Earlier this year a new organization came to town that our family was oh so very excited about. Seeds of Caring is a non-profit dedicated to creating little do-gooders (ages 2 - 12) by providing easily digestible service projects for kids and parents alike. Their Anywhere Projects can be done…you guessed it, anywhere, and their larger service projects are a beautiful way to get involved in the great community.

I was so excited to connect with Blair Everett, the Indianapolis Program Manager and am even MORE EXCITED to share their mission and ways to get involved through the following conversation.

We are big Seeds of Caring fans and originally heard about it from friends in Columbus, where it originated. What need did you see in Indianapolis that prompted you to start a second outpost?

When we realized we were ready to expand, our Board of Directors dove deep into data to figure out which city had a growing population of young families who wanted to give back as well as plenty of opportunity to help meet real community needs. Hard data led us to Indy but since getting to know the city, our hearts agree that this is a kind community where Seeds of Caring will thrive!

We love the 3 pillars you focus on to make the community a kinder place to live, work and grow. Can you share a bit about those?

Absolutely! Our three pillars are service, social action and community building. All our projects incorporate these components to help empower 2-12 year olds to see themselves as change makers and bridge builders. We provide caring adults with the tools to teach children about the causes of social issues, break down barriers that prevent us from living in full community with one another and encourage kids to use their hearts, hands and minds for good. Our programming is designed with age-appropriate guided discussion and opportunities for empathetic reflection, So whether they’re packing food for a local shelter or creating welcome kits for New American families, kids are tapping into their ability to make a difference- now and in the future. 

How do you determine which organizations are a good fit to benefit from a Seeds of Caring service project? And once you decide on an organization, what is the process for figuring out how to make the service project easily executed by littles?

For our Anywhere (remote) projects, we love to partner with local nonprofits that are looking for ways to engage young children in their mission but perhaps cannot accommodate the youngest volunteers on-site at their location. We pick organizations that are well respected, value diversity, and align with us on topics that are important to kids-topics like the environment, food insecurity, homelessness, hospitalization, inclusion, immigration, and more. Once we select a partner organization, we ask what their biggest needs are, then our team of educators and social workers gets to work finding or developing educational resources on that topic and brainstorming ways to engage young helpers in meaningful activities. We use lots of picture books, videos and games to get kids engaged and help them understand why what they are doing matters. 

Those Anywhere Projects are so fun and easy for families, friend groups and community groups to participate in. Can you expand on one that has felt extra special to you?

I have two kids of my own who love animals and our favorite project is called "Lend A Paw". This project starts out with the adult leader or parent reading a picture book called "Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog" then helping kids build empathy for animals in this situation through some reflection questions. Then they create handmade dog rope toys from old t-shirts from around the house. There's an optional donation drive, where kids can ask neighbors, friends and family to donate dog treats and used blankets that will go to IndyHumane along with the toys they've created. This project has actually prompted several families to adopt a pet from a shelter, so be forewarned :)

In your inaugural year, how many families have been able to get involved in a Seeds of Caring project? And how many organizations and individuals have benefited from those projects?

We just launched in Indianapolis in March and we've already had almost 1,000 child participants from all over the metro area engage with our programming. Right now we have 16 local nonprofit partners, ranging from Ronald McDonald House to Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis, and that number is growing quickly to support the participation of so many caregivers who want to engage kids in service.

What can we anticipate seeing from Seeds of Caring in the next 3 years?

Hopefully lots of growth in Indianapolis! As we are able to locate sustainable funding and hire local staff, we plan to start offering more than just remote projects. In Columbus, Ohio, where we are headquartered, we engage about 26,000 child participants per year through in-person volunteer events, school-based programming and much more and we hope our Indianapolis engagement will rival that fairly quickly.

How can we follow along on the great work that Seeds of Caring is doing in the community?

Please sign up for our monthly e-newsletter here and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Our first in-person public volunteer event in Indy will be a kid-friendly Martin Luther King Day of Service on January 15th, 2024 at the Madam Walker Legacy Center.

How can readers get involved?

If you know kids under 13-maybe your own kids or grandkids or perhaps your even your faith group, sports team or scout troop- we would love it if you'd register and lead those kids in one of our Anywhere projects. At any point in time, you can find 2 or 3 active Anywhere projects available for registration on our website. This video helps explain how these remote, hour-long projects work. We will send you a supply list and complete instructions by email, including where and when to drop off your completed donations. We also welcome those over 15 years old to join our Ambassador team. These behind-the-scenes volunteers are crucial in helping with donation collection and drop off as well as marketing and administrative tasks. You can learn more about that role here.

Anything else you’d like readers to know about Seeds of Caring?

We believe that children have the power to change the world! Seeds of Caring reaches kids early, while they are still forming their attitudes and behaviors toward others. In doing this, we plant seeds of compassion, kindness, generosity and more….so that as kids grow, so too do these seeds. It’s also important for children to get involved at such a young age because empathy and kindness are learned behaviors that must be taught and nurtured. Our kids watch us closely and therefore we have an opportunity to be intentional about raising humans who can see the world through another’s eyes. Thanks for considering getting any kids in your life involved!

The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces throughout Indianapolis. Her 4.5 year old twins LOVED experiencing an Anywhere Project in March and can’t wait to dive into their next project in just a few weeks with a whole bunch of neighbors. <3

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