Grandma's Gifts
Encyclopedia
Grandma's Gifts is an incorporated, non-profit organization started by Emily Elizabeth Douglas
in 1993 at age 11, in memory of her grandmother. The organization provides goods and services to impoverished children and their families while focusing on Appalachian areas of the United States. Since its inception, Grandma's Gifts has raised over 12 million dollars worth of goods and services while never paying its volunteers.
Norma Ackison, Emily Douglas's grandmother, was the last of twelve children to be born before her father died, leaving her mother to raise twelve children on her own during the Great Depression
. Norma grew up in and around poverty until she married her husband Odell Ackison with who she started a profitable business. Remembering the difficulties of being impoverished, she gave back to her community whenever she could while teaching her children and grandchildren the importance of giving.
In 1989, Norma was diagnosed with breast and lung cancer. After her death in 1991, a then 9 year old Emily Douglas started drives in her grandmother's name. After two years, an organization formed and was named Grandma's Gifts in honor of Norma Ackison.
Emily Elizabeth Douglas
Emily Elizabeth Douglas is the founder and executive director of Grandma's Gifts Incorporated. She is from Powell, Ohio, and currently works for Battelle Memorial Institute with Battelle for Kids....
in 1993 at age 11, in memory of her grandmother. The organization provides goods and services to impoverished children and their families while focusing on Appalachian areas of the United States. Since its inception, Grandma's Gifts has raised over 12 million dollars worth of goods and services while never paying its volunteers.
Norma Ackison
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Norma grew up in and around poverty until she married her husband Odell Ackison with who she started a profitable business. Remembering the difficulties of being impoverished, she gave back to her community whenever she could while teaching her children and grandchildren the importance of giving.
In 1989, Norma was diagnosed with breast and lung cancer. After her death in 1991, a then 9 year old Emily Douglas started drives in her grandmother's name. After two years, an organization formed and was named Grandma's Gifts in honor of Norma Ackison.
Development
Grandma's Gifts was started after a series of project. In 1993, the group of projects prompted the start of a named organization which was when the name was chosen. In 2002, the organization began operating as a donor advise fund through The Columbus Foundation. In 2008, Grandma's Gifts became an incorporation In 2010 the organization's non-profit status as a 501(c)(3) organization was finalized.Contributions
Since its inception, Grandma's Gifts has raised and distributed over 12.5 million dollars worth of goods and services to children and their families. The goods and services are distributed by named projects organized by Grandma's Gifts or are donated directly to other non-profit organizations.Projects
Grandma's Gifts has many projects. The projects include:- Valentines for Veterans - A project where elementary, middle, and high school students create Valentines Day cards for veterans. Grandma's Gifts distributes the cards to veterans in Chillicothe, OhioChillicothe, OhioChillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
and Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington, West VirginiaHuntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
. - Christmas Angel Program - Grandma's Gifts collects and distributes toys, books, and winter apparel to children and their families in their target region.
- Trick-or-Teeth - As Appalachia has the greatest oral health problems per capita in the US, Grandma's Gifts works with middle school, high school, and college students to collect and distribute dental hygeine products and educational material to children and their families through county and city health departments in Appalachia.
- Thanksgiving Turkey Sculpture - Grandma's Gifts collects and distributes frozen turkeys and non-parishable foods to families in need on Thanksgiving. Emily started this project by making a large turkey sculpture out of canned food donated at her elementary school.
- Book Drive - Grandma's Gifts collects and distributes books to children through schools, hospitals, battered family shelters, welfare agencies, and libraries. Since its inception, Grandma's Gifts has donated over 650,000 books to children in Appalachia.
- Rainbow Project - Grandma's Gifts collects and distributes school supplies to schools and children in Appalachian areas devastates by storms.
