Plano nonprofit MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS (MPK) won the first round of DFW’s Spark Tank, providing a $5,000 initial prize and an opportunity to present again in the $20,000 November final round before 1,000 area philanthropists.
Spark Tank, the brainchild of Dallas entrepreneur and philanthropist Marc Sparks and past nonprofit executive Lynne Sipiora, is modeled after the popular TV Show ‘Shark Tank’, except that instead of budding entrepreneurs pitching to potential investors, local nonprofits gain exposure for possible funding for their causes. MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS pitched alongside two other nonprofit finalists and was selected as Spark Tank’s first 2017 winner by a 5-member philanthropist panel.
“We are thrilled to be honored by Spark Tank in this way, and are immensely grateful for the opportunity to pitch,” said Founder and Executive Director Kathy Meadows. “The $5,000 prize will provide free launch kits to start MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS as an afterschool enrichment club at sixteen local elementary schools, empowering 800 students to a life of service and leadership in our community through their hands-on service projects. We couldn’t be happier.”
The free launch kit, usually $300, includes one year’s service learning curriculum, a Director’s Guide, a customized indoor-outdoor banner, world map, Work CD with recruiting flyers and promotion certificates, spy theme music, subscription to the MPK chapter newsletter, leader training, Spy Games, and software to track “agent” progress. Principals or counselors at metro area elementary schools who are interested in learning more about how to become one of the next sixteen schools to receive the free launch kit to launch their MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS chapter may contact MPK at [email protected]
About MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS
The MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS vision is to empower kids to become “agents of change” in our world by helping others through volunteering. The kids in MPK service learning have helped 2,500,000 people in our communities and around the planet, mostly other kids. MPK changes who kids grow up to be–leaders with compassionate hearts who are ready to make an impact in whatever they choose to do. For more information, or to support the work of MISSION POSSIBLE KIDS, contact [email protected] or 972-943-0719 or visit our website at www.missionpossiblekids.org.
