Children and Youth are actively involved in supporting social justice through tangible collections and educational efforts. They conduct several fundraisers and collections each year to support the social justice causes and or populations in need that they choose:
- For the past two years, the younger children in the RE Program have conducted an annual fundraiser in the spring. They chose to raise money for Heifer International and for the local Happy Trails Animal Sanctuary.
- Through the RE Program, the children sponsored and supported toy collections for Kent Social Services and made collections for Miller Community House and/or Freedom House, both in Kent. Miller Community House provides emergency shelter to adults and children in a housing crisis, while also providing support, advocacy, and referrals to encourage self-sufficiency and movement to permanent housing. Freedom House provides shelter and similar support to homeless veterans. Recent collections were:
2010-2011: Collected $1095 for Miller Community House.
2011-2012: Collected $1019 for Miller Community House.
2012-2013: Collected $581 for Freedom House; $75 for Miller Community House.
2013-2014: Collected $1093 for Miller Community House.
2014-2015: Collected ~ $400 for Freedom House.
2015-2016: Collected 51 specifically requested gifts for a family in Miller Community House.
2016-2017: Collected $400 for Freedom House.
2017-2018: Collected 25 specifically requested gifts and additional monetary donations (in progress) for children in foster care through Caring for Kids, Inc.
- In 2017, the Youth made and sold pet toys to support to support Planned Parenthood.
- In the fall of 2017, UUCK youth baked cookies for five Portage County Coleman satellite care centers for Mental Health Awareness and suicide prevention.
- The Youth recently assisted the Socially Responsible Sweatshop at the Kent State University Creativity Festival in teaching children and families about hidden environmental costs of buying a new cotton t-shirt and alternatives to discarding old t-shirts.
- In December, the Youth kicked off a program to collect socks and underwear for residents at the Miller House and the Freedom House
- The Youth have created concrete plans for 2018 to assist the Kent Free Library with its seed library to enable those with a low income to obtain garden seeds at no cost, and to make cookies in March for the Kent community’s Saturday hot meal program.
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