In 5 years, Deerfield nonprofit grows from one post to a major child volunteer movement
Gratitude Generation, a Deerfield-based nonprofit that in 2022 helped 42,000 people, began with a single Facebook post from a North Shore mother.
"I am looking to teach my daughter that giving is so much more gratifying than receiving," Gratitude Generation founder Lisa Sanders posted online in 2017, as told on the group's website.
Proposing a service project to give toys to children in need, Sanders got deluged with responses from like-minded people.
Her effort gained traction, and in 2018, just months after her initial social media post, Sanders and four other women founded Gratitude Generation, or g2.
Gratitude Generation will host its fifth-anniversary benefit at 7 p.m. Friday at Loft 21, 1501 N. Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire.
More than 215 people are expected to attend and partake of food, drink, music and dancing, and live and silent auctions.
"Our fifth-anniversary benefit, upcoming golf outing and smaller fundraising events during the year ensure we can continue the important work we're doing to help people right here and in our neighboring communities," said Nicki Sutherland, Gratitude Generation's executive director and a founding board member.
Gratitude Generation leads six to nine service events monthly to help veterans, people in need of all ages, and pets and the environment. It has a "Service Squad" for children entering grades 6-12 and a Teen Board for students entering grades 7-12.
The group's original curriculum, Gratitude Lights Our World, has been introduced in elementary schools.
The organization's third Golfing Fore Gratitude event will be held June 19 at Ravinia Green Country Club in Riverwoods. The deadline for sponsorship is May 31, and for the golf package, it's June 5.
Gratitude Generation recently completed one of its largest events, Valentine's Meals for Veterans. Group volunteers filled 742 bags of groceries for military families in need. Eleven communities were involved as initial drop-off locations for the goods, including Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Highland Park, Lake Zurich and Northbrook.
From October 2020 through November 2021, the group provided 48,941 meals to people in need, according to its website.
Gratitude Generation has established relationships with more than 130 entities - schools, businesses and charities - including the Chicago Wolves and the Cook County Juvenile Court System.
"Our growth in the first five years has been remarkable," said Jill Rivkin, Gratitude Generation board secretary and a founding board member. "We have no doubt that this trajectory isn't a fluke. It's because of passion, commitment and grit that we're here and celebrating."