Statements
Mission
Can'd Aid rallies volunteers from all walks of life to build thriving communities. Through our unique + integrated approach, we distribute water, provide access and opportunities for underserved youth to experience music, arts and the outdoors; and protect and restore the environment.
Background
In September 2013, Can'd Aid was immediately propelled into action when a historic flood devastated Colorado communities. Can'd Aid quickly mobilized - raising funds and rallying volunteers to help businesses and families rebuild. The initial success of our disaster response efforts sparked many more collaborative projects, including canning clean drinking water for communities in need and mucking and gutting homes devastated by disaster.
Strengthened by the positive results in Lyons, Can'd Aid began focusing on building its signature programs, designed to empower people to make a difference in their own backyard. From rallying volunteers to build bikes & skateboards for at-risk youth, distributing clean drinking water, restoring trails and waterways, educating people about the importance of recycling, or partnering with Grammy award-winning musicians to provide instruments and music lessons for underserved children, Can'd Aid's impact grew exponentially.
Now, almost a decade later, Can'd Aid continues to listen and respond quickly to evolving community needs across the United States with Nashville being a core city.
Impact
Children nationwide average 7 hours of screen time daily, and only 1 in 5 get the recommended daily exercise. These troubling statistics, coupled with the isolating impacts of the pandemic, are contributing to an ongoing mental health crisis in children. Of the approximately 1 million K-12 students in Tennessee, an estimated 278,000 live in households with incomes below the official poverty level. With limited resources available to provide Tennessee's children with healthy and engaging outlets, there is an urgent need to provide the community with tools that foster healthy habits at school and home. Inspiring creativity and a love of healthy exercise will influence Tennessee's youth and have lasting positive impacts through adulthood.
Can'd Aid, a Colorado-based national nonprofit creating a movement to rally people from all walks of life to become catalysts for change in their communities, has made Tennessee its home away from home. The organization is creating impactful opportunities for the local community to provide Tennessee's youth with the tools they need to get involved in healthy activities and engage meaningfully in music, the arts, and sports.
Since 2018, Can'd Aid has engaged a growing network of corporate partners, community leaders, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers working together to provide Tennessee's children with over 2,500 bikes and skateboards, 100 musical instruments, and 1,150 art kits. With a community- and people-centered approach, Can'd Aid has been the moving force behind a ripple effect of giving back that has provided children in the Nashville metro area with the resources they need to get off their screens and engage in healthy, creative outlets. To date, Can'd Aid has worked with almost 40 nonprofit centers and school districts in the Nashville area to provide students with access to creative and healthy outlets.
Through its unique programming, Can'd Aid helps bring volunteers with a variety of interests into its organization. For example, Can'd Aid's Music + Arts program works with award-winning musicians across genres, who volunteer to give intimate performances and donate brand new instruments to Nashville music classrooms in need. Known as TUNES Ambassadors, these musicians say philanthropy is a healing and inspiring way to give back on the road, and they all agree - the energy from the kids during donations is unreal. Steep Canyon Rangers, Tyler Childers, The Infamous Stringdusters, and local groups like the Vegabonds, have all been a part of this unique volunteer program.
Can'd Aid's Treads + Trails program works with volunteers from the community and corporate partners to build bikes and skateboards for local youth. On the day of donations, professional skateboarders and bike pros facilitate hands-on demonstrations for students, teaching and encouraging them to ride safely and have fun. For so many of the students, these donation events are their first time interacting with professional athletes and musicians, leaving them inspired and empowered to be creative and active.
Can'd Aid continues to strengthen its impact in the Nashville community year-over-year. Last year alone, the nonprofit built 1,600 bikes and skateboards and donated over 40 instruments to Nashville-area youth. The Journeys Group and Seagate Technology are among the corporate partners who have helped fund Can'd Aid and allowed the organization to increase its impact in the Nashville community. In 2023, Can'd Aid is also developing a Nashville Advisory Committee, whose members will work as liaisons and guide the nonprofit by helping to assess local needs, prioritize program initiatives, and serve as Can'd Aid's voice in the community.
By engaging the community in the Nashville metro area, Can'd Aid has helped to improve the quality of life of more than 3,750 students and provided enrichment opportunities for classrooms since 2018.
Needs
Nearly 1 in 10 children in Tennessee are diagnosed with anxiety or depression. While the CDC recommends that children between the ages of 6-17 should participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least an hour per day, it also reports that less than 25% of children are meeting that recommended amount of exercise. Healthy movement and consistent exercise correlate with better physical health outcomes for children, better overall academic performance, and lower rates of depression and anxiety.
Tennessee's child poverty rate in 2020 was 18.8%, about 20% higher than the estimated 15.7% national rate. While moderate exercise and access to music and the arts have been proven to reduce the impacts of anxiety and depression in children, in many underserved school districts across Tennessee, some families struggle to provide healthy after-school activities for students. Providing children with a new bicycle, skateboard, safety gear, or art supplies can be challenging or inaccessible for many parents. Can'd Aid's programs in Tennessee engage the community and rally volunteers, donors, and community partners to participate in solutions-oriented outcomes for students that last a lifetime.
CEO Statement
Can'd Aid is firmly rooted in the belief that everyone has the power to give back and do good. That simple concept sparked our idea to build a truly unique organization that engages the networks of our community and inspires people from all walks of life to contribute to giving back. By combining a collaborative culture with an entrepreneurial spirit, Can'd Aid engages stakeholders from all aspects of the community to give back meaningfully and make a difference in their backyard. From rallying volunteers to donate art kits and instruments to building bikes and skateboards for at-risk youth, distributing clean drinking water, restoring trails and waterways, and educating people about the importance of recycling, Can'd Aid's impact helps improve the quality of life for not only the recipients and beneficiaries of donations but also the volunteers themselves. With a unique approach, we work to listen and respond quickly to evolving community needs of Nashville and the surrounding area.
Our integrated approach has been enhanced by the support of several large companies and a rapidly growing volunteer base. We are excited to connect with community leaders in our Nashville Advisory Committee launching this year. Support like this allows us to create deep and meaningful impacts by distributing clean drinking water, providing access and opportunities for underserved youth to music, arts and the outdoors, while working to protect and restore the environment. -Diana Ralston, Can'd Aid founder and executive director
Board Chair Statement
In September of 2013, Diana and I were inspired to found Can'd Aid and were immediately propelled into action when a historic flood devastated Colorado communities, including the small town of Lyons, the birthplace of Oskar Blues Brewery. In partnership with Oskar Blues, Can'd Aid quickly mobilized by raising funds, providing resources and rallying volunteers to help Lyons' businesses and families rebuild. The initial success of our disaster response efforts sparked many more collaborative projects, including canning clean drinking water for communities in need and mucking and gutting homes devastated by disaster. While the mission started at Oskar Blues, Can'd Aid is now a fully independent and publicly funded 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Strengthened by the positive results in Lyons those first few years, Can'd Aid began focusing on building its signature programs, designed to empower people to make a difference in their own backyard. Now, 10 years later, Can'd Aid's women-led team has grown the impact of our programs exponentially to reach more people in states and communities nationwide, including Nashville.
-Dale Katechis, founder of Oskar Blues Brewery and Can'd Aid board president
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts Services |
| Tertiary Category: | Community Improvement, Capacity Building - Community & Neighborhood Development |
Areas Served
Can'd Aid's impact in Tennessee has been strengthened by a community focus in Nashville and the surrounding areas, including Franklin, Hendersonville, and Waverly. More than 40 nonprofit organizations and school districts in middle Tennessee have helped provide enrichment opportunities for more than 3,750 students since 2018.
| TN - Davidson |
| National |
