- project leader
- Power Of We Team .
- location
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Lorimer Street(Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
- latest update rss
- 💥💥grand finale!
the project
POW! (Power Of We!) is a community organization with inclusive, free, volunteer-run programs for people of all abilities, backgrounds and ages that are packed with creativity, friends and fun. Since 2019, we’ve been offering enrichment programs in Brooklyn and on Zoom. Inclusive soccer classes (thank you to our generous sponsor, Super Soccer Stars), dance and dance therapy, Brain Gymnastics, music, interactive storytime, and arts & crafts is just a sample of what we’ve offered in the past and plan to offer in the future. We’ve recently begun to partner with the Elementary Inclusive Program at Columbia University’s Teachers College to offer tutoring--something we’re very excited about! We focus on inclusion, developing strong friendships and decreasing the fear of the unknown. Our programs seek to improve listening skills, general social skills, gross & fine motor skills, muscle memory, speech and language development as well as independence and self advocacy. Our goal is to welcome more and more individuals and families, and to cater to everyone’s needs and wishes.
We are in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)3, and are on track to achieve that status by Spring 2022. We need funds to achieve this, and to continue offering our programs free of charge, and to add more programs in the future.
the steps
Beginning of 2022:
--Getting our remote office up and running with the purchase of supplies
--Building our community and recruiting more volunteers
Spring 2022:
--Renting space for Winter and Spring programs (Dance, Soccer, Music, and more)
--Purchasing insurance and hiring a part-time bookkeeper and an accountant.
Long term (mid-2022 and beyond):
-Hiring of staff and additional consultants (accessibility consultants, a speech therapist, a social worker, more)
-A primary goal for the future is to offer more programming specifically catered to adults including elders, to continue working towards our overarching goal of connecting all generations.
-We plan to continue offering programming over Zoom for those who can’t make it to our programs in-person. In addition to the tutoring we’re just now beginning to offer, we’ve been doing a Zoom-specific group program on some Saturdays, which includes interactive storytelling, music, arts & crafts created with common household supplies, and music. We’re also planning to offer a Zoom option for in-person programs, in which a dedicated volunteer will act as a liaison for those attending virtually. This is one of the (many) reasons we need additional volunteers.
why we're doing it
We love Brooklyn (and plan to expand once we are ready for this), but like so much of America, it’s in many ways segregated--not just by class and race, but also by disability status. We believe that inclusion is the cornerstone of a healthy society. Founded by Regine Polenz, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, our vision is to cherish and encourage each person's strengths and abilities, and create a safe and inspiring space for learning, exploration, self-expression, development of empathy and friendship-building. We do this by providing community support and enrichment programs to develop a variety of skills for individuals of all abilities, ages and backgrounds. We believe in planting the seed of respect for inclusivity and diversity as early in one’s life and as much as possible can lead to a more holistic social perception. We believe inclusion works.
budget
Disbursed budget 2.24.2022:
Insurance--$2300
Office Supplies/Services (Zoom Pro, Quickbooks, Volunteermatch.org, computer, printer, PPE)--$2791
Website & domain for the next 2 years--$270
Social media advertising--$500
Background checks for our volunteers--$700
Labor costs (Accountant, bookkeeper, program developers, social media manager, web designer)-- $13,121.48. (Our goal is to eventually have full-time salaried employees, but for now we will hire people on a freelance basis)
Total: $19,682.48
TOTAL RAISED = | $21,394.00 |
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) | $1,069.70 |
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) | $641.82 |
TOTAL TO DISBURSE= | $19,682.48 |
Original budget:
Right now, we’re trying to raise enough to keep us on our feet while we wait for our permanent 501(c)3 status to be approved by the IRS. Our immediate needs are:
Insurance--$2300
Office Supplies/Services (Zoom Pro, Quickbooks, Volunteermatch.org, computer, printer, PPE)--$3200
Website & domain for the next 2 years--$270
Social media advertising--$500
Space rentals--$3200
Background checks for our volunteers--$1000
Labor costs (Accountant, bookkeeper, program developers, social media manager, web designer)-- $16,000 (Our goal is to eventually have full-time salaried employees, but for now we will hire people on a freelance basis)
Total: $26,470
TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED | $26,470 |
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) | $1,439 |
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) (Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.) |
$863 |
TOTAL TO RAISE= | $28,772 |
Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised.
updates
💥💥grand finale!
Posted 02/01/2022 - 12:07am
Thank you to Diane K. for your generous donation within the last hrs of our very first fundraiser!
💥💥grand finale!
Posted 02/01/2022 - 12:07am
Thank you to Diane K. for your generous donation within the last hrs of our very first fundraiser!
💥POW! so much appreciates everyone’s contribution!
Posted 01/22/2022 - 10:56pm
Thank you to Christina W.!
💥Thank you to John‘s Crazy Socks!
Posted 01/19/2022 - 9:17pm
We feel so supported by an amazing business like yours!
💥Thank you for your generosity
Posted 01/14/2022 - 8:25am
to Steven Zelicoff! We appreciate this very much!
💥 Peter Pan Donut & Pastry shop rocks!
Posted 01/08/2022 - 11:35am
Thank you so much for your generosity! We value local support a lot!
💥A huge thank you to the
Posted 01/06/2022 - 9:07pm
Lee Pei Family! Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
💥An other generous donation!
Posted 01/05/2022 - 12:22am
Big thank you to Cathy and Rob Long!
💥Yes, you got it! We are still running our campaign!
Posted 01/04/2022 - 4:38pm
Huge Thank you to D&K Thompson!!
💥What a great way to start the new year with thoughtful people thinking of us!
Posted 01/01/2022 - 9:31pm
Huge thank you to A&A and an anonymous donor!
photos
This is where photos will go once we build flickr integrationdonors
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Anonymous
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Diana K.
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Christina W.
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John's Crazy Socks
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Steven Zelicoff
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Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop
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Lee&Pei family
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Cathy and Rob Long
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D+K Thompson
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Anonymous
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A&A
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Emilio Bernier
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Neena B.
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Catherine M.
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jim w.
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Reiner L.
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Adele L.
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Fernando Z.
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Monica and John A.
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Mothership NYC
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Mary D.
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John K.
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Enzo & Menina
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Sachiko S.
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Eve S.
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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rome
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Bradford R.
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Bobby Neel A.
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Peggy Ross
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Anonymous
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JILL R.
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Kazumi Tanaka
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Anonymous
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Simon L.
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David A.
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Ben L.
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Adam Geisler
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On behalf of Sarah and Jed ❤️
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John's Crazy Socks
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josh g.
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Eleanore P.
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Jason K.
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On behalf of Jed and Sarah
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Megan T.
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Seth & Lori Horowitz
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Mel P.
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Brian L.
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The Savages and the Andersons
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Norm B.
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The Kopers
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Iwona M.
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Kristina Milne DaVia
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Mandy R.
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Chin Ella M.
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Shannon T.
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Nicole L.
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Iris G.
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Anne Lewis
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Rosen Family
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Jezrael S.
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Elyssa H.
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Kim-Knight Family
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Anonymous
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Jennifer D.
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Sally L.
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Karmen R.
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Nancey F. Harris
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James Ming
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Thaweejit Williams
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Lisa and Donny Z.
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Susan G.
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Jeremy H.
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C. James Zeszutek
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Jonah’s Grandma
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Jed Berger
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Michael P & Yvonne Dettlaff
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Jon L.
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alice F.
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Regine P.
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Markova Jana
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Khushi & Warren