There were 4,641 applications submitted and we’re grateful to have made it in the final 100. Last week alldaybuffet made it to the Case Foundation’s “Make It Your Own Awards” top 100 semifinalists! Check out the others that made the cut here.
The Make It Your Own Awards™ is about people connecting with others in their community, forming solutions, and taking action.
The Make It Your Own Awards™ came about in response to research showing that many people feel disconnected from public leaders and institutions and don’t believe they have the power to make a real difference in their community. These findings were the reason for a paper we released last fall, Citizens at the Center: A New Approach to Civic Engagement* by Cynthia Gibson, which suggests that if people are actually going to get engaged and stay engaged in their communities, one thing has to happen first — they must have more chances to connect with one another (including those they might disagree with) and figure out how they can work together for the common good.
This isn’t a “bottom-up” or “top-down” approach. It’s a combination of both.
… alldaybuffet anyone?
The top 100 finalists will get $100 from the Case Foundation to jump-start their idea. Next, twenty finalists will receive a $10,000 grant to make their idea into a reality. The final four (chosen by a public online vote aka: all of you) will get an additional $25,000 grant — for a total of $35,000. Everyone who applies will receive GOOD Magazine and online tools to help them share their idea with others and raise funds online.
So stay tuned! We may need your help getting out the vote and we’ll want your help and ideas on what alldaybuffet should expand to next. As you know, we’ve been expanding our Cause for Drinks monthly happy hours, but who knows what could be next? A clothing line? Music festival? The possibilities are endless (especially if we get $35,000 in the bank) just let us know what you think they are!
