Trip of a Lifetime

Trip of a Lifetime was featured in the Scarsdale Patch on May 12th:
Article is by Stefani Kim
In the summer of 2007, Stan Rosenberg took a trip to the West Coast and came back a new person. Then 14 years old, he brimmed with self-confidence and felt like he could change the world. 

Rosenberg realized the importance of travel as a catalyst for character development and wanted his experience to be available to everyone, not just to students with means. In September 2008 Rosenberg, along with 11 friends, started an organization called Trip of a Lifetime.

Trip of a Lifetime was founded on the premise that underprivileged students should have the opportunity to experience new places while building their confidence and leadership skills.

"I hiked the Grand Canyon in the pouring rain, which taught me persistence," Rosenberg said about his 2007 teen tour. "[It] honed my leadership skills by planning my group's time in Universal [Studios]."

The organization provides students with the money to go on trips run by American Trails West to destinations on the West Coast. In order to qualify, students must have a financial need and strong desire to instill change in their communities. 

As an example of how vital an opportunity like Trip of a Lifetime is for teens struggling with weighty issues at a young age, Rosenberg cited one student's ability to channel his grief from great personal loss into a leadership position in his "color war group."

Rosenberg, who will be heading to New York University in the fall, has been actively promoting Trip of a Lifetime by contacting schools and organizations in the area. He boasts a Facebook page, blog, and Twitter account all dedicated to the cause.  

The SHS senior hopes to expand the organization into "community service trips both domestically and abroad." In addition, he wants to increase the number of students given the opportunities to travel. Trip of a Lifetime currently funds the trips of only two students.

More than $50,000 have been raised since the organization's inception through donations from family, friends, and corporate donors. But there is still a pressing need to continue raising funds, so the organization can continue upward growth. 

As a former shy kid turned senior class government president, Rosenberg can attest to the powerful way in which traveling can change a young person's perception of the world.

Rosenberg hopes that Trip of a Lifetime will help deserving young people to foster their abilities and confidence and ultimately become future leaders in their communities by starting clubs, running for student office, or volunteering at homeless shelters.

 Students in ninth or tenth grade who qualify for financial need and have a strong desire to instill a change in their community may apply by visiting http://www.projecttoal.org/application-process.html by May 7, 2010.   Donations to Trip of a Lifetime are tax-deductible and can be made by visiting http://www.projecttoal.org/donations.html.  ______________________________________________________________________________


Trip of a Lifetime was featured on Lohud.com on February 11th:

Teen charity seeks Westchester students for free travel tours this summer

Project: Trip of a Lifetime, a Scarsdale charity which sends underprivileged teens on travel tours to build leadership skills, has raised $25,000 to continue its operations, said co-founder Stan Rosenberg.

Now, the not-for-profit organization, run by Rosenberg and 11 other teenagers from local high schools, are seeking applicants for trips this summer. The organization is beginning its application process to identify students for the scholarships, which would provide them with three-week excursions somewhere in the U.S. Students would learn leadership skills and are expected to return home to share their experiences with others and positively impact their communities, Rosenberg said.

Four to six low-income students could be chosen for the trips. Students must be in ninth grade, live in Westchester and can not have disciplinary problems in school or a criminal record. For information on the trips and application deadlines, visit http://www.projecttoal.org [1].

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Two Students Experience Trips of a Lifetime
Article from Scarsdale10583.com
 

      This summer, Trip of a Lifetime, a non-profit organization formed by twelve High School seniors from Scarsdale, raised over twenty thousand dollars and sent two high school students from Yonkers on three week teen tours to the West Coast. Both of the students selected qualified for economic need and demonstrated an interest to use this experience to better their own communities.

 

 Trip of a Lifetime was founded in 2007 after, Stan Rosenberg, its founder, went on a teen tour to the West Coast. While traveling, Stan made great friends, developed confidence in himself, and gained leadership skills (he is currently the senior class president). After discussing his experience with his family and friends, he realized the impact traveling can have on a teenager’s life and felt it was unfair only certain teenagers can afford these life-changing experiences. With the help of eleven fellow teenagers and friends, Stan formed this organization as a way to give back to his community and spread the benefits of traveling to as many people as possible.



During the past year, Trip of a Lifetime was able to raise over twenty thousand dollars from public and private donations, as well as various fundraisers throughout the year. The organization had three bake sales last year and is now starting to sell silicone wristbands to promote its cause. Besides fundraising, the organization has also set up its own website, and accounts on both twitter and facebook so people can be connected every step of the way with the organization’s progress. 


       The two students selected had amazing times on their trips. The first student selected, Ramon Rosado, is currently a sophomore at Palisades Prep in Yonkers, New York. As Ramon explained, “things I saw on this trip were amazing and unbelievable. Textbook pictures were coming to life for me.” The second student to be selected was Nicholas DeMarco who is currently a sophomore at Yonkers High School. Nick had an amazing experience and remarked “those three weeks were arguably the best three of my life, and certainly the best three in a long time.” Both Ramon and Nicholas have dealt with much adversity in their lives and these trips not only gave them a break from the difficulties they have had to endure but also provided them with a new perspective of the country.

