Thrive Collective
Illustration by Mario Ruiz Photos & Reflection by Jeremy Del Rio The seeds that bloomed into Thrive Collective were planted in The Pile at Ground Zero on 9/11. My father Pastor Rick Del Rio’s 9/11 story and my own have been well reported. See this Tedx talk for a summary: thrivecollective.org/tedx. What’s less well known…
read more
Pictured: Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter painting with Thrive students in the Bronx. You can see it in their eyes. In every Thrive Collective program, there comes a moment when cynicism transforms into expectation. When possibility overtakes skepticism. Students who previously dismissed themselves as non-creatives start to lean in. They accept more challenging tasks. And their…
read more
Thank you Carnegie Hall for inviting Marissa Molina and Randy Mason to present the Freestyle Five workshop last week for the NeON Arts Summer Showcase event. Special thanks also to NYC Department of Probation, NYC Mayor’s Fund, and NYC Council Member Bob Holden for supporting Thrive Collective as a NeON Arts provider in Jamaica, Brownsville,…
read more
“I cried three times the day after Eddie bought us a van. Mostly, they were tears of joy and gratitude, sprinkled with a healthy dose of humbling too.” Friends, We did it! Thank you to all who donated last month to support my birthday fundraiser to replace the 2005 Grand Caravan with 187k miles that…
read more
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy Friends, Thank you for trusting us! We will make you proud. Just before the holidays, a donor challenged us with our largest matching grant opportunity ever, offering to match…
read more
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Friends, True confession: I used to hate fundraising. There are days when I’m tempted to still hate it. During a personal retreat in August, I remembered the “why” I do what I do professionally. As a…
read more
One of the highlights of 2016 for me came when Youth Specialties asked to film a short documentary about Thrive Collective’s work to feature at the National Youth Workers Convention in November. We had essentially twelve hours for filming — not much to cover 100 schools, 150 partner organizations, and 50,000 students across all five boroughs. I…
read more
Your generous response to #GivingTuesday means a historic holiday match for Thrive Collective. Please help us maximize this opportunity. In the days after launching our Bring Art Back giving campaign on #GivingTuesday, more than 60 donors contributed over $3,600, mostly online. Thank you for your generosity! In response, a donor pledged up to $36,000 – 10x…
read more