We developed a segment of our Club last year called, "TED Ed Change", and we endeavored to find areas of need that we could serve in small ways each week.

Our club members caught fire.

But....giving and walking away from the issue wasn't enough......

We knew we had to find a way to

Understand.....

Learn.....

Uncover solutions.....

.....and innovate the Whole giving formula.

Our challenge is for ourselves, and for other Clubs, to embrace a societal, economic, or cultural group that is in need of assistance, and to delve into a thorough and comprehensive study of the chosen group, which will include a wide variety of sources, growth opportunities and reporting avenues.

From this study, which will be sectioned into phases and facilitated by a student leader, the group will reach a deep and meaningful understanding of the chosen group. After several months of research, discussion and exploration, and once a heartfelt understanding is reached, the Club will then determine the best way to serve the group.

This year, our Club has chosen has chosen to study the world of individuals whose lives have been altered by addiction. We will be studying under the umbrella of "The Omega House," a local recovery program that encompasses passionate and emphatic qualities of caring for those in need.

We are not content to give money to a cause with our eyes closed and then walk away, feeling justified.

We will invest in the lives of those we serve, so that we can strive for a deeper understanding, communicate compassion, and endeavor to create a generation of students that can recognize and resonate with a population different than their own.

We must remember, we are only a sunset, a heartbeat, a coin toss away from being "the others."

Through the Elyria Christian School TED Ed Club Innovation Project, we will strive to understand first, and then to serve in the way deemed most appropriate.