Global Harmony Through Personal Excellence, Inc. is a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC. Its mission is to support the expression and humanity of children. We host two annual events which bring together diverse groups of people to celebrate children and honor the human spirit. We are initiating new programs and expanding our efforts to have a more significant impact in our community and in the world. We want to showcase and interview previous essay contest winners too, and we are in the early stages of plans to conduct an international essay contest.
The organization is recognized as a Point of Light through Charlotte Trravieso, a founding Board Member. The organization is primarily run by volunteers and has received national and international press.
Essay Contest
Every spring, Global Harmony Through Personal Excellence sponsors the “Celebration of Youth” essay contest, which is open to DC public school students in grades four through nine. The essay themes encourage students to examine their thoughts and feelings around their personal experiences. Students are asked to write about their lives in their own voices. Prominent media figures and authors are the judges, and people across the city gather to hear the winners read their prize-winning essays. Winners and honorable mentions are awarded money, a certificate and congratulatory letters from accomplished people.
Holiday Event: Children Bring Cheer to Elderly Residents
Global Harmony Through Personal Excellence hosts an annual holiday event, where homeless children and families affiliated with the Community of Hope sing Christmas carols and holiday songs to the elderly at the Washington Center for Aging Services, a nursing home in northeast DC.
The children make holiday cards to give to the staff and residents as they visit. After that, the children and volunteers are taken in a rented 54 passenger bus to a private home in northwest Washington where they eat lunch, play games, hear stories, and are given useful, fun gifts.
We gather holiday gifts for children of all ages and their moms. To learn more, please click here.