendance, and raise graduation rates. UTB believes that by empowering youth to make positive decisions, we can reduce the number of youth that get caught in the school to prison pipeline. The vision of Unleash the Brilliance is to inspire youth to proactively engage in their education. They teach tools that empower students to positively take charge of their future and connect with their community. In 2014 Unleash The Brilliance had a 75% success rate in redirecting students away from court jurisdiction back into school. 

Pongo Poetry Project     EGP# 9810 

Pongo Poetry Project is a Seattle-based nonprofit that uses personal poetry to facilitate healing among youth coping with devastating traumas, such as abuse, neglect, racism and exposure to violence. Pongo has mentored poetry with over 6,500 individuals. Research and evaluation demonstrate the significant therapeutic benefits of their programming and high levels of satisfaction among the youth they serve. Through their publishing program, they have released 16 poetry collections featuring work authored by the youth they serve. Their trainings on the Pongo Method equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to create trauma-informed writing programs based on this approach. As a result, 95 therapeutic poetry programs based on their model have been established. 

Register for upcoming Expos here.

To see more nonprofits doing work in this area visit our website here.