MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Kathryn Yarzebinski, President & CEO
(434) 845-6500
(Lynchburg, VA – September 21, 2023) - The Youth Philanthropy Council is back! After being on hiatus since 2020 because of Covid-19, the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation (GLCF) is re-launching this local tradition for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The Youth Philanthropy Council (“YPC”) consists of 27 outstanding seniors from 12 high schools in the region the GLCF serves: the City of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell.
The primary role of YPC members is to award $15,000 in grants to deserving local nonprofit organizations.
This opportunity allows students to better understand how philanthropy impacts our community. Students are advised by local community leaders who guide them through the process of awarding grants.
Since its inception in 2003, our Youth Philanthropy program has been a rewarding experience for all those involved. Kathryn Yarzebinski, GLCF President & CEO said, “The Youth Philanthropy Council teaches high school seniors about how local nonprofits make their community better. As students go through the grantmaking process, they learn a lot of life lessons. This includes how to work through the steps of an eight-month process, how to critically read and evaluate requests for funding, and how to present their own independent findings and research to others. Most importantly, they are learning to sit around a table with people who may have very different perspectives and opinions, and respectfully communicate in order to come to a consensus.”
The goal of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Program is to instill in our youth the awareness of our community needs and the desire to be active in our community by means of volunteering and philanthropy.
The program was established as the centerpiece of the 30th anniversary celebration of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation in 2002.
Since 2003, Wells Fargo Investment Management has graciously provided the funding for the annual $10,000 Youth Philanthropy Award. The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation provides funding for an additional $5,000 award and other additional expenses of the program.
The YPC held its kickoff meeting on September 20th at Central Virginia Community College and will meet periodically throughout the school year.
The students review grant applications, rate the applications, perform site visits of the top applicants, and prepare presentations on these applications.
From this process, a final vote is taken to determine which agencies will receive the $10,000 grant and the $5,000 grant.
An awards presentation and reception is held each spring. This is the culmination of all of the YPC’s hard work and is a celebration of youth, philanthropy, and the winning nonprofit organizations.
The YPC Advisory Committee includes: Dr. Verna Sellers, YPC Advisory Committee Chair & GLCF Board of Directors; Jodi Gillette, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the Educational Foundation at Central Virginia Community College; Terieka Grooms, Director of the Teen Center & Outreach at the Downtown Lynchburg YMCA; Sarah Quarantotto, MSW, Executive Director of Miriam’s House; Dr. Reid Wodicka, Deputy Superintendent for Operations and Strategic Planning at Lynchburg City Schools; Kelvin Whitehurst, Business Development Coordinator for the Downtown Lynchburg Association; and Kathryn Yarzebinski, President & CEO of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.
The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation was established in 1972 to promote local philanthropy. The mission of the GLCF is to enhance the quality of life for our neighbors in the City of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell by the establishment of permanent endowments with income distributed annually to charitable organizations within the community.
Since 1972, the GLCF has granted over $31 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations, including human services, animal welfare, arts, education, and historical preservation organizations. In 2023, the GLCF awarded over $2.2 million to 211 charitable organizations.
