(Arnolds Park)– Youth in Philanthropy is underway for another school year. Mindy Gress of the Okoboji Foundation says they had a lot of interest in the program again this year among students from the Okoboji, Spirit Lake and Harris-Lake Park High Schools…
“We had 33 applications and have accepted 25 students. We always hope that we get some really good applications and we certainly did this year. We wish we could take everybody, and yet we cap it at 25 just so that we can keep it a really intimate experience and make sure that we are giving each of those students the attention they deserve to make them successful in this program.”
Gress says the students are meeting once a month…
“And they come in, they learn about how a community foundation works, what the impact of the Okoboji Foundation is, and then we equip them with skills to go out and do fundraising of their own. They do that throughout the year from October through the end of March and then they also are taught how to read and score grant applications from area nonprofits. And the money that they raise throughout the year they then get to grant out to a project that has submitted a grant application to the foundation.”
Gress says the impact Youth in Philanthropy has had on the community is significant…
“You know since we started in 2009 over 190 students have come together, have been part of the program over the years and they’ve raised over a half million dollars and have given out a little more than $415,000, so a huge impact for the community and we hope it’s been a big impact for our students as well to learn really what it takes to be a good community member and how, you know, you have to be involved to make a community so great.”
Anyone interested in becoming a Youth In Philanthropy sponsor can contact the Okoboji Foundation at 332-7177 or visit Okoboji Foundation-dot-org.
