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Four Community and Business Leaders join the Pebble Tossers Board of Directors

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Four Community and Business Leaders join the Pebble Tossers Board of Directors

The 2021 board will focus on expanding offerings, diversifying its community base and helping youth develop leadership skills.

(Atlanta, GA, March 3, 2020)…Pebble Tossers, Atlanta’s leading youth development nonprofit organization, welcomes four new community and business leaders to its board of directors: Neal Chatigny, WebMD; Jason Halliburton, Merrill Lynch; Heather Housley, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch; and Brian Sengson, Bennett Thrasher.

“The Pebble Tossers Board is committed to providing support and thought leadership to the organization,” said Rebecca Sandberg, Pebble Tossers Board President. We are excited to welcome the brilliant minds of Neal, Jason, Heather, and Brian to our board. We look forward to their contributions, leadership and friendship.”

Along with the existing members, the new board members will work to guide Pebble Tossers as it tackles new projects, developments and reemerging programming after the restrictions from the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Neal Chatigny, Vice President, WebMD
A member of the WebMD team for 15 years, Neal works primarily with WebMD’s pharmaceutical clients to develop educational programs for patients. He is an active youth soccer and Little League coach and enjoys traveling with his family.

“I’m looking forward to helping Pebble Tossers expand its impact and footprint in our community,” said Neal.

Jason Halliburton, Financial Advisor/Senior Portfolio Advisor, Merrill Lynch
At Merrill Lynch, Jason works with successful business owners, senior executives and entrepreneurs to help them meet their goals. A recipient of the United States Department of Defense’s Patriotic Employer Award, Jason has a strong background in serving his community.

“I’m honored to help serve our youth and look forward to sharing my experiences to benefit this organization and our community,” said Jason.

Heather Housley, Director, Region Executive at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch
Heather’s role at Bank of America Merrill Lynch is to manage the Consumer Banking & Investments team that delivers financial advice to clients within Georgia and Tennessee. She enjoys finding ways for her family to engage in service and working as a mentor to those in her community and company.

Brian Sengson, Tax Attorney, SALT Senior Manager, Bennett Thrasher
As a tax attorney at Bennett Thrasher, Brian works with a variety of clients while specializing in M&A, sales tax, state income tax, and transfer taxes. Outside the office, he regularly hikes the Appalachian Trail, practices his woodworking and cheers on the Philadelphia Eagles. His wife and two sons share their home with two dogs.

“I am both humbled and excited at this opportunity,” said Brian. “It is a privilege to be a steward to our community in such a rewarding manner.”

2021 Board of Directors, Pebble Tossers
Rebecca Sandberg – Board President – Management Consultant
Kelly Weber – Board Vice President – OneDigital
Vijay Vaswani – Board Treasurer – Bennett Thrasher, CPA
Broughton Barry – Board Secretary – Wolters Kluwer
Brandy Brock – Google Cloud Business Solutions
Neal Chatigny – WebMD
Andy Dakshina – WorkFusion
Aaron Dixon – Alston & Bird
Leslie Graham – United Digestive
Jason Halliburton – Merrill Lynch
Heather Housley – Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
Mary Ulmer Jones – Bank of America
Elizabeth Rasberry – ABB
Asher Royal – Davita Kidney Care
Brian Sengson – Bennett Thrasher

About Pebble Tossers
Pebble Tossers is the premier local youth service organization focused on providing families with a comprehensive path to youth development through service to others, from preschool to graduation. Customized programming empowers youth to lead by providing them with resources and age-appropriate service opportunities. With Pebble Tossers, volunteers sign up, show up, and serve to create a ripple of giving in their community.

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Children helping Children – the Pebble Tossers Way

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pebble tossers cause area icon fragile childrenAt Pebble Tossers, February holds a special place in our hearts and on our calendar. February’s monthly Cause Area is Fragile Children and while we support fragile children through a variety of programs throughout the year, February always brings some special opportunities. 

