“For the second year in a row, Colin Wanless of Boca Raton, a 5th grader at The Pine Crest School, is the recipient of both a $500 Disney Friends for Change Grant, administered through YSA (Youth Service America) and a $400 Sodexo Youth Grant".
GYSD-
JHF member, Colin Wanless, who is now 11 and sits on the JHF Junior Advisory Board, will once again lead a project that distributes groceries and miscellaneous household items to 150 pre-selected families at Miramar Elementary. These items were purchased through the grant monies received as well as monies raised at a Pizza Day Fundraising event at a local California Pizza Kitchen. Another JAB member, Krystal, who is 12 years old, will be donating food items collected at Aventura Charter School; corporate in-kind and cash contributions for this distribution came from JHF benefactors Unilever, Wal-Mart, National Pasteurized eggs, Hometown Foods USA, TJMaxx, Tiki Dental and Pinecrest Lower School. Miramar’s Vice Mayor, the Honorable Yvette Colbourne, who is an avid supporter of JHF and grateful for the work they have done for members of her constituency, will be in attendance to lend her support.
Joshua Williams, President and Founder of JHF, works to inspire young people to give back and develop a philanthropic mindset that will help them make a global impact on the world’s perils, in particular childhood hunger. The organization’
Learn more about JHF's mission at https://youtu.be/
Other GYSD projects being led by JHF members this weekend include grocery distribution to 50 families in Liberty City and at Gulfstream Middle School in Hallandale. On another note, JHF members don’t just give out food, if you have a book or two that you no longer use, consider donating them to the Page by Page Book drive being held now by JHF member, Suria. Books are being collected at the following locations throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties:
· Whole Foods Markets – 12150 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami, Fl.
· Sunny Isles Beach Government Center – 18070 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles, Fl.
· The Yellow Green Farmer’s Market – 1930 N. 30th Road, Hollywood, Fl.
· C By Me Creative Art Studio – 1249 Stirling Road, Dania, Fl.
All books will be distributed on Friday and Saturday of GYSD 2015.
“I am pleased to see my friends and members of Joshua’s Heart take charge and lead events for Global Youth Service Day. It just goes to show that, we the youth of the world, can make an impact and make a difference if we just work together for change”, said Joshua Williams. He continued, “I am very proud of all our members and am more committed to being the change agent we need to be in order to make our world a better place for all humanity”.
Joshua’s Heart Foundation (JHF) food recovery and distribution programs provides commodity foods to low-income children, youth, seniors and families residing in South Florida and Jamaica West Indies at community-based sites and schools. JHF has created the following programs to facilitate their cause: the Backpack Distribution Program, the Gardening program, and the Chapter affiliation program. These programs are designed to address the issue of stomping out childhood hunger by leaving no student hungry and to educate other children and youth on how to take action against hunger. For more information visit http://www.joshuasheart.org
YSA (Youth Service America) improves communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5 to 25, serving in substantive roles. Through campaigns, grant programs, resource development and training opportunities, YSA promotes a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership and achievement. As a campaign of YSA and the largest service event in the world, Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service. To learn more, visit www.YSA.org and www.GYSD.org.
Disney Friends for Change is a multi-platform initiative that inspires kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their world by helping people, communities and the planet. And while these activities may vary, they are united by an overarching emphasis on fostering creativity, conservation and compassion. Through PSAs on-air and online action kits, the program aims to provide useful resources to encourage kids to make small changes that add up to big differences. Friends for Change, along with YSA, provide grants to support youth-service projects in communities around the world. Friends for Change has approximately five million actions taking place from kids in 33 countries throughout Europe, Latin America, China and the United States
