Using Photography for a Greater Good
It took more than the initial monetary donations to sustain the foundation’s ambitious projects. To generate income, in 2006, the foundation produced a set of notecards with photos of New Hope and offered them for sale as the “Box of New Hope”. It was a spontaneous response to helping others, one box at a time.
The cards were also sold by students at New Hope Solebury High School. At first the goal was to give students a positive way to respond to the loss of their fellow student. The program developed into a presentation for Teach2Serve schools to inspire students to choose service as a path in their college careers and start non-profits of their own.
All proceeds from the Box of New Hope sales were used to send boxes of items to people in need. The grassroots program was a hand up, not a hand out. Some items included school supplies, photo equipment to the Goodlands project, staples for Fishermans Mark in Lambertville, and bicycles to Pedals for Progress. Paying for the bus that transported the Bonnie Brae Knights to DC so they could perform at Obama’s 2008 inauguration, was very rewarding. When the cards sold out, the final fundraiser helped the Saxton family in New Hope remodel their home to accommodate two children with SMA.
KIPP – Knowledge Is Power Program
Inspiration for giving boxes of gear to those in need began with Jonathan in 2005, a year before he died. As a personal project, he spent time gathering used and new band instruments for KIPP:Gaston, a charter school in rural North Carolina. In 2009, Jovan Turner, a member of the first high school graduating class became a Jonny Scholar. And in 2014, Chevon Boone, (KIPP:Gaston 2009, UPenn 2013) was a commencement speaker at Foundation Academies inaugural graduation.
