When thinkingn of a non-profit organization deserving of $25k, it’s honestly a no brainer for me that Coyote Central would be the most deserving in my eyes.
I’m a little biased considering I spent s good chunk of my childhood in that building and taking the classes they had to offer- but I think within that perspective, I’m able to truly speak to how important a safe space like that can be for kids to learn and grow and adapt.
I have always been heavily interested in the arts, so even then I was taking classes expanding on those interest and dedicating time and energy to really think about what I could see myself doing as I got older.
And even though their classes cost money, they offered fairly generous expense waivers that allowed children from lower income families to try their hand at something they otherwise would have never been able to try before.
Every instructor, administrator, just adult active in the organization always put the children first. And even the kids could tell. Since I had attended so many classes and taken up many leadership roles, the president herself offered me the chance to be more active in the organization, and be a kid other kids could talk to and know their voices were being heard by someone who understands them and will actually help make any changes they want to see.
To show the understanding that kids are more likely and comfortable talking to each other about what’s on their minds and more heavy topics like what they like and don’t like about the class their taking, even at a young age showed me how much Coyote Central valued children expressing initiative and the freedom to explore and learn and not be afraid to speak their minds.
This kind of environment was also imperative to have in the central district. Shooting in that area have increased and overall having a safe space where children can take refuge and feel safe should always be imbursed.
In short, overall, Coyote Central is a safe space for children that allows them to explore their creativity, passions, and themselves all while maintaining a healthy balance of the children feeling comfortable push themselves and adults/ staff members making sure they don’t push themselves too hard.