Category: Aloha

On October 29, 2024, Something Good in the World was honored to receive a Loving Arms Award from Abbott House for our work with their refugee youth in the TRC (Transitional Resources for Children) program. The award recognized SGITW’s Director, Barbara Sarbin, as a “Friend of Abbott House,” but with a slight change to the name of the award when it was presented live! As it was crafted by Doris Laurenceau, Senior Director of the TRC program, in her beautiful, off-the-cuff presentation speech, SGITW’s Director was given a “Super Hero Award.”

Something Good in the World has always stood for Peace: engaging children in creative and imaginative play in the Children’s Peaceful Garden; guiding with sustainability and ethics in our approach to environmental education; encouraging humane treatment of all living things; modeling humanity for children in interpersonal relationships and communication; and teaching the interrelatedness of nature’s living systems.

Something Good in the World has always stood for Peace: engaging children in creative and imaginative play in the Children’s Peaceful Garden; guiding with sustainability and ethics in our approach to environmental education; encouraging humane treatment of all living things; modeling humanity for children in interpersonal relationships and communication; and teaching the interrelatedness of nature’s living systems.

From seed to sprout, the power of seeds hold all the potential for what will grow out of them. At Something Good in the World we are experiencing firsthand how something so tiny can become something so powerful. Our motto has always been: “Small steps towards a big difference,” but this concept goes far beyond words…

Every time that Something Good in the World engages in outdoor educational programs with children and families, it feels like nothing short of a miracle. So much goes into making these free programs possible: the foundationsthat fund the work, the educators who prepare the workshops, the schools andshelters who help organize the trips, the people who transport the students,the farmers who host and guide us. None of what we do would be possiblewithout the people who support the programs because they understand theimpact that nature has on the well being of children of all ages.

In June 2022, Something Good in the World is celebrating 20 years as a non-profit, charitable, children’s educational organization, under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code! And we want to celebrate with you! If you are on our email list or follow us on Facebook, you already know that we have taken up a daily challenge to post videos and photos of the past 20 years of success stories, which happened because of your participation! Whether you were a student, a parent, a teacher, or a supporter of our programs, we want to hear from you with your stories, photos, videos, and memories.

This fall, Something Good in the World really accomplished something amazing…We shipped our Envira Pod mobile educational trailer and Earth School materials to Hawai’i thanks to a generous grant and the tireless fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Volcano School of Arts & Sciences! Now our programs can continue to flourish in both Hawai’i and New York!

It’s so wonderful, incredible, and exciting to be working with children
and families in person again! Hooray for the reopening of our programs in person after a year of distance learning. What a relief! We are so happyto be out in the gardens and on the trails and farms with children again!

In the midst of feeling grateful at this time of year for all the good things that can happen and for all the light that can be generated, we want to thank you, our donors and supporters and volunteers, for keeping Something Good happening in the World!

In the face of obstacles, Something Good in the World teaches students to become versatile. The essential quality or “vitamin” of Versatility is about developing the mindset that makes one immune to self-doubt. Inside of a Golden Education Template (GET) inspired school model, SGITW needed to heed its own advice this spring. Distance learning is antithetical to experiential education – we want everything to be hands-on. But the need to change temporarily to meet new requirements is causing all of us to stretch our minds and hearts, and work at being versatile.