M-Spot Highlight: The Green Chair Project, Doing Well By Doing Good

What is the great story from your non-profit that will make elected leaders sing Kumbaya? In a world where hyper-political partisanship reigns and racial tensions are high (just reference the recent events in Charlottesville, VA), what is the great story you can tell about your non-profit? Tell it NOW! Show politicians and government how you are PART OF THE SOLUTION AND NOT THE PROBLEM!

A PROBLEM THAT CROSSES PARTY LINES As children in Wake County, North Carolina return for another school year, many come bright-eyed, and excited to take on the challenge. Sadly, some of their classmates are arriving without a good night’s rest, having slept on the floor the previous night because they didn’t have a bed of their own. Yes, these same children are expected to compete in school next to well-rested children and are sometimes labeled quickly when they fall asleep in class. For many of these kids, it’s the beginning of a downward spiral. This issue crosses party lines and lines of race, ethnicity and gender… These are not democrat or republican, liberal or conservative children, they are simply children. A HEARTFELT SOLUTION FROM THE GREEN CHAIR PROJECT Fortunately, there is the Green Chair Project in Raleigh, North Carolina. I became familiar with them last year following my wife’s Tennis for Good charitable tennis tournament where they designated the project as the beneficiary. The Green Chair Project donates household furnishings to renew lives of participants referred from area programs who are recovering after homelessness, crisis or disaster. I honestly don’t know the extent to which the Green Chair Project has seized on their effectiveness and shared their message with elected officials. But, in an age where elected leaders preach personal responsibility and seek solutions outside of government vs. a reliance on government, the Green Chair Project has a story to tell.

Often times when a child is struggling in school (especially when falling asleep in class), a school social worker gets involved to assess the entire situation. What the social worker typically finds is that the kids are without a bed and most have little to no furniture and minimal cooking equipment to prepare a healthy, nutritious family meal.

Recognizing the need to step in and be part of the solution, The Green Chair project stepped in, applied for, and received a handful of grants administered through the City of Raleigh (HUD dollars and community enhancement grants). The Green Chair Project is providing and expanding its services to tackle challenges that strike at the core. Challenges like kids falling asleep in class due to a lack of a restful night’s sleep (cause: no bed)…..Kids suffering from allergy and asthma symptoms (cause: no bed).

Specifically to tackle the needs of children without a bed, the Green Chair project launched the “Sweeter Dreams Initiative” to provide beds for kids in Wake County without a bed of their own. Through grants and community support, the Green Chair Project was able to remove barriers to beds for children in Wake County. The program is responsible for delivering fifty beds to families in need throughout the school year at no cost to the new owner.

Why should this get our elected officials excited? While governments everywhere struggle to balance providing services while trimming budgets, the Green Chair Project’s initiative is making a major impact! They are doing their part to improve the health of our children, thereby lessening the cost of care for chronic disease such as asthma. They are reducing government educational costs by doing their part to help children get a good night’s sleep and be prepared for school, thereby helping kids successfully progress through their grade levels vs. needing remedial work at a minimum or having to repeat a grade at worst.

PinPoint Strategy is pleased to highlight the work of The Green Chair Project, a nonprofit Doing Well by Doing Good. We are excited about their enhanced mission and their wholistic approach to helping families live a sustainable lifestyle. For more information on The Green Chair Project, visit http://www.thegreenchair.org. For more information on PinPoint Strategy, visit https://www.pinpointstrategy.org ng on the icons above.