By Julie Christman, President & CEO, Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley
August 12, our world will celebrate International Youth Day. Did you know half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030?
In this month’s newsletter is information on our Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program. Sometimes I am asked why we started this program. While there are many reasons, the simple answer is that youth are an important part of our community and have much to offer. Below are key things we considered five years ago when we launched this program:
- We want to engage our entire community as philanthropists. Our youth want to make a difference in their community. They are creative and have new ideas, and are generous in giving their time and sharing their talents with others.
- We want to build the next generation of philanthropists. Our Foundation is committed to helping the next generation be the leaders of tomorrow. We have been fortunate to have generations of families that have actively supported us with their time, talent, and treasure, and we want to ensure this continues.
- We did our research and saw other communities were benefiting from such programs. We visited and talked with other foundations in the Midwest, and ultimately, our Board of Directors decided on a model that best met our community’s needs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” We want to continue to offer this program and expand it. We want to stay engaged with the alumni of YEP and keep track of how they are building upon their engagement in their community in college and in their careers as young adults.
Thank you for your support of the Community Foundation.