Members of the Coatesville Area Youth Philanthropy Program (l-r) Mylina Glasco, Laleena Anderson, Ausar Ayin-Dia Stephens, Walter Teel, Jared Elters, Dennis Holmes, Maurissa Willett, Casey Hammond, Tyree Warner, Jullian Maurer, Joanna Maurer. Not pictured William Pawlowski and Ali Shahid.
COATESVILLE — The Coatesville Area Youth Philanthropy Program (CAYPP), launched by the Brandywine Health Foundation, announced Thursday that it is requesting proposals from organizations dedicated to promoting safety and addressing public well-being concerns in the Coatesville area.
Initiated this past summer by the foundation, CAYPP is the first program to allow youths to direct significant philanthropic donations in the greater Coatesville area and their philanthropic endeavors are being funded by a generous donation of $100,000 over the next five years from Citadel. “Putting dollars into their hands and letting them figure out what to do with it, as opposed to just a hypothetical classroom exercise, is brilliant, “says Jeff March, Citadel’s president and CEO.
The thirteen Coatesville area youth, young men and women between the ages of 14 -18, who were accepted into this exciting youth philanthropy program, identified and determined a significant area of need in their community. They met regularly during the fall and winter to learn how philanthropy works, and researched and discussed a myriad of possible philanthropic goals to improve their community before deciding to fund programs that focus on improving public safety. Later this spring, after a review of applications and site visits, the CAYPP members will award $15,000 in grants in the range of $1,000-$5,000 to eligible organizations to support programs that promote safety and address public well-being concerns, which will lead to a healthier community and enhance the public perception of Coatesville.
“It’s really been a great way to teach the youth about philanthropy and the network of non-profit organizations in the Coatesville area that work together to support their community,” says Alyson Ferguson, MPH, the program’s director as well as the grant-making director for the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation. Adds Casey Hammond, a CASH sophomore, “As youth philanthropists I think we are able to see different needs and bring fresh ideas to the community.”
The grant application is available online at www.BrandywineFoundation.org or http://brandywinefoundation.org/sites/default/files/CAYPPApplication_Final.pdf or by calling 610-380-9080. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 5:00 pm. Applications received after the set deadline will not be considered.
“When I first heard about the Coatesville Area Youth Philanthropy Program, I thought it was amazing that we would have a lot of money to disburse,” says CAYPP member Maurissa Willett, a junior at CASH and a Coatesville Youth Initiative (CYI) Summer ServiceCorps intern. “Since I’ve gotten involved, I’ve also realized it’s a huge responsibility. A lot of time, energy, thinking and collaboration has gone into this, and I love the idea of pushing myself and seeing what I and everyone else is capable of doing for the Coatesville community.”
