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Jared's Story Find out how a "village" of caring people help keep the smile on Jared's face.... MORE |
High School Students Spend $50,000 -- And Parents Don't Object! A group of local high school students showed they have what it takes to make smart money decisions for a good cause earlier this year. United Way of Greater Cleveland's John K. Mott Youth Fund Distribution Committee (YFDC) members presented $50,000 in grants to 15 health and human services agencies on May 30 in United Way's downtown headquarters. Thirty-seven students from 16 area high schools served on the 2007 committee. The grants fund a variety of programs for Greater Cleveland youth, including therapy, sports, education, summer camp, health care and emergency resources. Founded in 1991 by John Mott, a former United Way staff member, the YFDC has grown to become one of the leading youth allocation programs in the country. Each year, students distribute $50,000 to organizations that serve our community. United Way recruits high school students from across Greater Cleveland that want to make a difference. The YFDC gives high school juniors and seniors a unique opportunity to involve themselves in the decision-making process to make their community a better place for young people through grantmaking to select projects. Daniel Garvey, a graduating senior from Fairview Park High School, has been a member of YFDC for two years, and along with his fellow Fairview Park students and students from other schools that participated in the committee this year, actually helped raise money to add to the $50,000 set aside for distribution to the selected agency programs. "What was great for me and the other students in the committee from my school was that we got to hear not only about the backgrounds of other YFDC students from high schools all over Greater Cleveland, but we also heard from the various organizations regarding their programs and the diverse health and human service needs in Cleveland," says Daniel. "Even though we participated in only six YFDC sessions reviewing requests from agencies, we still learned an incredible amount about all of the needs in Cleveland, which are vast." Daniel is now enrolled as a freshman at Ohio State University.
Applications for the 2008 YFDC are being accepted through Sept. 21, 2007. If you know a high school student that you think would be interested in participating in the YFDC, please contact Christina Brown at 216-436-2221 or cbrown@uws.org. You may also download an application form. |
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