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The Children’s Museum has established a variety of programs to support our city, our neighborhoods, and the families that fill them. The Extraordinary Transformations campaign seeks to maintain and grow these programs. Your donation makes an impact on visitors tiny and tall. You create experiences and memories for ALL. In the My Museum blog series, we’re showing you just that.
The Power of Children Awards (POCA) began in 2005 and was inspired by the powerful stories of Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Anne Frank, from the Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit. The awards program recognizes youths who make significant contributions to their communities and create extraordinary projects to benefit others. The program was established by the Deborah Joy Simon Charitable Trust.
Each year, the museum chooses four to six incredible youth in grades 6 through 11 who have impacted their communities with extraordinary service. Students are nominated by adults such as their teachers, principals, mentors, or youth group coordinators. Winners have addressed a wide range of issues, including homelessness, domestic violence, disaster relief, literacy….the list goes on. POCA winners receive a partial scholarship to a participating university, recognition for at least one year in the Power of Children exhibit, and a $2,000 grant from the Kroger Foundation to continue to build upon their philanthropic efforts.
In the past 13 years, POCA has honored 66 students from 15 states, 45 cities, and 54 schools who have raised over 12 million dollars for their projects which directly benefited over three million people. Every November, the year’s POCA winners are honored at an elegant evening event, allowing their stories of impact to be shared even more widely. When the winners are all gathered together, we understand and appreciate that our future is in good hands; that the world is a better place because they, individually and collectively, have made a difference and want to continue to do so.
In addition, the current and past winners help to host and facilitate The Power of Children Symposium held the day after the awards event in November. This free, day-long workshop is open to 50 youths in grades 5-10 who want to learn the skills to develop and create a project on their own.
Being a foundation and witness to the extraordinary transformations of these philanthropic students is what keeps the museum motivated to maintain and grow its programs. After all, impact starts small, and POCA winners prove it.
Learn more or donate to the Extraordinary Transformations campaign.
