Teach a Man to Fish

It is so important for individuals and for organizations to give back. SchmartBoard has in the past given a percentage of sales for disaster relief for hurrican Katrina and the tsunami vicitims in the south Pacific. One of the more rewarding endeavorshas been involvement in a program called BUILDwww.build.org.

While giving cash proceeds to charity has it's rewards, teaching a skill is so much more rewarding. This program teaches entreprenuer skills to high school students who may be in high risk areas, or are from lower social-economic areas. The team we mentor is "Young Hype" made up of Andrea, Jessica, Tanya, and Manuel.

Last year, as freshmen, the team learned how to plan a business, write a business, financial and marketing plan and create a Power Point presentation. The year ended in a competition to present the plan to venture capitalists. Young Hype took first place.

This year the team will be seeded start up money to actually run their business, which are hand painted t-shirts with a positive message. We will be involved with them for all 4 years, helping them all get accepted into a university. Many students will receive scholarships as part of this program.

Today the program is in the Bay Area, but is expanding to Washington DC and then other parts of the country. I hope that some of you check out this program and get involved...or find the one that works for you.