The needs for fragile children are wide-ranging. Some have visible physical challenges or serious illnesses, some might be sight or hearing-impaired while  others might struggle with anxiety or have a learning disability. And then many fragile children are in difficult home situations and in need of shelter, clothing, food and school support.

Pebble Tossers works with a variety of organizations that support these children based on their needs. One week Our members may collect and organize supplies for Helping Mamas and the next they may create a fun activity such as slime-making for kids at My Sister’s House (and bringing in Georgia Tech football players to lead the fun – pic below).

One of the special organizations we work with is Create Your Dreams (CYD). Earlier this month, a team of Pebble Tossers volunteers created an activity for the kids at Create Your Dreams to help other kids in need. Alongside Pebble Tossers volunteers, the Create Your Dreams kids created Valentine’s Day activity kits for the young patients at the Sibley Heart Center. This project embodies the spirit of kids helping kids and follows the Pebble Tossers mission to build leadership through service.

Create Your Dreams is an Atlanta treasure. CYD reaches children living in low-income areas who are at-risk for not living up to their potential. Their tagline? Potential is Universal. Opportunity is Not. 

CYD works with seventeen (17) area schools and gives each family a 14-year commitment. Students join CYD in the second grade in groups of 10-12 students and remain part of that same group until they graduate high school and begin college. 

And that commitment sees tremendous results: 100% of students completing CYD graduate from high school and then…

  • 96% of graduates began a post-secondary degree
  • 88% are enrolled or have earned their post-secondary degree
  • 40% of alums who earned their bachelor’s degree, earned their master’s degree!

Visit their website at www.createyourdreams.org to learn more and be sure to sign-up + serve at our next CYD service project.

Creating Valentine's Day Kits at Create Your Dreams.
Creating Valentine’s Day Kits at Create Your Dreams
Georgia Tech Football Players at My Sister's House
Georgia Tech Football Players working with kids at My Sister’s House

 

Real Talk about Mental Health

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October 10 is World Mental Health Day.  This is a sensitive topic, but one that demands our attention. 

I’ve struggled with mental health my entire life, whether I realized it or not. I remember moments in middle school when I had to go to the school nurse because I couldn’t breathe. I would try to take full, calming breaths like my mom had taught me but no matter how deep I tried to breathe, I just wasn’t feeling right. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I struggled to understand why I got so anxious, why I couldn’t leave my bed for weeks and why, no matter how much affirmation I received from teachers, friends, and family, I didn’t feel worth it. It wasn’t until I got to college and hit rock bottom that I realized I needed help. 

Depression and anxiety plagued my sophomore year and I was unable to get myself help. From the outside, I probably looked fine but to the people that knew me best, it was clear that something was wrong and that my academic and social life was starting to be affected significantly. They called a counseling center and made me an appointment, they sat with me while I was studying and talked me through some of the darkest times I’ve had thus far. It’s a scary reality, but a reality we can no longer ignore.

Talking about mental health can be one of the scariest conversations to have. For those with little experience on the topic, it can be even scarier, but the most important thing is to try. If I had not had the support of my family and friends, I truly would not be here today. It is because of the people that love me that I was able to get help and become equipped with the tools to help me handle my mental health in the future. 

~ Grace Guynn, 2019

From a parent’s perspective, listening to your child tell you they are struggling to hold their life together is frightening. So many questions surge through your mind. Did I do something wrong? What should I do to help?  Is my child safe right this second and where can she go to get help immediately? 

I don’t claim to have answers, just more questions. But in these questions, I have learned that positive mental health can be practiced and promoted. Socially and culturally, we need to view mental health as seriously as we do other physical illnesses. The harsh fact is that suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds and, in 2017, there were 129 suicides per day in the United States. We can no longer be afraid to bring up concerns regarding a loved one’s mental health.  

Pebble Tossers strives to provide safe opportunities that promote positive outcomes for youth and teens, to foster positive relationships, and to equip youth with the support they need to grow and develop into healthy, active adults. We want youth to feel valued, respected, and to experience the joy of serving.

