When we said our 25th year was exciting, we weren’t lying! Just six days into this celebratory year, your Community Foundation of White County dove headfirst into another new adventure: launching a Youth Philanthropy Council.
Consisting of sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all four White County high schools, this distinguished group of leaders represents Twin Lakes, Frontier, North White, and Tri-County school communities.
The mission of the Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) is to empower White County youth by cultivating philanthropic engagement and leadership. Each semester, the YPC will hold their very own grant cycle to fund initiatives that support their school systems. Through the development of their leadership abilities and skills, continued philanthropic and community education, and diving deeper into the grantmaking process, these council members will be empowered to create an impact they can witness.
The group so far has participated in their first ever YPC Kick-Off and held its first council meeting where they elected their leadership team: Christian Wallace, President; Aiden Vrotny, Vice-President; Tessa Kirchner, Secretary. Four Project Managers were also nominated and elected to support localized efforts: Vera Hindi, CJ Hunt Jr, Taylor Burns, and Katie Pinkerton.
Additionally serving on the Youth Philanthropy Council is Lorelai Miller, Kaden Gamble, Charli McMillin, Heiden Morales, Addison Douglas, Braylon Gretencord, Jasmine Durango, Ryleigh Metzinger, Nolan Roeske, Genevieve Stroetz, Shyanne Craig, Scottie Unger, Nyx Butler, Rhyan Strange, Griffin Hornung, Diego Diaz Romero, Morgan Galyen, and Sabrina Hornung.
Witnessing the talent that this group holds is already astonishing, and the Community Foundation is thrilled to have an opportunity to invest in White County’s young leaders in this unique way. Thanks to a regional cultivation grant from Wabash Heartland Innovative Network (WHIN) and an anonymous donor, this program is fully funded for the first four years. The YPC will work toward sustainability though to allow this opportunity to expand and impact children and their schools for years to come.
Be on the lookout for more news from the Youth Philanthropy Council as these leaders take charge and seek out opportunities to make a difference in their school communities. If you want learn more about the Youth Philanthropy Council and how you can support this new initiative, reach out to Lucy Dold at (574) 583-6911.