Unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and low graduation rates are all chronic issues affecting our community. These unpleasant affects are seen daily in our households, our streets, and in our schools. Seeing my community crumble was disheartening and created a desire in me to work towards breaking the cycle. This led me to become a part of a non profit organization called the Josephine County Foundation (JCF), whose mission is to engage the community in developing solutions to problems, and to increase philanthropy. A team including myself, three adult advisers, and five high school students were able to take steps towards improving the community. We expanded the JCF team, outreached to the community, established relationships with bigger non profits, gave out scholarships to exceptional students, and applied for grants that are to be used for future projects. In the next year, we have three projects planned that are designed to address multiple issues our area, such as low graduation rates and poverty. I am confident that this is only the beginning for the JCF and I am hopeful that it will encourage and inspire others to step up in their community and work towards making a change and ultimately breaking the cycle.