The World Health Organization website states that every 40 seconds someone loses their life to suicide.  They offer these tips of “40 seconds of action” to combat this:

  • If you are struggling, take 40 seconds to kickstart a conversation with someone you trust about how you are feeling. 
  • If you know someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, take 40 seconds to start a conversation and ask them how they are doing. 
  • If you work in media, highlight the 40-second statistic in interviews, articles and blog posts. 
  • If you work in the arts or on digital platforms, interrupt your production or broadcast to transmit a 40-second message about mental health or preventing suicide. 
  • If you are an employer or manager, take 40 seconds to formulate a positive message of support to your employees about resources available to them in the workplace or local community in times of mental distress. 
  • If you want your leaders to hear your request for action, record a 40-second audio clip or video telling them the action you want them to take on suicide prevention and mental health. 
  • If you have a platform for communicating with a large audience (social media, television, radio), provide 40-second slots for sharing mental health stories and messages. 
  • If you are a parent, take 40 seconds to ask your kids about their relationship with their friends.
  • If you are a teen, scroll through your social media and pay attention to sudden changes in posts of your friends, take 40 seconds to send them an encouraging chat or message.

Remember to respect the privacy of friends, colleagues or acquaintances who may be struggling and never share any information about their mental health on a public channel without their consent. 

Helpful resources:

US Dept of Health and Human Services has two apps for parents:

Bark:  Internet safety app for parents to use on all family phones that monitors text messages, emails, and social activity for signs of harmful interactions and content related to signs of cyberbullying, depression, online predators, adult content, and more.  

TalkLife: Developed by folks at Harvard and MIT, TalkLife is a peer support platform that engages an online community when people just someone who’s willing to listen. Posting can be done anonymously.  

Koko:  Developed by researchers at MIT, this app provides help for people in all states of distress from bullying and harassment to suicide and self-harm. Koko provides evidence-based supportive interactions with users while referring users in crisis to international lifelines for immediate help. 

~Jennifer Guynn, 2019

 

 

Share Love with Fragile Children

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Nate is a sweet special needs child in the fourth grade. Unlike his older brother, he has trouble verbally communicating. Unable to hold a conversation, his speech is typically limited to 1 or 2 short sentences. This makes it hard for him to make friends. “We tried keeping him in regular classes,” his father said, “but he didn’t adjust very well. He needs special attention.”

Special needs students are wide-ranging. Some have physical disabilities you can see, while others might be sight or hearing-impaired. Other kids might struggle with anxiety, or have a learning disability like dyslexia, ADHD, or autism. Special needs children might find it hard to do typical tasks like reading or getting around. Making friends can also be difficult for them. Socialization can be a challenge.

We can help share love show love to children with special needs by helping them to be more independent. We can also simply being their friend and take or showing a special interest in them the things they enjoy. Spending some quality time together is extremely valuable.

How Your Family Can Help:

– Get Involved with Special Olympics Georgia
– Volunteer with Sunshine on a Ranney Day
– Donate to the upcoming Focus + Fragile Kids Silent Auction

What is the kindest thing you can do for someone with special needs?

How Your Family Can Make A Positive Impact

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What does citizenship mean to you? Regardless of what state we live in, we are all part of the United States of America. We can look selfishly at our citizenship and only see what’s in it for us, or we can do the opposite and try to make our neighborhoods, schools, and environments better places. We can invest in the people in our local community. Let’s not forget a big part of America’s founding culture was for people to have dinner together, for neighbors to know each other and for people to help each other out.

Statistics show knowing about our country’s history – our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other important documents and events – helps us become more familiar with it. Our citizenship will mean more to us and we will want to give back out of gratitude.

We can be good citizens by knowing our history, investing in our local community, and having an attitude where it is better to give than to receive. Genuine love and appreciation of your home country will lead to small acts of service that help others.

