The Future Leaders Professional Advisors Council, a division of the Indian River Community Foundation, awarded grants of $5,000 each to the nonprofit Youth Guidance Mentoring and Activities Program and the not-for-profit Crossover Mission, Inc., in support of the organizations’ youth development programs targeting teens ages 12 to 18 at a check presentation last week at Northern Trust Bank.
The council got its start three years ago after several young professionals approached the foundation to further their own philanthropic efforts. The group decided it would focus on the development of at-risk youngsters who all too often fall between the cracks. The two recipients were chosen from among other applicants following a thoughtful grant review process in consideration of their efforts to make a difference in the lives of their young clients.
IRCF Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Pickering turned the microphone over to FLPAC President and Fund Advisor Elizabeth Sorensen, who introduced grant committee co-chairs Katie Faires and Anthony Guettler for the check presentations to Crossover Missions and Youth Guidance.
“We want to thank all the organizations for coming and speaking to us individually since that really helped us make our decision,” said Sorensen.
Faires also applauded all the applicants for helping to enhance the community through their support of local children.
“Building a community like ours is not something that happens by chance,” said Guettler, adding that he was proud of what the council and the organizations have accomplished. “It is the result of the collective efforts of all those that have supported our community for decades. The Future Leaders want to carry on that tradition of local philanthropy.”
Crossover Missions provides an outlet for positivity to at-risk youth through sports activities, mentoring and studies. Founders Antoine Jennings and Cathy De Schouwer said they will use the grant to fund a project titled Empowering our Children, geared toward teaching youngsters how to budget, organize and run the group’s basketball tournament; in the process also teaching leadership and implementation skills.
Youth Guidance CEO Doug Borrie and Elizabeth Heale, YG Mentoring Academy program coordinator, said they will apply the grant to the Youth Guidance International Leadership Immersion Project, which helps high school juniors and seniors go abroad to work on volunteer projects in underprivileged communities.
“We need several people rowing in the same direction to help a child to find a different future and a better path,” said Borrie, thanking the Community Foundation and Future Leaders.
FLPAC members make a personal connection to philanthropy by contributing their own funds, encouraging their friends and colleagues to donate, and offering insight into the needs of the community.
