Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP), a youth council dedicated to grant making, volunteerism, and leadership in Marion County, is donating blankets, made by the members, to the Marion Homeless Shelter.
YEP has a two-fold mission of community service and grant making. The group is intended to teach youth about philanthropy and service learning and to instill an ethic of community service that will continue throughout participants’ lives.
“YEP is designed to give students a real hands-on experience and broader perspective of philanthropy — beyond mere fund raising,” says Brad Bebout, president of Marion Community Foundation. YEP is supported by MCF.
“Our members will continue to serve on boards as adults and donate money to non-profits,” says Dominic Piacentini, YEP president. “YEP is a way for the students to build pride and ownership in their community, earn the respect of community leaders, and become role models for other youth. We thought that these hand-made blankets would provide a little extra warmth and comfort for children who really deserve it.”
With the assistance of the Marion Community Foundation, YEP has made annual student scholarships and grants to non-profit youth organizations and programs since 2005. YEP began with the merger of the former Dollars & Sense Youth Grantmaking Council and the school-based VIP program.
“YEP is a very concrete way for the community to realize that youth are important – active, capable, and contributing – members of society,” says Bebout.
The organization’s activities include stewardship of a donor advised fund at Marion Community Foundation, from which are made annual grants to area non-profit youth organizations, a scholarship program, and other charitable special projects, like the blanket donation.
Membership in YEP is open to students at all of the six high schools in Marion County. The students recently elected new officers, naming Pleasant High School’s Piacentini as president.
The current membership includes: Bailey Higgins, Abigail Hooper and Maddie Layton, River Valley High School; Piacentini, Emily Stephens and Jennica Wilson, Pleasant High School; Haleigh Blevins, Sandy Adams and Hayden Hunt, Elgin High School; Mary Murphy, Ashley Ware and Paul Baker, Marion Catholic High School; Patrick Weston, Galysa Ratterman and Jenna Crabtree, Ridgedale High School; Jada Williams, Clare Hardgrove and Rachel Hardgrove, Marion Harding High School.
According to Bebout, “The YEP Grant fund was established with a modest $10,000. We hope, with community support, that this can continue to grow and give the students a real hands-on experience and broader perspective of philanthropy.”
