The Opp-Guide to Community Service, Inc.

Vital Stats

Wendi O

Fort Lauderdale, FL

people helped10000
People Doing It 6

The Problem

There is a tremendous gap between youth and civic involvement. President Obama has even called for middle and high school students to serve our communities. Problem is that many young people do not know where or how to volunteer or are simply too apathetic or preoccupied. The Opp-Guide addresses the need for youth volunteerism on a systemic basis.

Plan of Action

We are now five years young. Initially, we obtained corporate sponsorships to print the Guide. Then, we received seed money from Youth Service America to help us go on-line. We have forged community partnerships which have helped us to promote the Guide. Additionally, we became a 501c3 in 2007 with the help of an attorney pro bono. We have had tremendous impact; the fact that we are sustainable reflects such impact.We have received hundreds of reviews, have had presence in area schools, churches, and temples, and have received testimonials not only from students but also from teachers and other nonprofits.

Project Updates

We recently received a $10,000.00 challenge grant from Best Buy. We used social networking such as creating Facebook groups, text messaging, and public service announcements to promote the Guide.

We hope to become a Do Something award recipient so that we can expand the Guide nationally. We need to hire professional staff to create Opp-Guide modules in different regions of the country. The beauty of the Guide is that it is truly scale-able in the sense that it can be replicated with minimal expense thereafter.