If you would like to learn more about Project: Trip of a Lifetime, including ways to donate, please feel free to check out its recently renovated website: www.projecttoal.org. 

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Trip of a Lifetime was featured in The Journal News on December 9,2008 
Scarsdale teens look to provide 'Trip of a Lifetime'
Janie Rosman
The Journal News
SCARSDALE - Little did one Scarsdale High School junior Stan Rosenberg realize that his vacation last summer would become the Project Trip of a Lifetime.

It started when he told friends Mitchell Mosk, Philip Gallagher and Dustin Alin about his teen tour to the west coast.

"Stan was talking about his trip with America Trails West," Mosk said.

"We were thinking about a scholarship or something similar," Gallagher said.

"Then we said, 'Let's try to send other kids on the same kind of tour,' " Mosk said.

The students developed Project Trip of a Lifetime, a nonprofit group that provides scholarships for underprivileged children to go on summer teen tours around the country. The group members, most of whom are high school juniors, met Nov. 29 to discuss costs and destination ideas.

"Initially, we have focused on the fundraising process in order to obtain as much money to provide as many scholarships as possible," Mosk said. "We wanted to create a trip that kids would enjoy and that parents would trust."

The group would like to choose at least two students from different social classes and backgrounds based on two main criteria.

"One aspect is economic need, so we're going to look at schools that offer free lunch programs," Rosenberg said. "Also they (potential candidates) will have to answer one or two response questions."

Upon their return from the tour students will be asked to do community service.

"And even if they don't do a specific service they have something to bring back to their community," Rosenberg said.

"Our goal is to send students on a teen tour that will give them a life-changing experience that will help them positively influence their communities," Mosk said.

Parents John Gallagher, Sam Rosenberg and Gail Mosk are the organization's board members; however, the teenagers make their own decisions.

"They needed three adults to apply for 503C status; however, we (the board) have a hands-off approach," Sam Rosenberg said.

Incredibly the group raised $10,000 from family, friends and corporations since it received 503C status in late September. Mosk said the group estimates it will cost $8,000, including about $250 in spending money, per scholarship.

The group's goal is to interest other communities to adopt its scholarship idea.

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Trip of a Lifetime was featured in an article in the Scarsdale Inquirer on December 5, 2008

Student charity sends kids on summer teen tours
By CARRIE GILPIN

Sometimes a trip can change a life. That’s what Scarsdale High School junior Stan Rosenberg was thinking when he returned in 2007 from his own summer teen tour to California. Rosenberg was nervous before he went, but it ended up being one of the best experiences of his life. “Besides being able to see great places, the experience allowed me to grow as a person. By the end of my 20-day experience, I learned to become independent and more social at the same time. The experience also allowed me to develop leadership skills and communicate more effectively. Many of the skills that I learned on my teen tour J use today,” said Rosenberg about expanding his horizons by seeing the world. 

Upon returning home, Rosenberg realized he wanted to help send others — those who can’t afford to pay for such trips — on the same life- enriching experience. The result has been a charity called Project: Trip of a Lifetime, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for underprivileged children to go on summer teen tours around the country. Rosenberg, along with nine other high school students, has raised $10,000 so far and plans to send three or four students on a teen tour this summer. The charity has a mission statement, a plan to continue sending students on trips for years to come, and a Web site for donations and information (www. projecttoal.org). Seven Scarsdale High School students and three other students—two from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry and one from Interlochen Academy of the Arts in Michigan—started the charity: Rosenberg, Mitchell Mosk, Philip Gallagher, Dustin Alin, Matthew Fernandez, Saket Mehta, Josh Kogan, Claire Hodgdon, Ali Goldman and Marlene First. Goldman and Mosk go to Masters and First goes to Interlochen now but attended SHS until last year. They received financial planning advice from Rosenberg’s father, and legal advice on becoming a recognized charity from a family friend, said Rosenberg. “We plan on working with two SHS teachers, Ms; [Maria] Valentin and Ms. [Susanne] Conklin, to get the word out in February to public high schools in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and other cities in a call for applications for the scholarships to the teen tour,” he said. 

The trip, run by American Trails West, is the same one Rosenberg took in 2007. It is a three-week trip that takes in the sights of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Red Rock Canyon, downtown Los Angeles, San Diego, Sedona, Las Vegas Strip and the Grand Canyon. Rosenberg said students also have the opportunity to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios, UCLA, and major league baseball games. A photo album of trip highlights is included in the charity’s Web site. 

“I felt it was unfair that money should prohibit teenagers from having an experience like mine. Our goal is to make a difference in a teenager’s life by providing them with this amazing experience. Students who go on our sponsored trips will leave the trip a different person and will develop the skill set necessary to make an impact in their community,” Rosenberg said.