Teens Say I Care

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Our new I Care materials, created by teens, for teens and parents

Take a look. Then download for free. Voila — our new I Care book and brochure. The photo shows the results of months of hard work with Humanity Project teenagers, who helped us create all new materials for their peers. And for parents too. Brief, portable but with lots of lifesaving information presented in an appealing way that is quickly read but long remembered.

With great thanks to our partners at State Farm, we now offer the book and brochure for free. And as mentioned, you can download the book right now at no cost by using our new QR code:

Our new I Care QR code for free book downloads

I Care is an innovative Humanity Project program that began in 2012 with generous State Farm funding … and continues with ongoing support from this public-spirited company. We’re proud to make available these new I Care offerings. If a driver of any age follows the advice in the book or brochure, their chances of coming home safely are likely to increase. Both the book and brochure give solid, real-world tested tips that are simple and effective. Check out the book for yourself and see what we mean.

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It’s all part of the Humanity Project’s daily push for a more respectful world. In this case, we call it respect on the roads. Because when is respect among people more urgent than when we’re on the highway? We hope you’ll download the book, read it … and share it, please. What better way to show someone that you care?

Our Very Good Neighbor

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There is no simpler or more sincere way to say it… again: Thank you, State Farm. This community-minded organization is now more than 100 years old. For 17 of those years, State Farm has provided vital financial support for the Humanity Project. Recently we received a new major grant that allows us to do important work in 2024. As we always say to our friends at State Farm, “We can’t do it without you.” Those friends include the wonderful Jose Soto, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst, who always is there in many ways to help the community.

This year State Farm funding allows us to tackle a huge overhaul of our I Care program, which teaches critical lessons to teens and parents about “respect on the roads.” Because, really, when is respect for ourselves and others more immediately essential than when we’re driving? Since 2012, I Care has been reaching thousands of families with this core message, taught through teen-created books, websites, live workshops and more. A team of teenagers has just completed work on an updated, modernized version of our I Care books — and we expect to make everything available to the public for free in the coming days.

The evidence is clear, demonstrating that teens can improve the driving habits of their peers. Parents also greatly influence the driving of their teenage motorists, research shows. I Care seizes on this evidence in order to enlist both teens and parents in the battle against distracted driving. These collaborations include an innovative free website for parents of teen drivers: www.thp4parents.com ("The Humanity Project 4 Parents").

State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts – including auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm is ranked No. 44 on the 2023 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, visit http://www.statefarm.com.

So once more, we feel proud to be associated with this fine company. And yes, the Humanity Project can think of no better way to express our gratitude than to say, simply and sincerely … thank you, State Farm.

Welcome 2024

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Yes… A hearty welcome indeed to 2024. (Can it really be we’re nearly a quarter century into this millennium?) The Humanity Project enters our new year hopeful. And excited on many fronts.

You’ll be hearing in the coming months about some of our latest efforts, which include bold new additions to our State Farm-sponsored I Care program. We’ll unveil those changes early in 2024. Then there’s our planned Humanity Park. We’ve been working on this project for several months in partnership with our good friends at the Hollywood LGBTQ Council. Since it’s not a done deal quite yet, we’ll save most of the details for later. But we now have very strong support from key officials and neighbors in Hollywood, Florida … and we expect to receive final approvals for our renamed city park within a few weeks. We’ll keep you posted. For now, just know that we plan to transform a large city park into something very special for all residents and visitors alike — a welcoming, warm, safe refuge from our troubled world for everyone who enters Humanity Park.

Our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs have expanded in the 2023-24 school year with vital support from the Our Fund Foundation and Floatarama, among others. Those programs resume as soon as the kids return to classes. And we’ll be out and about in the community more in 2024 as well, with speaking engagements, event appearances and other outreach efforts. These are only some of the reasons we’re hopeful and excited as 2024 begins. Please join our work to promote “equality for each, respect for all” by signing our Pledge for Humanity on this website. May this new year bring all of us more peace, more health, more compassion and more hope.

Lean But Effective

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Our Thousand Youth March for Humanity — the nation’s first mass children’s march against bullying

As the Humanity Project nears our 18th birthday, we’d like to share a fact you may not know: Since our founding in 2005, we have never paid anyone a salary. We think that’s quite a record for an organization that has accomplished all that we have.

We have created from scratch several acclaimed programs, including I Care, Antibullying Through The Arts and Humanity Club. And we’ve offered them for free, reaching tens of thousands of children and adults. We organized and led the nation’s first mass children’s march against bullying, our Thousand Youth March for Humanity. The Humanity Project has made many dozens of our own original videos for kids and grownups as well as original music, stories, blogs and podcasts. We currently have two websites, our main site at thehumanityproject.com along with our site for parents of teen drivers at thp4parents.com … We’ve a social media following in excess of 10,000 people and our main website attracts visitors worldwide every day of the year, folks who want to learn our inspiring message. Hundreds of those visitors have signed our Pledge For Humanity, promising to treat others and themselves with respect in their daily lives. We could go on … and on. But we hope the point is clear: The Humanity Project has made a difference.