Here are 10 ways your family can make a positive impact:

1. Help your kids share the love by donating gently loved toys at American Kidney Service, North Fulton Charities, Foster Care Support Foundation, Atlanta Mission
2. Start your spring cleaning early by sorting through your unused clothing and furniture and donating it to your local Goodwill, local thrift store, Dress for Success Atlanta or the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta
3. Prep and Deliver Meals with Open Hands Atlanta
4. Support Grieving Families and Their Children at Kate’s Club
5. Spend quality time with Elders playing games and creating smiles at A.G. Rhodes
6. Recycle with Live Thrive Atlanta
7. Explore Historical Sites and Landmarks in Your Community
8. Join in on Friday Fun Night at My Sister’s House
9. Gardening at Lost Corner Preserve
10. Become a member of Pebble Tossers and Start a Ripple of Giving

Make a commitment to your community by being an active citizen!

Live in the Joys of the Season

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Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. This holiday season experience the joy of service with Pebble Tossers. Volunteering brings the joy of serving others, the joy of connecting with your community, the joy of personal development, and the joy of spreading the holiday cheer this season. Many families in crisis experience hardships making this time difficult to find joy. When people face a crisis they are unable to adapt to, they desperately need a support structure to help them cope. Having an army of people ready to serve means the world to them. As we celebrate many holidays with our community, we hope to empower you and your family to get involved and make a difference!

Ten Atlanta Teens Awarded $1,000 grants to help those in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic

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Ten Atlanta Teens Awarded $1,000 grants to help
those in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Pebble Tossers announced grant recipients from a pool of nearly 50 applicants

(Atlanta, GA, April 7, 2020)…Pebble Tossers, Atlanta’s leading youth development nonprofit organization, awarded ten $1,000 grants to greater Atlanta teens. Each grant is being used to provide immediate assistance to low income/at-risk youth and their families in greater Atlanta affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pebble Tossers selected ten grant recipients from 48 applications and each winner developed a concept encompassing an innovative, goal-oriented project. Based on grant guidelines, each project will be developed and executed rapidly to ensure immediate impact on the community.

“The creativity and ingenuity presented in all of the projects was inspiring. This opportunity came up quickly and our local youth continue to amaze us with their passion and commitment to helping their community,” said Jennifer Guynn, Founder + Executive Director, Pebble Tossers. “Our youth want to have a voice in providing solutions during this COVID-19 crisis. These ten grants provide them with a platform and an opportunity to make a significant impact in their community.”

The winning projects range from creative food drives and care packages to 3-D printing of masks and software tutorials. All recipients of donated items are at-risk community members and organizations hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. A complete list of winning projects is available on the Pebble Tossers website, www.pebbletossers.org.

Announced only ten days prior to awarding the grant, Pebble Tossers quickly mobilized its community of nonprofits and youth volunteers to spread the word of the opportunity. The original $10,000 grant was provided to Pebble Tossers by Halle Tecco.

To learn more about the Pebble Tossers COVID-19 Youth Impact Grant and its winners please visit: www.pebbletossers.org/COVID19grant

About the Grant

The grant program, quickly organized by Halle Tecco beginning March 19th, started as an initial investment of $50,000 by Ms. Tecco and quickly grew to $400,000 as additional donations poured into the fund. Within days, 362 applications were submitted and Pebble Tossers was one of 36 nationwide recipients. The proposals were based on the following criteria:

  • The non-profit is solving an emergent problem created by COVID-19 vs. supporting ongoing operations stretched by COVID-19.
  • The use of funds is clear, compelling, efficient, and measurable.
  • The non-profit has a leadership team and board which is diverse and representative of the population they are serving.
  • The organization has already shown commitment to ameliorating the impact of COVID-19 (e.g. this isn’t a new program they invented to get a grant).
  • The non-profit is a registered 501(c)3 or is working with a registered fiscal sponsor.
  • More details: https://medium.com/@halletecco/supporting-the-helpers-during-covid-19-7cd506ec219d

About Pebble Tossers

Pebble Tossers is the premier local youth service organization focused on providing families with a comprehensive path to youth development through service to others, from preschool to graduation, or “nap to cap.” Customized programming empowers youth to lead by providing them with resources and age-appropriate opportunities. With Pebble Tossers, volunteers sign up, show up, and serve to create a ripple of giving in their community.

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