MORE Free Money for Kids

Money For Kids To Develop Websites…
…The Where Fun and Learning Click! Program awards grants for the development of websites for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Contact: PBS Kids Interactive, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-739-8660; www.pbs.org; or email slovato@pbs.org.

$500 for Young Girls to Promote Health and Fitness…
…Contact: Born To Lead Grant, Youth Service America, 1101 15th Street, NW Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005; 202-296-2992; Fax: 202-296-4030; http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm; or email info@ysa.org.

$500 Grants for Community Service Efforts…
… AT&T Cares Youth Service Action Fund awards fifty annual grants of $500 each to young people (ages 5-25) and organizations to implement service and/or volunteer projects for National Youth Service Day. For more information contact: AT&T Cares Youth Service Action Fund, Youth Service America, 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005; 202-296-2992; Fax: 202-296-4030; http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm; email AT&TCARES@YSA.org.

Up to $2,000 for Disabled Youths to Volunteer…
…Contact: Clay Aiken ABLE to SERVE Awards, Youth Service America, 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005; 202-296-2992; Fax: 202-296-4030; http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm; email info@ysa.org.

$2,000 for Activism Projects by Young Women…
…Contact: The Ellen Dougherty Activist Fund, Open Meadows Foundation, P.O. Box 150-607, Van Brunt Station, Brooklyn, NY 11215; 718-768-2249; http://www.openmeadows.org/; email openmeadows@igc.org

We The People…
…It might be fun to see the whole text of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and The Declaration of Independence. To view the documents, go to their web site at www.archives.gov/welcome/index.html. You may also contact them at U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; 866-272-6272.

$200 For High School Writers…
…For a previously unpublished poem, a nonfiction essay or a short story. Contact: Amelia Student Award, Amelia Magazine, 329 East Street, Bakersfield, CA 93304; 805-323-4064.

$25,000 for Student Audio Essay…
… This award is open to 9th through 12th grade students. Entrants should submit a 3-5 minute essay based on a patriotic theme established by the VFW. Contact: VFW Voice of Democracy Essay Contest, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, VFW Building, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111; 816-986-1117; www.vfw.org, email info@vfw.org.

Money For Young Writers…
…Contestants receive a cash award for writing a short story (maximum 4,000 words) that promotes brotherhood. Contact Aim Magazine Short Story Contest, P.O. Box 1174, Maywood, IL 60153; 708-344-4414; www.aimmagazine.org.

$10,000 for High School Artists…
…High school artists that need help with furthering their education can enter the VFW Ladies Auxiliary National Patriotic Creative Art Competition. Contact: VFW Ladies Auxiliary National Patriotic Creative Art Competition, Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW National Headquarters, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111; 816-561-8655; Fax: 816-931-4753; www.ladiesauxvfw.com.

$150 For Young Artists…
…American Automobile Association (AAA) awards prizes up to $150 for children in K to 12th grade and $5,000 for college students in their School Traffic Safety Program. In the K-12 division, children submit posters. In the senior high division, students can submit essays, brochures, and even creative videos. Contact your local AAA office and ask for the School Traffic Safety Division; www.aaa.com.

Kids Teach You The Importance of Failure…
…When my eldest first tried walking, he would crawl over to the coffee table and pull himself up holding on to the edge of the table. He would look around the room and all of a sudden decide to head off to get to the couch. Well you know what happened. He would take a step and fall right down on his butt.

Undeterred, he would crawl back to the table, pull himself up, hold himself steady using the edge of the table and start off again for the couch. And of course, after a step or two, he would fall down on his butt again… He would do this over and over and over again. Continuing to fall down, pick himself up, and give it another try.

This is what life is really all about. Finding something you really want to do (for him it was walking) and then failing and failing over and over again until we get it right. We forget this as we grow older and we even tell our kids this is no longer true when they get past the first step stage.

We tell our kids (and ourselves) not to try things because they may fail. We tell them (and ourselves) to give up and try something else when they fail. The only way they (and us) are going to accomplish anything is if we keep failing.

If 20 years ago I told my son not to try and take his first step because he may fail, I’d be pushing him around in a wheel chain by now. He never would have learned how to walk. We are all that way. We all have to go out there and fail, fail, and fail over and over again so that we can do what we want to in life.
Having the courage to fail can be the most important gift you can give. Success is easy. Anyone can handle success. But most of life is dealing with failures. By two years old every kid has already learned the importance of failure by learning how to walk. So don’t make them unlearn this important lesson by protecting them from all the important failures they will encounter after they learn to walk.
Keep telling your kids (and yourself) every day to go out there and fail

Start Your Own Business and Be Your Own Boss…
…My brand new book, “Free Money for Entrepreneurs” will show you how. Learn about those grants programs that the SBA says don’t exist. There are over 10,000 programs for people who want to start or expand a business including grants, low-interest loans, loans you don’t pay back, money when the bank says “no”. Plus hundreds of free services like free help with filling out money applications, free help getting government contacts, free legal help, free marketing help, and more. Order your copy today at www.howtogetagrant.com/grentrepreneurs1.

Going Once… Going Twice…
…Bid on the Money Man’s car! Matthew Lesko is selling his one-of-a-kind bright yellow 1990 Acura Legend with black polka dots! This car has low mileage, has been well maintained and has leather seats, AC, a moon roof and ABS (4 wheel). Along with the car, the highest bidder will get a black multi-colored question mark suit for driving in style! For more details or to place your bid see www.lesko.com/CarAd.