We couldn’t have done this without our great sponsors, including State Farm, The Our Fund Foundation, Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Google and others. They help us pay the essential bills. But those bills do not include paychecks. Our founder and president, our board members, our volunteers, our teachers and guidance counselors and students — everyone works without a salary. Small stipends to defray expenses are sometimes given, but they are very small indeed. Typically, $500 or less. And they are awarded carefully, very few and far between.

This history is part of the reason the Humanity Project consistently earns the Candid Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the respected national organization that oversees nonprofit integrity. We are very proud of that history. And we hope to continue doing what we do for many years to come, instilling greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity. “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” That’s the Humanity Project.

State Farm Saves Lives

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The Humanity Project's acclaimed "I Care" program has helped teen drivers, and parents of teen drivers, avoid car crashes for more than a decade. Now a major new State Farm grant will allow teens working under Humanity Project guidance to create a new up-to-date book on safe driving... and to offer the book free online to anyone who is interested in its important lessons. The hard copy book also will be available to schools, courts, State Farm agents and others who request it. Evidence proves parents greatly influence the driving of their teenage motorists ...if those adults understand how to help. Teens also can improve the driving habits of their peers, research shows. "I Care!" seizes on this evidence in order to enlist both teens and parents in the battle against distracted driving. The program is funded by a generous grant from State Farm, which helped create the Humanity Project "I Care" driver safety program in 2012 -- and has funded this program each year since. These collaborations include an innovative free website for parents of teen drivers: www.thp4parents.com ("The Humanity Project 4 Parents").

The “I Care” program falls under the Humanity Project mission of “instilling greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity” and our trademarked motto, “Equality For Each, Respect For All” in this way: We teach the importance of respect on the roads. Where else in daily life is mutual respect more immediately important than on our dangerous highways, where distracted drivers cause so many crashes and near-crashes? A recognition of the value of our own lives and the lives of others helps us make safety-conscious decisions when motoring. We thank State Farm once again, our loyal partners in this and other programs since 2008. And we hope you will help us to thank them by visiting their website and looking over the many excellent services they offer. State Farm, we can’t do it without you.

How To Spread The Humanity Project Message

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We’ll keep this short & sweet. Folks sometimes wonder, “How can I best explain to others what the Humanity Project is really about?” Here’s our suggestion for a good elevator speech, something you can say in 30 seconds to anyone who might be interested in our nonprofit:

“The Humanity Project believes no human being should ever have to prove their value. So the group offers a wide variety of programs that promote equality and self-worth or prevent disrespectful bullying behavior. All programs for kids and adults are free. And those programs are widely recognized for their innovative, effective lessons.”

Then perhaps refer them to our website here at www.thehumanityproject.com … We can take it from there.

If you’re a supporter of the Humanity Project, or even just a casual online follower, you can remember those few words to help connect us with others who may need our extensive resources. We want to get our values, our message and our programs to as many people as possible. And as you already know, word of mouth often is the best way to reach the public. We hope you’ll take opportunities that may come up in your daily life to tell friends, family or even strangers about the Humanity Project. In advance, we thank you!

#respectontheroads

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We’re on a campaign here at the Humanity Project. “Equality For Each, Respect For All!” And we strongly believe that in our distracted high-speed world those important values must include something we call “respect on the roads.” This means showing respect for the lives of other motorists, our passengers and ourselves whenever behind the wheel of an automobile. Because, truly, when is respect among human beings more immediately urgent than when we’re traveling on highways at 70 mph?

We’ve just created a cool new video about #respectontheroads — young kids asking all adults to drive more safely. Research shows children can influence the driving behavior of parents and other grownups if kids learn when and how to speak up. We believe this video speaks loudly to adults who drive. And we’ve just added it to our State-Farm sponsored website for parents of teen drivers, www.thp4parents.com. Check out the video on the homepage by scrolling down a bit … and then maybe also take the online safe driving course while you’re there. It’s quick and it’s fun. As always, a huge thank you to our friends and longtime major sponsor, State Farm … We can’t do it without you!

Community and Corporate Responsibility -- With Thanks!

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Today we applaud a caring and loyal friend of the Humanity Project — a friend celebrating their 100th birthday in 2022. We’re talking about our very good neighbors at State Farm. Yes, this is the centennial anniversary of that community-minded company’s founding. We are proud to call them one of our major sponsors.

And we hope you may want to listen to our new podcast with two wonderful representatives of State Farm: Jose Soto, Corporate Responsibility Analyst, and longtime State Farm agent Melba Ballard. You’ll hear a wide-ranging conversation about ways that this highly regarded corporation can help your community — and help you too. You’ll also learn that State Farm has just renewed their sponsorship of the Humanity Project with another generous grant, funding that allows us to provide our programs to both kids and adults for free. Thank you so much, State Farm! We can’t do it without you. Listen to the podcast.

