American Express and Do Something partner to bring weekly grants of $500 to help out projects addressing different causes around the world, helping youth to grow their projects and take their organizations to the next level. Did you recently create a sustainable community action project, do you have a great idea for helping your community, and need the funds to get it started? If you answered "YES!", you're eligible to apply for a Do Something Grant. We'll be awarding a weekly growth grant throughout 2010, so apply now! Read about our winners from December and November below.

Katy Rubin, 24

Jan Hus Homeless Theatre
Each year over 100,000 New Yorkers experience homelessness. The Jan Hus Homeless Theatre Troupe was created to serve as a vehicle for empowerment and collective problem solving for these individuals. Today, Katie is the director of the troupe of 11 homeless adults: 9 men and 2 women of all races, of whom 75% suffer mental and/or physical disability and past substance abuse. Ultimately, the group presents a public performance about a collective problem they want to change. At the end of the performance, the audience is invited to propose solutions to the problem by taking the place of the protagonist on stage. The funding from the Do Something Growth Grant will help the troupe embark on an educational performing tour in NYC.

Charles Orgbon, 15

Greening Forward
Two years ago, Charles started Greening Forward, an environmental advocacy group working to empower citizens to join the green movement by organizing fairs, rallies, nature outings, and environmental leadership conferences. Today, Charles is tackling poverty and sustainability in one swoop. In average homes that have not been weatherized, 30-40% of heat is lost to air leaks. Empowered with this knowledge, Charles partnered with the Council of Indian Nations to help Native Americans weatherize their homes. Weatherproofing will help families stop energy waste and to save on fuel costs. With his Do Something Grant money, Charles will be able to weatherproof 19 homes!

Madeline Pelgrim, 13

Maddie's Blankets
As the founder of Maddie’s Blankets, Madeline is encouraging volunteerism AND helping animals/children in need. When she was 10 years old Madeline found it difficult to find community service opportunities that would allow a 10 year old to volunteer. So she started Maddie's Blankets for young people to be able to get involved in community service in a way that is easy, motivating and fun. Maddie’s Blankets makes fleece blankets for animal shelters and kids in underprivileged communities while teaching young people about community service. As of March 2010, Maddie’s Blankets has made over 2,000 blankets in Virginia and other states including NC, MS, GA, CA, and KS. She hopes to expand to more states in the future to help her reach the goal of donating 10,000 blankets to transitional housing organizations, foster care agencies, and animal rescue shelters.

Alec Lynn, 18

Project Ignition
Car accidents are the number one cause of death in teens and distracted driving has become a large issue in all communities. Alec and student representatives from the five county high schools have come together to form the Ionia County Youth Advisory Council (YAC). They’ve started Project Ignition to promote teen driver safety by spreading the word on the negative effects of texting and driving, drinking and driving, and not wearing a seatbelt while driving. This year, the Ionia County YAC plans to host a state-wide conference on January 7, 2011. Youth from across the state will be invited to participate and learn more about the importance of safe driving habits. Students attending the conference will hear a variety of perspectives by expert guest speakers from State Farm Insurance, victims of car accidents, police, trauma nurses, and a representative from the Lansing Area Safety Council. The goal of the conference is to inspire young people to go back to their schools and start their own chapters of Project Ignition.

John Connell, 24

Performing Life
John figured out a way to incorporate his love for the circus with his will to help people. No, we’re not clowning around. Bolivia is the poorest country in the Americas and the rate of youth drug abuse and delinquency is staggering. For this reason, John founded Performing Life, Inc (PLI) to empower youth by teaching them performance and visual arts. His program teaches at-risk youth circus arts as a marketable skill to employ as career. As well as providing skills training, Performing Life creates a safe environment and community for its participants. John will use his Do Something Grant money to start his first aerial workshop and expand his unicycle and juggling inventories.

Tammy Tran, 18

Thomas Edison High School GlamourGals Chapter
Tammy and GlamourGals are addressing problems related to two critical populations-the elderly and young women. GlamourGals is a student-led organization that provides the elderly at senior homes with complementary beauty makeovers. The program volunteers visit senior homes consistently throughout the year creating long-term relationships and empowering young people to take action in their communities.

Lauren Ritter, 25

Garden Hills Homework Club
A startling majority of 70% of students are living at or below the poverty level at Garden Hills Elementary School in Champaign, Illinois. The Homework Club was formed in 2007 as a partnership with Parkland College and the Champaign School District to provide a free academic after school program to promote higher education, encourage learning in a safe environment, and to create positive role models for at-risk youth. Lauren is working with Americorps VISTA as the volunteer coordinator for the Homework Club. She’s planning field trips for the Garden Hills students to visit the Parkland campus, exposing them to the possibilities of higher education and she hopes to expand the program to another local school.

Jared Zarantonello, 25

Americana Hip Hop Project
Jared is using Hip Hop to mobilize a culture of change in Louisville, KY. His Americana Hip Hop Project serves a diverse community of refugee, immigrant, and U.S. born families working to connect to his students’ lives in meaningful ways and that help bridge the gap between the culture of their homeland and the culture in their communities in Louisville. The Americana Hip Hop Project is all about returning Hip Hop to its original purpose—as a powerful tool for social commentary, education, and community empowerment. Jared’s project has two learning objectives: to teach topics in Hip Hop History and Politics and secondly to teach music production skills. His Do Something grant money will be used to purchase necessary educational materials to expand the program.