Katie Robinson’s Autobiography

When I hear the word “philanthropy”, I immediately think of giving your time and/ or money to a charity or helpful service. Shortly after I started my Giving and Volunteering in America class, I learned that there are a million definitions for philanthropy and how one can go about lending a hand to those in need. A person can help by just simply giving his or her time to someone. Each person in his or her everyday life gives and shares what they know about the world to help others, even if they do not know it. We feel significantly better when we know that we have helped someone out. Over the previous years, I continuously change my thoughts about Philanthropy. I used to think being philanthropic meant giving money however; there are many other ways to make a difference in a community or in a person.

When I was younger, I did not really understand what philanthropy was or how I could even help out. My family did not regularly attend church until my seventh grade year. We started helping out at our sister church, East Lynn Christian Church, around Thanksgiving. My mom, sister and I will wake up early in the morning to go help fix mashed potatoes, turkey, and even cranberry sauce. This type of service is used help families who are not financially able to provide food for themselves. East Lynn even has drivers who deliver the meals to families who are unable to come pick up their order. I never realized how much this small act of kindness has impacted others. I will keep continuing to do this type of service every year and even after I have a family. Go to http://www.curehunger.org/GetHelp/FindAnAgency/EastLynnChristianChurch.aspx to find out more information about this service.

I started cheering when I was in fourth grade at Pendleton Jungle Gym, later renamed The Academy of Athletic Arts. Not only did my team and I cheer, we also did some services to help raise funds for our team and gym. One of the fundraisers we did was the “Kart Wheel-a-thon” where each one of us would go around our neighborhood and ask for donations. For example, if the person gave us five dollars we would have to do five kart wheels for them. I thought this was so awesome because I could show off my talents I learned as cheerleader and also, help my gym out which was like my home. Our gym also had a cheer team, Fireworks, that allowed kids with disabilities to be able to stunt, run, and cheer during a routine. I helped with this team for about two years. I would help them with donations and fundraisers so they were able to go to the same competitions our other teams went to. I remember this one little girl, Sydney, who is in a wheel chair but she wanted to do what all the other kids were doing. So, I got a group of my cheer friends and we lifted her wheel chair in the air so she could be the flyer. Sydney was even able to get out of her

My cheer team and I after we just got done with a St. Jude Cheerleading Competition.

chair, with help, and do some somersaults around the gym floor. I loved helping out these kids because they were so loving and they were being kids. They did not have to worry about anyone judging them because they knew everyone there loved them and cared for them. They made me smile so big and made me love coming to practices. The best part about this whole experience is when they did their routine at competition, our other teams would cheer with them and even teams from different gyms would clap and dance a long with them. I did not realize how much of an impact I was making on these kids’ lives. Until I started thinking about them today while writing this autobiography, they made an impact on my life too. Just because they may not look or act like me does not mean they need to be looked down upon. They need love and support just like I do. To learn more about the gym I cheered at and about all the other teams go to www.academyofathleticarts.com.

After I did All-stars for six years, I went on to do high school cheer. Our school’s cheer team was big time. All the other teams from different schools

looked up to us and thought we were amazing. We were so good; we were able to go to Disney World for UCA Nationals. Of course, we all know it cost a lot of money to fly, eat and even to get into the competition. The one thing I remember doing to help raise money for our team was the Ford Drive For Your School fundraiser. What people were able to do during this is come to our school, pick a brand new ford car they wanted to drive, fill out a piece of paper, and then Ford would donate us money equivalent to how many people drove Fords that day. The Ford owners would recognize us at one of our home football games during halftime in front of the whole crowd. By them doing this for us made me really grateful for everything. Not everyone can donate a big chunk of many to one organization. I learned from our Giving and Volunteering in America class to always receive with grace even if we cannot return the

favor. While also doing these services for cheer, my mom also worked at Butler football games, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and many more non-for profit organizations.

My family was not rich and could not afford for my sister and me to both cheer and dance without my mom working for the United Spirit organization. My mom is the one person I look up to when I think of someone being philanthropic.

She would work a full-time job during the day and then go work at a concession stand until about eleven at night. Then, my mom would get back up at four in the morning and get ready for work. She worked at Butler football games, like I said, at Klipsch Music Center for concerts, Banker Life Fieldhouse for indoor concerts and sporting events and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for NASCAR races. Sometimes, there would be multiple events happening in one week and she would only be home for three

nights at the max. I have no clue how she did it for so long but she always told my sister and I that she would do anything for us that we loved doing. It did not matter if she was ever tired, what mattered to her was that she was helping raise money for

My mom hanging out with the Butler University’s mascot while working a game.

This is a flyer from a couple years ago for the Ford Drive 4 Your School.

us. I am so proud and grateful for my mom. It hurts me just thinking about what she sacrificed for me. I hope one day I can be as strong as her. Once again, I realized that even though she was not doing something she loved, she was doing it from her heart just like God tells us. To learn more go to http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/20-3900035/united-spirit-all-star-booster-clubinc.aspx.

I have learned a lot about philanthropy through the service’s I do, through my mom, and through out my class. I now know that being philanthropic does not just mean donating, it also means way more to others and we feel better about ourselves after doing a good deed. I hope to continue learning more about philanthropy by helping out at Gleaner’s Food Bank, Midwest Food Bank, and many other organizations. Go to www.gleaners.org to find out more information about how to help. I hope one day I can tell my own kids about my philanthropic story and they would look up to me as their role model. I will continue to reflect on my services and learn and grow as a person as I try changing the world.

My classmates and I volunteering at Gleaner’s for our Philanthropy class.