Brookville, In. — As part of the Franklin County Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy program, local schools have completed various philanthropic projects. Earlier in the school year, each Franklin County school received a $250 grant from FCCF to complete a project to benefit the community in some way. Members of FCCF’s Board communicated guidelines for the program to the Student Council of each school. The groups were encouraged to get other students within their school to help with the project. The students could do some type of fundraiser to obtain additional funding for the project.
As part of the initiative, the students were encouraged to:
LEARN – Comprehend what Youth Philanthropy is.
LEAD – Acquire leadership skills such as decision-making, teamwork, time management, relationship building, communication, and personal giving.
LIFT – Develop and complete a project that improves or “lifts up” the community.
Mt. Carmel School students worked with a master carpenter to construct the MCS Free Little Library. They created posters to hang around the school and made a commercial that aired during the morning announcements to ask for donations of books for the library. When the project was finished, they sorted through the books, made labels for them and placed them in the library.
Laurel Elementary School students did two projects. On Earth Day, they picked up trash around the school and planted flowers in two large flowerpots in front of the school to beautify the grounds prior to the Spring Carnival. They also made baskets filled with gift items for individuals in the Laurel community who were receiving home healthcare. They delivered the baskets to the homes of the individuals and visited with them.
Students at Brookville Elementary School designed and made animal themed buttons, which were sold each morning for a week. They had five “dog” themed buttons and five “cat” themed buttons. They held a “Cats vs Dogs” contest to see which animal had the most buttons purchased at the end of the week. The raised $711 to donate to the FC Humane Society and FC Animal Shelter.
Franklin County Middle School students raised additional money for their project by selling beef sticks. They used the money to purchase fabric, which was used to make quilts for the 34 students in the Head Start pre-school class at Brookville Elementary school. They also bought each child a book to go with their quilt.
Franklin County High School students incorporated the grant into their Beat Cancer in Four Quarters fundraiser to bring as much awareness to cancer research as possible. They organized and lead fundraisers and events that raised more than $12,000, and were able to lift those fighting cancer up by providing financial support for research and emotional support.
St. Michael School students hosted a charity walk to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. Student Council members advertised and organized the activity. The students sold MS wristbands to raise additional funds. Their goal was to come together as a community and school to raise awareness of MS and support a great cause.
Preparations are underway now for the 2020 project.
