Sussex County Youth Philanthropy Board awards $10K in grants
The Sussex County Youth Philanthropy Board of the Delaware Community Foundation awarded $10,000 to three Sussex County nonprofit organizations April 18 at a grants ceremony at the CHEER Center in Georgetown.
The DCF's Sussex County YPB is composed of 19 Sussex County students from public, independent and diocesan high schools. Since September, YPB members have been studying youth issues in their neighborhoods and schools, learning about community service and grantmaking, and visiting nonprofit organizations. This year's Sussex County YPB chose to focus on organizations that provide mental health and substance abuse counseling and services.
A grant in the amount of $3,000 to La Red Health Center will help with salaries of its behavioral health consultants to allow more patients to be seen. FORGE Youth & Family Academy will receive $3,000 will help with its Teen Impact program to teach youth about better life choices. A grant for $4,000 to Survivors of Abuse in Recovery will help provide an additional 50 treatment sessions to victims of sexual assault in Sussex County.
The Delaware Community Foundation sponsors a Youth Philanthropy Board in each Delaware county to encourage high school students to become more involved in philanthropy. Each board of high school students is allotted a pool of money to give as charitable grants. The students learn about philanthropy and effective grantmaking, study youth issues in their neighborhoods and schools, solicit grant proposals, conduct site visits, and award grants to those they determine to be most deserving.
Retired Delaware educator Phyllis Wynn established the Youth Philanthropy Fund in 1999 to encourage youth to become involved in philanthropic ventures. Students who serve on the YPB are nominated by their principal or guidance counselor.
"The Youth Philanthropy Board program does more than give kids the chance to make a difference," said DCF President and CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay. "It gets them out into the community to experience firsthand the impact their work has on people's lives."
