De Facto Leaders

De Facto Leaders

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Creating grassroots movements to support kids in your community (with Merlin Anderson)

/ 51:45/E90
There’s a lot of talk within the therapy world about effective therapy strategies; but there’s NOT a lot of talk about how to get funding so programs can actually deliver support and resources. That’s why I was so excited to have Merlin Anderson on the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about what’s known as “ABC runs”. The concept of an ABC run started with 5 friends who wanted to help a local outdoor center with children’s programs to build a new facility. They decided to get together to go for a run, and at the same time pool their resources to make a donation. After that, they decided to make this a regular event to support local children’s charities; and they decided to call them “Adventures Benefiting Children (ABC) runs”. That first year, they held 9 events and raised just under $1,300 for local children’s charities. At the beginning, the donations seemed insignificant, but consistency and perseverance paid off. Now each individual ABC run often generates more donations than the entire first year combined. At the time this episode was recorded, ABC runs have generated over $200,000 in donations to local children’s charities. If you’ve ever felt like your therapy sessions or efforts to help are just a “drop in the bucket” and you want to find more ways to support kids in your community, episode 90 of the De Facto Leaders podcast is a must-listen.

There’s a lot of talk within the therapy world about effective therapy strategies; but there’s NOT a lot of talk about how to get funding so programs can actually deliver support and resources. That’s why I was so excited to have Merlin Anderson on the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about what’s known as “ABC runs”. The concept of an ABC run started with 5 friends who wanted to help a local outdoor center with children’s programs to build a new facility. They decided to get together to go for a run, and at the same time pool their resources to make a donation. After that, they decided to make this a regular event to support local children’s charities; and they decided to call them “Adventures Benefiting Children (ABC) runs”. That first year, they held 9 events and raised just under $1,300 for local children’s charities. At the beginning, the donations seemed insignificant, but consistency and perseverance paid off. Now each individual ABC run often generates more donations than the entire first year combined. At the time this episode was recorded, ABC runs have generated over $200,000 in donations to local children’s charities. If you’ve ever felt like your therapy sessions or efforts to help are just a “drop in the bucket” and you want to find more ways to support kids in your community, episode 90 of the De Facto Leaders podcast is a must-listen.


Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
  • Simplify and streamline technology
  • Save teachers’ time
  • Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
  • Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

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Rose Anne Miguel
Creating grassroots movements to support kids in your community (with Merlin Anderson)

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