"What it Means to Give and Share"--from a child's perspective...

The Young Philanthropists Foundation caught up with Penny Harvest Student Leaders from Holyoke Elementary School during a neighborhood service project to find out what the program means to them, and how they make their tough grant decisions.

As one student leader commented: "Penny Harvest is hanging out and talking about stuff, and telling people what it means to give and share." When asked where they granted the money they collected, the student replied: "Homeless and animal shelters, I think those were two main ones, and also orphans, and people who don't have things, like for disaster relief." The Holyoke Roundtable Leaders also granted a portion of their grant-making budget to two local residents in need.

Thanks for sharing student leaders! You guys are making a huge difference in our community!

For more information, or a list of student grants, please visit our website: http://www.ypfoundation.org/

And we call her "Florence Nightgown"

Last Friday, I had the privilege of joining Holyoke Elementary and High School students as they participated in a Neighborhood Service project at the Colorado Humane Society. The Penny Harvest Student leaders granted $500 of their roundtable grant-making budget to the nonprofit, after identifying animal welfare as an issue in their community, and chose to combine the funds with a day of service.

The day was wonderful--all of the staff were very helpful and friendly, and provided many opportunities for the students to interact with the dogs and cats. And how powerful it was for the students to see where their funds had gone, and the animals they were directly benefitting! (And also for the organization to see the powerful young individuals who are funding them).

As we all ventured out for a nice (very long) walk with the dogs, staff members began to pair up animals with small groups of students. A shelter employee handed the leash of a small,very cute, dainty pup over to two young boys and explained that the dog’s name was Florence Nightingale. Minutes later, the students began telling their friends: “This is Florence Nightgown, isn’t she so cute?”.

Animals are one of the top issue areas identified by our Penny Harvest Students in the "Wheel of Caring" which is composed by the entire student body during the first few months of the program. For a list of other grants made by students participating in the Penny Harvest, please visit our website: http://www.ypfoundation.org/