Help The Telling Room empower more youth in 2020!
Dear Friends,
When we pressed pause on our regularly scheduled in-person programs in response to COVID-19, we quickly realized the truth in the old adage: necessity is the mother of invention. We've used the crisis as an opportunity to think creatively, to broaden our impact, and to meet our students and community wherever they are—digitally, virtually.
We moved our school-based and afterschool programs online and created new programming that allows us to reach kids throughout Maine, from York to Caribou and everywhere in between. In the spirit of trying something new, we thought we'd share some of what we've been up to and invite you to explore (a little or a lot!) all the ways we're reaching and writing with young people now...
This presentation includes audio and video elements that are best viewed on a laptop or desktop. You can find links to the multimedia at the bottom of this page.
We're still driven by our mission to empower youth through writing and share their voices with the world. And these last few weeks, we've been so inspired by all the young people we get to work with—no matter where they sit within the pandemic, they are telling us: We will keep writing through this time.
But to make it all work?
We need YOU.
We often say what an honor and joy it is to share the stories and poems of young people—how important it is to amplify youth voices. That is perhaps more true than ever now—but it is clearer than ever, too, that it's our young writers who are lifting us up and through this time. Together, with your help and support, we will make sure they can keep writing, sharing, and connecting—with The Telling Room, with each other, and with a world that needs their voices more than ever before.
Thank you to those who have given so generously. We know there are many organizations doing urgent work to address antiracism and the pandemic that need financial support right now. Please, those of you who are able to do so, keep the love flowing and keep giving to all the causes you care about so we can all be stronger together. We can't do our work without you—and we are so grateful for every gift.
Your donation will allow us to continue to reach young writers this summer, fall, and beyond. When you support The Telling Room, you become part of an audience that listens to young people. And our youth need to be heard because they are powerful change-makers, helping to meet the many challenges and solve the many practical and social problems that the COVID-19 era is elevating. Writing and sharing allows us to bear witness—and gives us courage to act—in these, and all, times. With your help, we'll make sure the words continue to flow.
Be safe and well,
Celine Kuhn
Executive Director
Every gift we receive will help us keep our programs free for kids and their families. Your donation ensures that our students' voices will have a significant impact on our community—now and in years to come. Thank you.
Did you know what there are new tax incentives for charitable giving as part of the CARES Act?
New Charitable Deduction Available: Up to $300 per taxpayer ($600 for a married couple) in annual charitable contributions. This deduction is available only to people who take the standard deduction (for taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions). It is an "above the line" adjustment to income that will reduce a donor's adjusted gross income, and thereby reduce taxable income. A donation to a donor advised fund does not qualify for this new deduction.
New Charitable Deduction Limits: The CARES Act suspends the 60% adjusted gross income limitation for individuals' charitable contributions for the year 2020. In a typical year, individuals can only take a charitable deduction of up to 60% of their adjusted gross income, no matter how much they give. For 2020, there is no limit, making cash contributions fully deductible.
This is not tax or charitable giving advice. Consult your accountant or financial advisor to learn more about these and other benefits of charitable giving.
We are safely visiting The Telling Room periodically to retrieve mail. If you would like to send your donation via check, please include "spring appeal" in the memo line. Thank you!
Contributions may be sent to:
The Telling Room
225 Commercial Street, Suite 201
Portland, ME 04101
The Telling Room is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible. Tax ID # / EIN: 74-3136956
Media List:
Video Playlist
Audio Playlist
Our 2019-20 Annual Appeal
Every gift we receive will help us keep our programs free for kids and their families. Your donation ensures that our students' voices will have a significant impact on our community--now and in years to come.
Why Support Us?
The Telling Room began as a grassroots group of volunteer writers and educators fueled by a belief in the power of the written word to change our community for the better. Your belief and financial support makes it possible for The Telling Room to be what it is today: a thriving nonprofit organization with a paid staff of twelve, three interns, a volunteer teaching artist in residence, and 175 volunteers serving over 3,700 students each year. We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible. Tax ID # / EIN: 74-3136956
Check out our Annual Report here.
To see a list of our generous donors, click here.
Help us write our story:
$50 allows one high school senior to attend an intensive college essay workshop.
$100 gives students an afternoon of afterschool programming in Writers Block.
$250 gives a teacher two classroom sessions of customized creative writing programming.
$500 provides for the professional publishing of our Young Emerging Authors’ books.
$1,200 gives a teacher access to an in-depth writing residency for an entire class.
$2,200 sponsors one student in our award-winning Young Writers & Leaders program.
Why Support Arts Education?
All of our core programs are 100% free to students and their families, ensuring that the students who need our services most – the students who are least likely to have a voice in the community – can participate. Your support is crucial to keeping those programs alive. Through skilled, creative, and resourceful program delivery, we minimize overhead and maximize impact. The majority of our programs cost less than $200 per student annually, and formal assessments of our programs show that Telling Room students show significant improvement in their writing, social, emotional, and academic skills. Thank you for your generous support of The Telling Room.