TomTod Ideas

10/07/2026

09/25/2026

What if middle schoolers didn't just learn to cook, but learned how to design, prepare, and deliver wholesome meals for neighbors in need?

Meet “Mix It Up in Akron,” an idea born from middle schoolers at camp this summer, now one of our active What If You Could projects! Mix It Up is a hands-on culinary initiative designed to foster independence, self-confidence, and practical life skills for Middle Schoolers.

Swipe through the photos to see how our young innovators take this project from concept to kitchen:
Brainstorming & Meal Design: Mapping out balanced nutrition, food groups, and recipe logistics using Liberatory Design.
Mastering Culinary Fundamentals: Learning knife safety, measuring, flavor building, and kitchen confidence with guest chefs.
Nourishing the Community: Baking fresh bread, cooking balanced dinners, and delivering wholesome food to local families experiencing food insecurity.

When young people are trusted with real skills, expert mentors, and real-world impact, incredible things happen for their confidence, health, and sense of connection!

Keeping What If You Could projects like Mix It Up 100% free for middle schoolers across Akron and Summit County takes a community standing right beside our young leaders. We are currently at 73 out of 100 Sustaining Donors for our 14th Birthday. Help us reach our goal!

Also, right now, every new or upgraded monthly gift is MATCHED 10X. That means your monthly partnership goes ten times further!

Join our Sustaining Donor Circle today: tomtod.org/act-2026 (or tap the link in our bio)!

09/23/2026

We don't just give middle schoolers answers. We give them design frameworks, radical trust, and sticky notes!

When you equip 10–14-year-olds with Liberatory Design, they don't just talk about neighborhood challenges. They build tangible solutions for local health, stability, and connection!

Swipe through the following photos to see Liberatory Design 101 in action:
1️⃣ Notice & Reflect: Starting with radical empathy by listening deeply to neighbors.
2️⃣ Imagine & Prototype: Leaning into bold (and wonderfully weird!) ideas with low-cost physical models.
3️⃣ Test & Discover: Sharing prototypes with community leaders to refine ideas that actually stick.

Keeping these Liberatory Design frameworks 100% free for Middle Schoolers across Stark and Summit Counties takes a community standing right beside our young leaders. We are currently at 72 out of 100 Sustaining Donors for our 14th Birthday. Help us reach our goal!

Also, right now, every new or upgraded monthly gift is MATCHED 10X. That means your monthly partnership goes ten times further:
- $14/month ➔ Unlocks $140/month in youth innovation tools!
- $41/month ➔ Unlocks $410/month in free student programming!

Join our Sustaining Donor Circle today: tomtod.org/act-2026 (or tap the link in our bio)!

09/22/2026

Join our Sustaining Donor Circle today and help us reach our goal of 100! tomtod.org/act-2026

09/21/2026

There’s nothing quite like the energy of a room full of middle schoolers realizing their ideas actually matter. This week, our team is on the ground in local schools across Stark and Summit Counties, guiding students through hands-on Liberatory Design challenges!

Instead of sitting through another lecture, these young leaders are mapping out real solutions for local health, connection, and neighborhood stability. We don't bring canned answers into the classroom; we bring tools, design thinking frameworks, and radical trust in their bold imagination.

Help us keep these classroom programs 100% free!
To celebrate TomTod turning 14, we’re growing our Sustaining Donor Circle to 100 monthly supporters—and right now, every new or upgraded monthly gift is MATCHED 10X for an entire year!

👇 Drop a comment: What was your favorite memory from when you were in middle school?

Fuel student innovation in the classroom: Join our Sustaining Donor Circle today at tomtod.org/act-2026 (or tap the link in our bio)!

09/18/2026

Do you love the satisfaction of checking off a to-do list and possess the project management instincts to turn a big, bold vision into a smooth-running plan?

At TomTod, our team is constantly asking "What If?" and dreaming up big ideas for middle schoolers across Stark and Summit Counties. But visionary ideas don't launch on enthusiasm alone; they require strategic project management, organized systems, and someone who can see both the forest and the trees.

