So What Else, Inc.

Who is So What Else:

So What Else is a small, grassroots humanitarian organization based in Rockville, MD. We take a multi-pronged approach to serving local youth and the community at large. Primarily, we provide free extracurricular enrichment to under-served local youth throughout the school year and the summer. We focus on areas that are decreasingly likely to be included in traditional curricula, such as arts, health and fitness, emotional wellness, environmentalism, and philanthropy. Furthermore, we work to instill our core tenet of “paying it forward” in the youth that we serve, by providing them with opportunities to serve their community through service at volunteer events. We provide many of these opportunities through collaboration with local and national charitable organizations that provide resources and service to other community organizations.

Our Mission

So What Else is a 501c(3) organization that strengthens our community through innovative youth programming and service-learning enrichment in under-served communities. We do this by imparting experiences and knowledge that position our youth to make sound life choices and realize their full potential.

We exist in a tripod of service:

1. To provide out of school time educational and creative programming to under-served youth;
2. To promote volunteerism and provide resources and service to other community organizations; and to
3. Make a meaningful impact by recovering surplus food, packing essential food parcels, and delivering them to those in need across our community.

In short, our motto is help the kids; help the community; and help the kids help the community.

As an organization, So What Else’s primary goal is to continue expanding our after-school and summer programs to children who do not otherwise have access to certain activities, skills, and perspectives without deliberate exposure. Our diverse curriculum fosters academic achievement, inspires community engagement, teaches teamwork and empathy, nurtures a healthy lifestyle, engenders a sense of well-being and self-efficacy, and promotes environmental stewardship.

Founded on the simple desire to do good in the world, So What Else has not abandoned its altruistic roots. In addition to our year-round enrichment activities, So What Else leads volunteers at +70 volunteer events per year, logging +1,500 individual service hours, and incorporates service activities into all after school and summer sites regardless of class focus.

AGE RESTRICTION: This is a great opportunity for children aged 10 and above to participate. A parent or guardian must accompany children aged 10-15, and if they arrive without one, their parent or guardian will be contacted. Volunteers aged 16 and above can participate independently without the presence of a parent or guardian.