\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Now in its third year, the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge includes schools in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. This year\u2019s program committee received and reviewed 104 entries from seventh- and eighth-graders who recommended grants to 66 different organizations that serve residents in the three counties. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/span>The initiative was launched in 2017 to introduce middle school students to concepts of philanthropy and community needs. The challenge seeks to engage seventh- and eighth-graders as they explore the meaning of community and are empowered to recommend grants to support their concepts that strengthen the quality of life in the region. Students write an essay that articulates their definition of community and explains what makes it a great place to live, work and play. Students are then asked to name a charitable organization that makes their community a better place through its service to local residents.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFor many students, this is a gateway into civic engagement and responsibility. For others, it moves them into a deeper relationship with their community,\u201d said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation <\/span>executive director. \u201cThese types of investments in our future leaders, board members, volunteers and donors help position our region with a continuum of stewardship and care.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Consistent themes of \u201ccommunity\u201d that most often appeared in essays were: \u201cworking together to support each other,\u201d \u201cshared values,\u201d \u201csafe and supportive people,\u201d \u201cwelcoming,\u201d and \u201ccaring for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Charitable organizations students selected for funding range from those that provide support for essential human needs and animal welfare to those that enrich our communities through arts and culture, environmental preservation, health, wellness and recreation, and the preservation of regional history.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Gifts to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a $2,500 grant from Community Bank, along with a $1,000 gift from an anonymous private donor, support the program. A committee that included Community Foundation staff and a retired junior high school teacher judged and scored the applications with results as follows:<\/p>\n Jefferson County<\/b><\/p>\n Lewis County<\/b><\/p>\n St. Lawrence County<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>In the coming weeks, the Community Foundation and schools will work with winning students to coordinate visits to their respective charitable agencies to present grants and learn more about the organization they chose to support.<\/p>\n About the Northern New York Community Foundation<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0 <\/span>Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now in Third Year, Initiative Sees More Than 100 Entries From North Country Middle School Students \u00a0 \u00a0 WATERTOWN \u2014 The Northern New York Community Foundation announces $10,000 in Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge grants to 20 nonprofit organizations that serve Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. \u00a0 \u00a0 Now in its third year, the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["type-post","category-recent-news","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457\/revisions\/2467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nnycf.org\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/CSYGC_Logo_tagline-1024x244.png\"){kind=logo}
\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Schools participating in the 2019-2020 challenge include: Jefferson County \u2014<\/b> Belleville-Henderson Central School; Case Middle School-Watertown City Schools; General Brown Central School; Immaculate <\/span>Heart Central School; and Thousand Islands Central School; Lewis County \u2014<\/b> Beaver River Central School; Lowville Academy and Central School; and South Lewis Central School; St. Lawrence County \u2014<\/b> Edwards-Knox Central School and Morristown Central School.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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