Reasons to Give: There is a lot of need

Jose and Cornelius enjoy a fun moment at Picture Day 2009

One good reason to give to DinoMights is that DinoMights is filling gaps in places where there is a lot of need.

Phillips, Central and Powderhorn are some of the poorest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. The median household income for Phillips Neighborhood is right about $20,000 There are about 37,000 people combined in the three South Minneapolis, MN neighborhoods served by DinoMights. Almost half of those are children and youth. 70% of the households in our neighborhoods have kids.

Unfortunately, that means that for the kids there is a deficit in resources compared to their greater metro area neighbors. Just think in terms of the opportunity to play a team sport like hockey. For a family to get started they first need to purchase equipment. For just one kid a family could spend anywhere from $500 to $1000 on equipment. By the way if you've learned the secret of a new full set of hockey for only $500 please share with the public.

Donated skates lined up for Greg Carroll Learn 2 Skate. Learn 2 Skate will serve 220 inner city youth in 2010.

Imagine you were spending 5% of your income on equipment for just one child. That has not even accounted for the ice time yet, which may be anywhere from $400 to $1200 per child.

So the cost of hockey for much of the Twin Cities metro area could represent 10% of the income for the typical Phillips Neighborhood family!

So we are helping to provide that opportunity at an affordable cost to local families. Hockey is great. Kids can learn a lot from playing on a hockey team. However, as great as hockey is, hockey is just one way that kids can get what need.

There is a lot of need that comes along with poverty, and not all of it is financial. The Search Institute defines developmental assets that kids need in order to succeed. DinoMights is helping to provide many of the assets that low income families in an urban setting have difficulty providing. A few examples include Other Caring Adults, Service to others, Safety, Positive Peer Influence, High Expectations. There are many other assets that DinoMights helps to give youth. Take a look at the whole list for 8-12 year olds here.

Without these needs met kids are likely to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. They are likely to drop out (about 45% of MPS students drop out). They are likely to come to believe that this world doesn't care about them. And the world is likely to miss out on the joy and beauty they can actually contribute.

So please consider supporting DinoMights financially this year end, because there is a lot of need. DinoMights is helping to meet those needs so that kids can succeed as adults and share their gifts with the world.

If you would like to give to DinoMights please use the widget on the right side of the screen or visit our online donation page.