Why the ThinkGive mission is important to me

Speaker: Penny Austen, Executive Director

Penny Austen: My name is Penny Austen. I'm a co-founder and Executive Director of ThinkGive. For me the work that we do at ThinkGive is important because of the number of youth that come out of our program reporting that they feel empowered. ThinkGive promotes prosocial behavior in youth. Prosocial behavior means the propensity to act kindly or generously toward others. It's a powerful but underrated protective factor against youth anxiety and depression. Data clearly shows that it's directly associated with positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes. By the end of our program, through taking action to impact both themselves and others, ThinkGive students discover that their choices matter. That their words matter. And that they matter. Today, I'm inviting you to join us in an opportunity to provide scholarship funding to 35 schools and organizations this school year. Together, we can reach and impact over 1,800 under-resourced youth. To make this happen, we need to raise $40,000. We're already over halfway to our goal. Will you help us get there? Thank you.