SPOTLIGHT - Speak Up for Kids PBC
Meet Coleen LaCosta, pretty much one of my favorite people on the planet. She works tirelessly to support the childhood victims of abuse and neglect in Palm Beach County Florida. As the Executive Director of the Award Winning NON-PROFIT OF THE YEAR from Non-profits First, her advise, expertise and heart is pretty much unmatched. So listen up!
How did you start out with Speak Up for Kids?
I did not start out with Speak Up for Kids. I started out at the State Attorney’s Office.That experience was my introduction to victim advocacy. Seeing the vulnerability and pain in the eyes of those who've been victimized changed the course of my life.
I found my place working on behalf of children involved in the foster and dependency systems; the most vulnerable and least able to advocate for themselves.
What’s your best advice for finding DONORS online?
This is a GREAT question.This is something we continue to work on and as we build our donor base. Social media, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, in particular, allow people to be visible with their passion and interest. If we are in alignment we work to get an introduction or meeting. We also use all the sites like Guidestar (Candid) and Charity Navigator.
Our biggest resource for this purpose is Dani, and The Charity Design Co. Dani works hard to help our online presence be visible, searchable with fresh branded content that might draw attention to our nonprofit. (oh gosh, thanks Coleen!☺️)
What is your best advice for finding VOLUNTEERS online?
Be true to your mission, operate in gratitude, and throw away the box instead of just thinking outside of it.
Speak Up for Kids' mission is 100% advocacy for all of the children we serve and we are only able to accomplish that through the work of our volunteers. Every chance we are given, we share the amazing work done by our volunteer advocates! Thankfully, social media allows us access to a huge audience where we broadcast gratitude for our volunteers and that, in turn, reaches prospective volunteers and generates new ideas. For many years we were receiving inquiries from youth interested in volunteerism and our program, as it existed, did not allow for anyone under the age of 18 to serve due to the one-on-one nature of our volunteer experience. We could not ignore the spark we ignited in local youth and their desire to serve grew into what is now Students Speak Up for Kids where youth-led advocacy yields projects and programs to serve children in foster and dependency; peer-to-peer advocacy. In this way, we have multiplied our volunteer base, reach, and impact.
What are some of your favorite charities that you follow and admire?
That is a tough question because there are so many charities serving various demographics. Charities whose mission is to constructively disrupt negative cycles in the lives of children, those moving forward initiatives in access to and normalization of mental and emotional wellness and physical health, and those that highlight the importance of and provide access to education are those with which my heart most aligns.
Fredrick Douglass said, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men," and throughout my career, I have seen that borne out. It is the organizations that, operating with a future-driven perspective, work in the present to alleviate, if not completely eradicate, certain traumatic experiences for today's children that yield the most generationally impactful results.
If a kid walked up to asking for your advice and you only had a few minutes to give ‘em your best tip, what would it be?
Oh my goodness, so many things. Kids today are so savvy, so much more worldly, funny and the style they have blows my generation out of the water! I think, based on that exercise in sending a letter to your younger self, I would say some things that seem so important are not. Be true to yourself. Embrace differences. Be KIND to everyone! TRUST your intuition. Put thought to what you put on social media; once it is out there it cannot be erased. If you can, start saving now, you will thank yourself later. Oh and life is too short to be miserable at work - find your passion & shine!
Bet YOU are inspired to help out right?
You can support foster children through SPEAK UP FOR KIDS with the purchase of one of these exclusive Mandela designs! I donate part of my proceeds of each sale to the non-profit. So get some Merch That Matters.
10% contribution to individual charities is based on final price after costs.
