Friends,

Imagine the power of young people such as Hasbro Community Hero Cole Layman, 12, who started the Paws for Peace Kids Care Club in Tampa. Cole led this group in 20 service projects in his community.  Then, when he moved to Virginia, he volunteered to tutor younger students who needed academic help and urged his school to establish its first annual Random Acts of Kindness week.  In his “spare” time he composes songs to play at local senior centers, and he and his family have formed a band, “In Layman Terms,” to play those songs.

Imagine thousands of such creative, energetic kids, committed to service that resonates with their passions.

That’s why this past Saturday was such a momentous day for Points of Light Institute as we launched generationOn, a global youth service movement.  generationOn aims to ignite the power and potential of young people to solve real world problems through service. Under the umbrella of Points of Light, it gathers a variety of leading youth service resources under one umbrella.  Its innovative new Website, generationon.org, offers tools and inspiration for kids, families, teachers, and nonprofits.

New Resources for Kids, Families, and Schools

generationOn’s assets include the programs of “Children for Children,” The League, and the philanthropy curriculum “Learning to Give.”  It also includes 1,800 Kids Care Clubs and thousands of schools that reach more than two milllion students in all 50 states and around the world.  Its efforts are supported by a generous $5 million gift from The Hasbro Children’s Fund, the philanthropic arm of Hasbro, Inc.

During Saturday’s launch, young people walked the Points of Light Extra Mile Pathway honoring such past service heroes as Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr. Political commentator Cokie Roberts told them they each had the power to change the world. Then the kids rolled up their sleeves and put together hats and scarves for the homeless, wrapped 200 toys to donate for the holidays, and wrote 375 letters to the military. Actors Corbin Bleu and Madison Pettis, 12, joined us, encouraging the kids to get involved.

Finally, each young person pledged a commitment to service to fulfill over the next year.  They pledged to “feed the homeless and sing”, “inspire”, “create a recycling program”, and much more.

generationOn and The Hub

On Sunday, the brand-new generationOn announced its partnership with The Hub, the network and online venture from Hasbro, Inc. and Discovery Communications which is available in 60 million U.S. cable and satellite homes. The partnership will include televised messages supporting community service, an annual youth service event, strategic linking between generationon.org and hubworld.com, and a new “Hub Hero Award” recognizing youth who create meaningful change in their communities. The first winner is Allegra Valdivia, 12, from California, who was honored at the star-studded “Variety 2010 Power of Youth” event in Los Angeles for her efforts to help those in need. Young Hollywood activists and philanthropists attending included Justin Bieber, Bow Wow, and Shailene Woodley.

Get in the Game

We will shortly be announcing an innovative twist to our multi-year Get HandsOn Campaign to mobilize 500,000 volunteer leaders to complete 2 million projects.  You can whet your appetite for a special game of Tag by clicking on this .

In Service,

Michelle Nunn