The Northern New York Community Foundation, in collaboration with Stage Notes, will launch the first Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge on October 10, 2017. Students currently attending 7th or 8th grade in Jefferson and Lewis counties are eligible to compete for a total of $10,000 in grant awards that the students, themselves, will recommend. Funding for the program is being provided by the Community Foundation and Stage Notes.
The initiative strives to help youth explore their concept of “community” and provide funding to local charitable organizations that exemplify and support what they feel makes their community a great place to live. Students must answer questions in writing, using an official entry form.
Entries will be reviewed by a committee and there will be multiple winners at various grant levels based on the number of entries received. Eligible recipient organizations must be 501(c)(3) organizations located within Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence county. “We are continually looking for ways for youth to help build upon what previous generations have done to make our communities the special places they are. The more ways we can have young people actively and thoughtfully participating in making a difference, the better our region will be, now and in the future,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “Also, it is our hope that by working in conjunction with BOCES and the local school districts, there will be opportunities to inspire conversations about community and civic pride in the classrooms,” he said.
Entry forms will be available October 10 in schools, at the Community Foundation offices at 131 Washington Street in Watertown or on the Community Foundation’s website at www.nnycf.org. Entries must be returned to the Community Foundation, delivered or postmarked by November 3. Announcement of the winning submissions will be made prior to Thanksgiving and the winning students will personally present their grants and make visits to their chosen organizations by Christmas.
For more information, contact the Community Foundation at 315-782-7110 or at info@nnycf.org.