Arizona Youth Distribute Funds to Local Community Organizations
Sixteen Arizona youth completed Valley Leadership Youth program on Tuesday, April 27, 2016 and distributed over $8,000 to two different community organizations, Girls on the Run and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
“Designed to empower youth to lead, our innovative and experiential Valley Leadership Youth program helps high school students gain a deep understanding of the significance of philanthropy,” said Christy Moore, Valley Leadership President & CEO, “Through time, talent and treasure, we cultivate change agents early in their leadership careers.”
The group of 16 participants represented seven different high schools around the state, and were aged between 15 and 17 years old. These youth not only have passion for Arizona and learning how they can support the community, they aspire to become leaders in their chosen careers. This program is designed to help them include philanthropy in any career path they choose.
In addition to introducing students to the basics of philanthropy, the program guides them through the grant making process—creating a request for proposals, collecting and reviewing proposals, and distributing funds. After careful review of 18 grant proposals and thoughtful deliberation, the students decided to grant funding awards to two community-benefit organizations that support girls and the LGBTQ community. The money was distributed at a grant ceremony held last month at the Valley Leadership Office.
The participants include:
Jazlin Angulo, Camelback High School
Isaac Davis, Keystone Online
Ethan Flatley, Arcadia High School
Nick Forney, Arcadia High School
Michael Gross, Mountain Pointe High School
Sophie Harris, Veritas Preparatory Academy
Caitlin Hartman, Arizona School for the Arts
Anika Joshi, BASIS Chandler
Abisade Onasanwo, Bio Science High School
Sarah O’Neal, Arizona School for the Arts
Vinayak Parthasarathy, Desert Vista
Kobe Pinney-Cofer, Paradise Valley High School
Evan Pittman, Phoenix Country Day School
Cedric Vicera, Basis Scottsdale
Keaten Wood, Herberger Young Scholars Academy
Valley Leadership Youth is a program of Valley Leadership, and is sponsored by Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) and Ellie & Michael Ziegler.