One of State Farm’s annual efforts is called Neighborhood Assist. And this year, their program is bigger and better than ever. Anyone can submit an idea for a much-needed improvement in their community, with a real chance to win $25,000 to make it happen. Submit your pitch for whatever you feel is most needed locally — food for the homeless, maybe, or a community garden. Help for a school or care for the elderly. Find the details at www.neighborhoodassist.com.

Many many corporations talk about responsibility to the community. But State Farm is among the few that actually put their talk into action. We are deeply gratified to continue our long association with this quality company, which supports in tangible ways our work toward “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” We must say it again, then: Thank you, State Farm!

For Kids & Community

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Children’s Services Council of Broward County is a special friend of the Humanity Project. Today we thank them again, as so many times in the past. And we remind the community of their important work helping to improve life for kids and families.

CSC Broward is a tax-funded agency that supports programs and offers other assistance to make sure that children grow up to be healthy, educated, well-balanced human beings. What could be more important? Since 2008, Children’s Services Council of Broward County has consistently aided the work of the Humanity Project as we continue to teach kids about respect for each individual, about equality, about bullying and how to stop it. Our programs are proven effective — and we have 16 years of empirical results to show their effectiveness. CSC’s funding is a reflection of our work’s value in the local community.

We recently received another generous grant from Children’s Services Council of Broward County to build a new “Humanity Garden” at an elementary school. The garden project is part of our Humanity Club program, which works with young student leaders to help them understand and spread throughout their school the values of equality and respect. We are proud of this program — and grateful for the continued support from CSC Broward. We know that expanding the minds of children requires efforts that also connect with their hearts. Our Humanity Gardens are one important tool to do just that.

We hope you’ll visit the website of Children’s Services Council of Broward County. They play a vital role in the life of the South Florida community — and in the work of the Humanity Project. Thank you, CSC Broward!

Food, toys and families

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We’ve got a new podcast you may enjoy — something special for the upcoming holiday season. And because we’d rather have you listen than read about it, we’ll keep this blog very brief.

It’s another delightful chat with our good friend, Jose Soto, Corporate Responsibility Analyst for State Farm. As you know, State Farm has sponsored the Humanity Project every year starting in 2008 — and that public-spirited company is the reason our acclaimed I Care program exists. You likely also know that State Farm is among the most generous and responsible companies in this nation. And so once more this holiday season, State Farm is helping out with food drives, toy drives and more. In our podcast you’ll also hear about ways that you can assist families in need during this season of giving. As always, big thanks to State Farm! Listen to the podcast.

Good Neighbors, Great Partners

The “Good Neighbor” Company

The Humanity Project again offers our immense gratitude to State Farm!

We have received another major grant from this wonderful community-minded company… our consistent partner since 2008. The Humanity Project’s acclaimed I Care program teaches young children the value of respect for all people, including #respectontheroads. This means recognizing the value of our own lives and the lives of others by driving with care and attention — something too many distracted drivers often fail to do. Children can help parents to understand this idea, research shows. In our nonprofit’s focus on “Equality For Each, Respect For All,” we feel it’s important to include teachings that extend to highway safety because so many lives are lost through traffic crashes, especially among teen drivers. Teens die from highway crashes more than from any other cause. Respect for each other in this society must involve every aspect of daily life — and this means driving too.

As ever, a huge thank you to Jose Soto and our other great neighbors at State Farm. We can’t carry out all our work without your vital help each year. Be sure to check out our special website devoted to parents of teen drivers: www.thp4parents.com … It’s fun, fresh and informative. It was also created with a generous grant from State Farm. As the company itself explains their work: “State Farm's mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its 19,200 agents and 59,000 employees serve approximately 84 million policies and accounts – over 81 million auto, fire, life, health and commercial policies and over 2 million bank and investment planning services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 36 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more, please visit www.statefarm.com …”

Thanking Our New Sponsor

The Humanity Project is always happy to welcome new sponsors. These organizations and businesses provide essential funding — and without them, we would not be able to move forward in our fight for “Equality For Each, Respect For All.”

Today we are pleased to announce a new sponsorship by the large, respected law firm of Florin/Roebig. With a main office in Palm Harbor, Florida, Florin/Roebig’s trial attorneys represent clients in cases of personal injury, car accidents, medical malpractice, employee rights, construction negligence and product liability. Their other offices are located in Key West, Minneapolis and Dallas. Visit the Florin/Roebig website.

The Humanity Project believes that human beings should show equal respect for every individual — and that includes adopting behavior that we call #respectontheroads. This means having respect for your own life as well as the lives of other motorists when driving. We teach our kids and adults that respectful action on our highways involves attentive driving, without distractions such as cellphones, food and radios. And we encourage children to remind their parents about this concept whenever they’re all in the car together.

We’re glad that Florin/Roebig shares our belief in #respectontheroads. And we are grateful to this law firm for supporting our efforts. Welcome, Florin/Roebig.