(Arnolds Park)– The Youth In Philanthropy program is closing in on its 2023 fundraising goal. Ali Schmitz is with the Okoboji Foundation, which oversees the program…
“They set a goal of $55,000 and currently they are at $40,000, so they are just shy of that by $15,000.”
Schmitz says the students participating in the program take it upon themselves to raise that money, which goes back into the community in the form of grants. She says there are several ways you can donate…
“They can mail that in to us directly at The Okoboji Foundation which is P.O. Box 593, Okoboji, Iowa…51355 or you can do it online as well. Our website is OkobojiFoundation.org, and then there is a Youth in Philanthropy page on our website and you can do that donation directly online or you can even call into our office and we’ll take that donation from you. Our phone number is 712-332-7177.”
Schmitz says the students score the grants themselves and will announce the recipients as part of an annual celebration…
“So at the end of March they’ll review the grants that have came in, so then about the middle of April then we’ll announce who those awards are. They do have a year end celebration at the end of April. At that event then they’ll award all of those grant participants, our selections, the awardees, and then also the students will individually get awarded for those that have participated and also made their personal goals that they have set.”
25 students from the Harris-Lake Park, Okoboji and Spirit Lake High Schools are participating in this year’s Youth in Philanthropy program.
