Project 150-Our Accidental Charity

In late 2011 little did I know that a big part of my life was about to change, a simple Facebook post story shared by a friend and then by me would peak the curiosity of another childhood friend to investigate the story a little further.

The story was about 150 homeless high school students in our hometown of Las Vegas, a city of bright lights, luxury and significant wealth. Yet there were 150 very determined young people struggling to get to school each day due to economic hardships and circumstances in their personal lives. No place to call home, limited resources, and a daily struggle was the story of their lives.

My childhood friend called me about these 150 kids and shared their daily challenges to stay in school. Then he said: “I think we should do something about this.” So, we decided to post a battle cry for food, clothing, gift cards, and other daily essentials to get these kids and their families through the holidays. Thanks to family and friends, in short order, we raised about $10,000 of cash and gift cards, as well as four truckloads of in-kind donations.

A new year and a new reality...the excitement of the grassroots effort that we made was great, however there was one BIG problem: there were more schools in the city with students in the same situation, there were actually 2,500 homeless, displaced or disadvantaged high school students throughout the city. Remembering the great days of growing up in Las Vegas, we felt compelled to do something about this problem, so we started Project 150: a 501c3 nonprofit organization that serves the needs of homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students in Las Vegas and Reno.

Today we serve approximately 5,000 students in over 50 high schools in Southern Nevada and 20 high schools in Northern Nevada. We provide food, clothing, school supplies, and a pathway to continuing their education or joining the workforce.

I could go on and on about this HUGE problem in our country, or about the wonderful charity that we created, however I prefer to simply post this brief story of how I found purpose in my life by taking a small step towards solving a problem in my community.

To learn more about Project 150 please check out these links:

https://www.project150.org/

https://www.project150.org/p150-video-gallery/

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, I hope it will inspire you to find your purpose.

Patrick