September 2019 - Cadillac Area Community Foundation

Teaching Our Youth to be Charitable

September is back to school month for many homes, and the student led CACF Youth Advisory Committee is excited for another year of grant-making and volunteering in the Community.

Experts believe that no age is too young to introduce giving to your children. Teaching our youth to be charitable can be rewarding. Learning about giving and helping others gives our youth a feeling of empowerment in an uncertain world where unexpected and sometimes frightening events happen too often.

For the past 3 years, I have had the privilege of being an adult advisor to the CACF Youth Advisory Committee. Whether it is reviewing grant applications or working at a Celebrity Servers Nights at Culver’s, I found our Youth members are ready and willing to make an impact in our community.

Our Youth Advisory Committee students range from 8th grade to 12th grade. Their mission is to meet the needs of the youth of the Cadillac Area by enhancing the awareness of opportunities, dedicating themselves to service projects, and providing information and resources through cooperative leadership and financial support for projects that improve the community.

Each month, grant applications from a diverse range of youth-geared projects and programs are presented to the Youth Committee. When reviewing a grant application the students identify how many youth the grant will impact, if it is a wise and prudent use of their grant funds, and if the project or program the funds are being requested for is sustainable. The students take this responsibility very seriously. Each grant request is discussed by over 30 students before being brought to a vote.

Being a part of the Youth Advisory Committee is not only an honor for the student, but it is a unique life experience. They’re not just funding youth programs and projects; they are making a difference for youth in our community.

To learn more about the Cadillac Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee go to https://cadillacfoundation.org/youth-committee/.

Best,

Doreen