Monetary contributions
Using monetary donations, Grandma's Gifts supplies children with educational experiences and donates directly to other non-profit organizations. Examples include:- Academy of Excellence Scholarship - The Ohio University Southern CampusOhio University Southern CampusOhio University Southern Campus is located at 1804 Liberty Avenue in Ironton, Ohio. While not as large as the main Ohio University campus located in Athens, Ohio, several degree programs are offered. The Southern Campus also features an extension located in Proctorville, Ohio, a Nature Center, and...
hosts a two week long educational summer camp for children. Grandma's Gifts grants scholarships to children whose family is unable to afford the camp. - COSI & Columbus Zoo - The organization uses monetary donations to connect students with the Columbus Center of Science and Industry, a science museum, and the Columbus ZooColumbus ZooThe Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located in Powell, Ohio , just north of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Scioto River, at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Powell Road...
by arranging field trips to Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and on-site "COSI on Wheels" trips to Appalachian school districts.
Public speaking
Grandma's Gifts encourages students to do service for children their own age through public speaking. Emily Douglas speaks to students about her experiences with giving. She encourages the students to start their own projects by showing them easy way to do so and that she was only nine years old when she started her own projects.Awards and recognitions
Since its inception, several awards have been given to Grandma's Gifts and to Emily Douglas on behalf of Grandma's Gifts. Additionally, Grandma's Gifts has been recognized from its accomplishments by notable organizations. Some of the more notable awards and recognitions include:- The Siena Medal from Theta Phi Alpha FraternityTheta Phi AlphaTheta Phi Alpha women's fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 national sororities recognized in the National Panhellenic Conference...
- American City Business JournalsAmerican City Business JournalsAmerican City Business Journals is an American newspaper chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Advance Publications. It has a range of media including 41 primary metropolitan weekly publications, which reach 4 million readers with business community related news, and Bizjournals, the...
's Forty Under 40 award - Glamour MagazineGlamour (magazine)Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
's Sally Hanson Best of You finalist - L'OrealL'OréalThe L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
Paris Women of Worth Finalist - Hannity's AmericaHannity's AmericaHannity's America was a weekly American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by Sean Hannity. It was replaced in January 2009 with Hannity.-Overview:...
as the Hero of the Week, Fox News - Volvo For Life Awards, Semi-Finalist
- International SERTOMASertomaSertoma Park is a park in Bismarck, North Dakota. Sertoma is on a three mile stretch of riverside plain on the Missouri River. The Lewis and Clark Riverboat docks at the park when it is not giving tours of the river where Lewis and Clark once were over 200 years ago...
, Service to Mankind Award - American Profiles, Hometown Hero
- Miami UniversityMiami UniversityMiami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
, Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Temple Award for Creative Altruism from the Institute of Noetic Sciences
- Seventeen Magazine Community Service Grand Prize Winner
- Family Circle Magazine, Halo Award
- Selected as a Giraffe by the Giraffe Heroes Project, as a person who all sticks their neck out for the common good
- The American Institute for Public Service, Jefferson AwardJoseph Jefferson AwardsThe Joseph Jefferson Awards are given annually by a volunteer non-profit committee to acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are given in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson...
- The Hitachi FoundationThe Hitachi FoundationThe Hitachi Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropic organization founded in 1985 with an endowment from Hitachi, Ltd. Its stated purpose is to “improve the quality of life for economically isolated people in the United States and to help Hitachi learn how to better fulfill its...
's, Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community - Selected as a Paramount/UPN Network Millennium Mentor
- Recipient of the The Steak EscapeSteak EscapeSteak Escape is a restaurant based in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Locations are typically found in food courts in shopping malls as well as airports, all serving a variety of menu items including Cheesesteaks.-External links:*...
Curious Kid Grant - National Child Labor CommitteeNational Child Labor CommitteeThe National Child Labor Committee, or NCLC, is a private, non-profit organization in the United States that serves as a leading proponent for the national child labor reform movement...
, Lewis Hine Award - President's Service Award, The highest non-military award given to a US citizen for public service
- The Caring Institute, National Youth Caring Award
- Volunteer Ohio, Outstanding Youth Volunteer of the Year Award
- Freedoms Foundation, George Washington Honor Medal
- Appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of Oprah's Angels, in recognition of Grandma's Gifts
- Prudential Spirit of Community AwardPrudential Spirit of Community AwardThe Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service...
, National Award Winner
External links
- GrandmasGifts.org - Grandma's Gifts Official Website