Want to make a difference? Take Action!

This blog post was written as part of a sponsored program for State Farm®. All views expressed are entirely my own.

When my parents decided to move back to the United States I was very upset. I was perfectly content living in Puerto Rico, spending countless hours playing outdoors with my friends. I didn’t know what to expect when we moved back to Pennsylvania. Like most 12 year olds, I was nervous and anxious about starting a new school.

I started middle school, made new friends, and quickly adapted to our new life here in the States. But spending time playing outdoors was out of the question. We now lived in a neighborhood that was known for illegal activities, and drug dealers ruled the block. I could no longer ride my bike, roller blade, or simply sit outside to get fresh air.

Eventually my parents moved out of that neighborhood, but the experience impacted me. My story is one of many, and it’s a sad reminder that there are children that need a safe haven to simply be kids. These children don’t have access to a safe park to play in, or form friendships.

Some communities are simply lacking space, while others are lacking the funding required to update their playgrounds and fields. Unfortunately, many organizations that help our communities are facing the funding problem, despite having the space. Today I want to share one way you can help make a difference in your community.

If you’re passionate about a cause in your community, now is your chance to take action and submit it for a chance to win a $25,000 grant through State Farm Neighborhood Assist®.

Here’s how you can take action:

Submit your cause at www.neighborhoodassist.com between Sept. 1 and Sept. 15, 2016.
The cause submission application is short and easy to complete.
You can find it at www.neighborhoodassist.com starting September 1st.
Causes must fit into one of the following categories: safety, community development, or education.
Anyone can submit up to three causes, as long as there’s only one cause submitted per category.
A maximum of 2,000 submissions will be accepted across the country. Once you submit your cause(s), you’re done!
All you have to do is submit the cause; you don’t have to “run the program”.

Here are the questions on the application:

How much does your cause focus on an unmet need in this community?
Why do you feel the $25,000 would address the unmet need?
How much of a lasting impact on this community would the proposal have?

After the submission phase ends, the State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a group of college and high school students from across the country, will read and narrow down all the submissions to the top 200 finalists.

Once the top 200 causes are identified, they will appear on neigborhoodassist.com to be voted on by you and your community. The voting phase will last from Oct. 26 through Nov. 4, 2016, and each person gets 10 votes per day, every day, during those 10 days.

Winners will be announced on Nov. 30, 2016.

The top 40 causes with the most votes will each receive a $25,000 grant from State Farm!

Watch the video clip below for more information, and don’t forget to submit your cause(s) at neighborhoodassist.com starting Sept. 1, 2016: