Stories Make a Difference
I’m obsessed with helping you share your personal story and I'd like to share why.
When you dive into your story, you get to learn about who you are. You get to make meaning out of your life. You get to understand what you stand for and why.
And guess what? Your story is the one thing no one can take away from you.
By telling your story, you give us the chance to see you, experience you, and learn from you. Your story gives us a way to connect deeply with you.
You get to teach us something no one else can. All of us sitting out here in the audience, get to learn more about who we are and who we want to become. Your story becomes a gift.
I just consumed every last word of Becoming by Michelle Obama. It’s an intimate and courageous memoir of her challenges, choices and journey of change. I feel closer to her — the sign of a well told story. Telling your story takes curiosity, courage, and commitment. Hers is no exception.
And that's why I’m so excited to highlight [10] nonprofits who hired me to work with their founders, students & alums, or board chairs to tell their story and illuminate how their organization has helped them become who they are. They believe, like I do, that our stories are meant to be heard…that every voice matters...and that each one of us deserves a standing ovation!
Please celebrate with me and scroll below to take a peek at a few of the people I've been honored to work with this year. Feel free to click through to learn more about these extraordinary organizations.
Wishing you joy and gratitude this season and throughout the year,
Amigos de las Américas inspires and builds young leaders through collaborative community development and immersion in cross-cultural experiences. Learn more about AMIGOS here.
Amigos creates a bigger vision for yourself and for your place in the world. Barriers are not there to hold you back, barriers are there simply to overcome. - Liz, Amigos Alumna
Enterprise for Youth empowers young people to prepare for and discover career opportunities. Learn more about Enterprise for Youth here.
I will be the first in my family to graduate college. I’ve come so far. Enterprise taught me how to interview. How to get a job. How to reach out for help. And more than that, Enterprise helped me believe in myself. - Cal, Enterprise for Youth Alumnus
Give Breast Cancer the Boot is a biennial event started in 2008 by Jessica Parish Galloway, Nancy Bechtle and other UCSF patients and volunteers. Learn more about Give Breast Cancer the Boot here.
My hope is you find ways to nourish yourself and the people you love. At the end of the day, isn’t that what matters most? - Stephanie, Give Breast Cancer the Boot Recipient
Outward Bound California is a nonprofit educational organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through challenging learning expeditions that inspire strength of character, leadership and service to others, both in and out of the classroom. Learn more about Outward Bound California here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time in Outward Bound, it’s that if you can learn how to get comfortable being uncomfortable, great things will happen! - Joey, Outward Bound California Intern
The Barr Foundation invests in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. Learn more about The Barr Foundation here.
Don't stop making the world a better place! Whatever you feel is impossible - is possible. Everyone is valuable and can offer so much. - Starlyn, The Barr Foundation Event Speaker
Girls Hope of Pittsburgh helps young women build a foundation for success by providing a nurturing home, quality education, and opportunities through college. Learn more about Girls Hope of Pittsburgh here.
We're not defined by our hardships but by our hard work and dedication. Without my struggles, I wouldn't be the person you see now: the first in my family to go to college! - Juanita, Girls Hope Alumna
Kesem is a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer. Learn more about Kesem here.
By helping children cope with the parent's cancer, we're creating ripple effects as that child will have the tools and perspective to help others and to make a positive and lasting impact in the world. - Jane Saccaro, Kesem CEO
The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to explore, explain, and sustain life on Earth. Learn more about the California Academy of Sciences here.
I remember the first time I came to the Academy. I walked up and saw the T-Rex. At first I felt scared, but then I felt like it said to me, 'Don’t worry I will keep you safe.' Ever since that moment, I've believed the dinosaur will lead me to a happy place. - Mariam, California Academy of Sciences
Little Kids Rock trains public school teachers and donates all of the resources needed to run pop/rock-based music education classes. 850,000+ kids served! Learn more about Little Kids Rock here.
To make music, we begin by listening. Hearing is involuntary but listening is willed. Hearing is a physical act but listening is an ethical one. Hearing moves your eardrums but listening moves your heart. - Dave Wish, Little Kids Rock Founder
The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation is a global venture philanthropy firm supporting early stage, high impact social enterprises. Learn more about The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation here.
Elevating the quality and depth of your storytelling can transform your NONPROFIT fundraising, too! Please reach out to discuss how I can work with the cause you care most about in 2019: katherine@katherinekennedysf.com.