Organization Founded By Annie Nathan '23
While sitting at the dinner table filled with a gourmet meal in the height of quarantine, 15 year-old Annie Nathan began to think about all of the children with poor home lives who were now stuck at home in a pandemic. Annie knew she wanted to do something to help during the unforeseen time. After doing some research, she found out that savethechildren.org had a Coronavirus Response Fund that helps feed and care for children in need throughout Philadelphia. Knowing she had to think quickly, she tie-dyed her first batch of cotton face masks. In just 24 hours, she raised over $2,000. Black masks with fun designs were then added to the shop. By May 12, she sold almost $5500 worth of masks and was able to donate PPE to Jefferson Hospital and money to Save the Children. Annie kept adding more masks styles and kids sizes, and on June 2nd, just six weeks after starting, she hit $8,000 in donations. Only days later, the Black Lives Matter movement began and she added NBCDI (National Black Child Development Institute) as another recipient of donations. In just one week, she was able to donate $1,000 to the organization.
After newspaper spotlights, thousands of dollars in donations, collabs, and becoming a government certified organization, Power of Blue kept going throughout the summer. When Annie’s school opened, she realized there was not a lot of opportunities for teens to participate in extracurriculars. She wanted to recruit her friends to help her grow Power of Blue, and that’s when the ambassador program started. The plan was to recruit teens that want to get involved in their community, volunteering, fundraising, and creating awareness of people and communities in need. Ambassadors began to apply from all over the country, in places including North Carolina, Maryland, Florida, and many from the Philadelphia area. Almost 75 ambassadors later, Power of Blue is stronger than ever. They have weekly zoom meetings with committees to plan fundraising efforts as well as more ideas for masks. Power of Blue is looking forward to their first virtual 5K on November 8th. To find out more, buy a mask, or apply to the ambassador program, visit thepowerofblue.org or the Instagram @powerofblue_.