Kids These Days Are Inspiring Me to be Better

Thank you Allstate for sponsoring this post. I chose to write this post because doing good in local communities is at Allstate’s core.

Kids these days. Usually, that's a phrase older people say while shaking their head in frustration or disapproval of the younger generation. My generation though, the mamas of those kids, will be saying that phrase a little differently.

Heck, I'm already saying it differently. I'm saying it in awe and in reverence at the amazing things I'm seeing kids these days do. I see kids generously giving of their time to volunteer, kids embracing and accepting people who are different than they are, and kids advocating for social causes. Kids these days are saving the world and caring about the people who are in it. Kids these days are the next generation of leaders and change-makers and I for one don't want to stand in their way.

Kids these days are making me want to be better and it leaves me thinking that the future is bright. So, what is it about kids these days?

Kids These Days Are Inspiring Me to be Better

In 2010, we moved to a new community twenty-minutes away from our old home. It wasn't far from where we spent the previous decade, but it still required a change in schools, new grocery stores to shop at and new roots. We had three young kids and a few months after settling in, I read an article in the local paper about a mom getting together a group of teenagers weekly to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless.

Volunteering and serving our community is important to me and it was something I was already modeling to our children, but finding community service projects young kids can be a part of can be difficult. Thankfully, the PB&J project opened its doors for even the youngest member of our family and we've been meeting weekly ever since.

Every week for the past eight years a small group comes together to make around 500 sandwiches a night to be distributed to our local rescue mission. There are girl scout troops, youth sports teams, the high school football team, local cheerleaders, honor society kids and local families like us that serve elbow to elbow in a dark church dining hall.

All of us come together from different backgrounds and with different life experiences but we share the same goal for an hour each week. I think it's pretty admirable that kids these days are showing up and giving back, and this is happening all over the country, not just down the street from my house.

My daughter Isabella finished making the 100,000 sandwich in 2015

I'm encouraged by organizations like Allstate who believe in youth empowerment. They are looking to inspire the next generation through community projects that empower these young people to become the next generation of leaders and change-makers.

I loved this video where you can see Allstate's dedication to the communities where they live and work. Allstate came together to help a classroom of children who were dreaming about possibilities and then got to see those dreams come together with a pretty amazing community project.
Watch this short video to learn more about what Allstate is doing in local communities. My heart melted and I know yours will too.



I spent some time with my kids in conversation about ways that they can make a difference in their community. It was encouraging to see that some of those things we are already doing are opening their eyes to the needs around us. One of the most important things they mentioned was to stop and see the people around them. To take a second to say hello to the man on the corner begging for food, or to look the woman with the sign at the intersection in the eyes. My heart burst because this is exactly what I’ve been trying to teach them through the years. That beyond a statistic of homelessness there are people with stories. People that just want to be seen.

As a mom of young people, I love that there is an organization like Allstate that believes in kids these days. They know that kids aren't waiting for change to happen, they are creating it! Allstate gives not only their hands to assist in projects, but their hearts and their voices to their community so they can not only build up these young people, but they help create a platform these kids can stand firm on, giving them problem-solving skills, teaching them empathy and providing opportunities to learn about teamwork. All of which are important skills that will help ensure their future success.

This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.