We’re hiring an Operations & Development Curator to serve as our project management powerhouse and operational anchor! In this role, you won't just check off tasks; you’ll connect the dots between our big-picture goals, donor relationships, database management, and daily workflows. You’ll build the systems that allow our curators, dreamers, and students to thrive.

If you're a natural project manager who thrives at the intersection of big-picture strategy and detailed ex*****on, we’d love to welcome you to the table! Send your cover letter and resume directly to [email protected].

Know a master project manager who loves spreadsheets, strategy, and making a difference? Tag them below or share this post! 👇

09/17/2026

70 down, 30 to go!

Thanks to this amazing community, our Sustaining Donor Circle has officially hit 70 monthly supporters! That means we are just 30 donors away from reaching our 14th Birthday goal of 100 sustaining donors.

When you give monthly, you do so much more than make a donation—you fuel the dream! Your recurring support gives local middle schoolers (ages 10–14) real tools, sticky notes, clay, cardboard, and dedicated mentorship to prototype bold solutions for our neighborhoods. Most importantly, it keeps all of our school partnerships, summer camps, and design challenges 100% free for students!

Here is the best part: you don't need a massive budget to create a massive impact. Our sustaining family gives anywhere from $5 to $175 each month, and every single dollar directly powers youth innovation.

Looking for a fun place to jump in?
- $14/month in honor of our 14th birthday!
- $41/month to flip the script for creative thinking!
- Your own custom monthly amount!

You've got a massive role to play in youth innovation. Let's make a little collaborative ruckus and hit this 100-donor target together! Ready to fuel the dream? Join our Sustaining Donor Circle today: tomtod.org/act-2026 (or tap the link in our bio)!

09/15/2026

"People often underestimate what we can do until they let us grow and thrive."

Take a moment to read that again. That's not an adult talking. That’s a genuine, lived insight from a local middle schooler this summer.

At TomTod Ideas, we witness their incredible-ness every single day. Yet keeping our design challenges, summer camps, and school partnerships free & accessible for students across Stark and Summit Counties requires a community standing right beside them.

For our 14th Birthday, we want adults to ACT like middle schoolers: embrace bold curiosity, ask "What If?", and support young leaders!

Help us reach our goal of 100 Sustaining Donors! Whether it’s $5, $14, $41, or $175+/month, your recurring gift directly fuels the work that helps students grow and thrive: tomtodideas.org/act-2026/ (or tap the link in our bio)!

09/10/2026

Middle school isn't a waiting room for adulthood; it’s prime time for bold imagination and civic innovation! For too long, society has treated ages 10–14 like a chaotic phase to just get through. But neurobiology proves early adolescence is a massive window for empathy formation, risk-taking, and problem-solving. Swipe through to see the 3 myths we’re officially banning to make room for real student leadership ➡️

Want to help us flip the script? For our 14th birthday, we’re asking adults to ACT like a middle schooler by embracing curiosity, asking bold "What If?" questions, and backing young people! Help us reach our goal of 100 Sustaining Donors! Recurring gifts at any level ($5, $14, $41, or more!) keep our design challenges and summer camps 100% free for local students across Stark and Summit Counties.

Tap the link in our bio to become a monthly donor today!

09/08/2026

TomTod turns 14 today!

While society usually tells 10–14-year-olds to wait for someday to change the world, we’ve spent the last 14 years proving middle schoolers matter right now.
To celebrate our 14th birthday, we’re asking the adults in our community to do one thing: ACT like a middle schooler. What does that look like? Ask big, bold "What If?" questions. Lead with radical empathy. Back great ideas with real support.

We’re kicking off a push to grow our Sustaining Donor Circle from 68 to 100 monthly donors this month! Every single level of support powers our mission. Our current sustaining donors give anywhere from $5 to $175+ each month.

Looking for a fun place to start?
- $14/mo in honor of our 14th birthday
- $41/mo if you like to think creatively and flip the script
- Or pick any custom monthly amount that fits your budget!
Your recurring gift keeps our innovation challenges, summer camps, and school partnerships 100% free for students across Stark and Summit Counties.

Tap the link in our bio (or go to tomtod.org/sustainingdonor) to join the Sustaining Donor Circle at any level today!