I recently heard someone suggest we throw out the term “non-profit” and replace it with one that affirmatively describes what non-profits do. She suggested “social profit,” and I like that term, so I’ve adopted it.

So what kind of social profits does Deep yield?

Joy: Deep fosters joy in creating, storytelling, learning, and community.

Deep’s Social Profits

Different people think about Deep in different ways.

Some people think we’re free fancy babysitters—cool free fancy babysitters. But babysitters. A place to go for kids who have no place to go.

English Language Arts teachers know we help kids become better writers and readers. And their principals understand how grades go up for kids in our program.

Politicians and policymakers see how Deep gives kids a safe place where they build life skills and become powerful members of the community.

Because we encourage our young writers to use their lives as their primary texts they often write about their families. So parents experience Deep as a very rare place where learning and family life coalesce.

Family: Deep creates rare spaces where family life and learning coalesce.
Mother and son writing together in Block by Block.

Savannah’s adult artists and creative writers know Deep as a place where our city’s extraordinarily rich local stories are documented and celebrated and cherished—especially stories that are too often ignored.

Most people in Deep’s community eventually come to value Deep as a force that encourages people to cross boundaries—boundaries of school, neighborhood, status, race, class, age and ability—boundaries that aren’t often crossed in Savannah. If you have ever been to a Deep event then you know this firsthand.

Community: stories are the fibers that bind community.
Deep kids work to tell their stories powerfully and to know
how those stories fit into their larger community.

Deep Laureate Jade Davis experienced Deep Center as a place where she could bring her private story—a story of profound challenge and courage—into the public sphere. In doing so she transformed a tale of hardship into one of heroism, and all of Savannah cheered for her.

The National Endowment for the Arts for two years in a row has recognized Deep as a national leader. Deep is the only organization in Savannah—ever—to receive NEA money for educational programming. The NEA views Deep as social-profit organization in the business of building cultural assets and helping to develop communities that aren’t always at the table when resources and favors are being handed out.

Culture: Deep documents and celebrates Savannah’s stories—
especially those that are unheard.

And the White House six months ago awarded Deep Center our nation’s highest honor for creative youth programs. First Lady Michelle Obama flew us to the White House to tell us what we already knew: Deep is a social-profit enterprise that does a pretty good job of helping young people to become masters of their own stories, and, just as importantly, helping Savannah value these young people.

Margaret Mead once famously said, “Children must be taught how to think not what to think.”

Courage: Deep fosters the courage to speak up.

Deep is all of these things that people think we are. And running through all of them is our core purpose. Deep helps Savannah’s young people learn how to think:

  • How to think creatively.
  • How think critically.
  • How to think compassionately.
  • And how to think for themselves—especially when someone tries to tell them what to think.

Power: Deep gives Savannah’s young authors the tools they need
to become masters of their own stories.

Support One of the Nation’s Leading Youth Organizations – Right Here in Savannah

Every year Deep offers free scholarships to 280 young authors for our high quality programming—programming that the White House and the National Endowment for the Arts have named among the very best in the nation. We could not offer these scholarships without our family of supporters, people like you.

We need your help to fund our fall programs. We hope to raise $20,000 by July 15.

A gift from you this spring will ensure we’re able to run our programs once again this fall. Your generosity will buy our kids pens and paper, train our instructors, develop our curriculum, pay the salaries of our hard-working staff members, strengthen partnerships with teachers and principals, help us evaluate and refine the ways we work, and enable us to develop new programs so we can reach more kids.

How can you help? By taking three actions right now. First, consider making a tax-deductible donation. How will your money be spent?

  • $228 covers the annual costs of one child in our workshops
  • $114 supports that child for one semester
  • $19 pays for one month of workshop time for that child
  • $6,500 underwrites a full year of workshops at one school, serving up to 28 children.

Second, become a Deep Patron by making your gift recurring on a monthly or annual basis. Patrons provide Deep with dependable future revenue, which affords us greater flexibility and resilience.

Third, tell your friends, family members, colleagues, and co-workers about Deep. Share our campaign widely through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, and all your social media accounts. Encourage your community to support Deep and become patrons, as well.

Please make your tax-deductible donation now.

Sincerely,

Dare Dukes
Executive Director

PS. If you gave last year, please consider doubling your donation this year, and ensure that all of Savannah’s kids get the love, instruction, and creative fun they deserve.