Menu
Bragging on young PCCF philanthropists
May I brag for a moment? I work with some of the most impressive young people; not just in Putnam County, but anywhere. These amazing young people are members of the Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Committee. You may have seen articles or social media posts about this group but are unsure what they are about.
While many committee members are high achievers academically, that is not what holds this diverse group together. Instead, the unity is a shared commitment to service and philanthropic ideals.
The Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Committee (YP) began in 2006 to provide funding for youth-led service and philanthropic projects. The committee is currently comprised of 13 students representing all four Putnam County high schools and four adults. Currently, there are five seniors, five juniors, one sophomore and one freshman — eight females and five males.
The YP Committee invites and reviews grant applications for youth-led initiatives to better Putnam County and its citizens. Grants up to $750 may be made by the committee subject to the Putnam County Community Foundation board’s approval.
Past grants include many Eagle Scout and Gold Award projects, the creation of a monarch butterfly rest stop, educational projects, reading projects and benevolent initiatives — all designed to engage and improve life for Putnam County residents.
Not only are the students grantmakers, but they are leaders, servants and fundraisers. The committee participates in two or three service projects a year. Past service projects have been at the Humane Society, Beyond Homeless, the Putnam County Non-Food Pantry and Tox-Away Day.
And like all the Community Foundation’s other committee members, each YP member personally supports the Foundation.
Funding for YP grants comes from the Community Foundation’s unrestricted funds and the Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Endowment. The goal is to grow the YP Endowment so that it will fund all YP grants.
The YP Endowment was started with a seed grant of $2,500 in 2007 and has grown to more than $87,000. The committee hopes to grow the endowment to a minimum of $100,000 to fund its granting priorities fully.
Much of this growth results from an amazing partnership that the YP Committee has formed with Gail Smith of Almost Home Restaurant. For 12 years, Gail has welcomed the committee to hold a fundraiser. At the fundraiser, students assist the servers. All tips and gifts given on that evening are placed in the YP Endowment. We are grateful to Gail for helping us raise more than $27,000 at our Almost Home fundraisers.
COVID, however, has put a glitch in our fundraiser at Almost Home; but many who have supported the fundraisers in the past have asked how they continue their support this year. We are pleased to announce that we have received a matching grant for our fundraising efforts. This means gifts to the YP Endowment received in the month of April will be matched $1:$1 for the first $2,000 received.
If you are interested in supporting the YP Committee in their fundraising efforts, you can donate online at pcfoundation.org/donate and select “Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Endowment.” Additionally, you can mail a check to the Putnam County Community Foundation at 2 S. Jackson St., Greencastle, IN 46135.
To learn more about the Youth Philanthropy Committee, visit www.pcfoundation.org.