Students helping their peers. With self-determined goals to improve the mental health of Logan County youth and address issues of substance misuse, hunger, and personal hygiene, the Student United Way committee awarded $29,050 in Youth Allocations grants to 15 local applicants this week. The money will directly impact students in their schools over the summer or next school year.
The grant cycle culminated a six-month project in which 28 high schoolers from every Logan County district were exposed to the human service needs of our community. Students participated in hands-on experiences such as a Second Harvest Food Bank distribution, a poverty simulation, and discussions with service providers at agencies like the Chippewa Neighborhood Outreach Center, Logan County Homeless Shelter, and Bellefontaine Police Department.
$25,000 of the money awarded came from the 2022 United Way campaign and students raised an additional $4,050 to supplement their project.
“I learned about the real, and often un-talked about needs of the community and of the less fortunate,” said Abigail Hermiller, a junior at Calvary Christian. “I learned about the number of families who are really struggling and that was eye-opening. United Way matters because it is helping the less fortunate. It is important to stay connected to the community and to help in any way possible. It is important not to be ignorant about the realities around us.”
“United Way shows others the problems people face that you couldn’t even imagine,” said Carter Titus, a junior at West Liberty-Salem High School. “It helps create change and goodness in the world by encouraging people to help those in need.”
After learning about the human service needs of the community, the 28-member panel representing two juniors and two seniors from each Logan County high school, developed its own criteria for funding. They then reviewed grant requests like their adult counterparts on United Way’s Allocations Committee. In March, they received 19 funding requests from teachers, student groups, community organizations, and churches totaling more than $52,000 and had to pare it down to $29,050. Here’s how they did it and the 15 projects they chose to fund:
- Bellefontaine Elementary - $500 to provide teachers with Calm Down tools to help students self-regulate their emotions and bodies and respond appropriately to feelings and upsets.
- Bellefontaine Elementary and Intermediate - $150 to purchase books for immigrant students learning English to feel more welcome in their new school.
- Bellefontaine Elementary Preschool - $6,300 to help develop an outdoor classroom and play area to enhance the quality and engagement of all preschool students.
- Bellefontaine Intermediate Chieftain Culture Club - $1,100 to help the students from the lighthouse team work together to help TEACHERS with stress.
- Bellefontaine Middle School - $800 to purchase equipment to create a Calming Corner for students with autism (or anyone who needs it) to strike objects and overcome emotion or frustration
- Benjamin Logan Elementary - $1,300 to partner with Community Health & Wellness Partners on a Youth Hygiene Education program that will provide health demonstrations and discussions with all students.
- Calvary Christian ASB Leadership - $1,200 for Red Ribbon Week, which educates kids about types of addiction and helps to promote healthy choices for students in Grades 4-12.
- Greater Riverside Area Community Encouragers - $1,000 to partner with churches in the DeGraff and Quincy areas to provide a free lunch each Wednesday of the summer.
- Indian Lake Community Church Lighthouse - $4,000 to provide summer lunches in the park in Russells Point.
- Indian Lake / Ohio Hi-Point FFA - $2,500 for the “Birds of a Feather Fight Hunger Together” program in which members raise turkeys through the summer which are processed in the fall for donation to local food pantries at Thanksgiving.
- Indian Lake Schools - $1,300 for the “Embrace the Grind and Thrive” program which provides mental health, drug, and alcohol awareness and prevention strategies for students in Grades K-12.
- Logan County Family & Children First Council - $5,000 for the “Secret Closet,” a discreet distribution of hygiene products to middle school students in each school throughout the county.
- Logan County Family & Children First Council - $700 for “Child Find,” an early intervention program to help screen preschoolers for possible developmental delays and help families obtain services for children with special needs.
- Washington Township Police Department – $1,800 for D.A.R.E., a police-officer led series of classroom lessons that will teach children in Indian Lake Schools how to resist peer pressure and live productive, drug and violence-free lives.
- West Liberty-Salem Schools - $1,400 to invite Scott Frank, a speaker with the Digital Empowerment Project, to talk with students and families about internet safety and the impact the digital world can have on emotional and mental health.
Students participating in Student United Way this year included:
- Montana Buck, Alexis Buffkin, Carter Snapp, and Caleb Torsell from Bellefontaine High School.
- Mya Burrey, Evan Carpenter, Allie Henault, and Parker McGowan from Benjamin Logan High School.
- Abigail Hermiller, Patrick James, Lucy Jarvis, and Zeke Reynolds from Calvary Christian.
- Brant Parsell, Katelyn Pippen, Amelia Schmiedebusch, and Heath Wilson from Indian Lake.
- Jessie Jacobs, Aliya McCary, Tyler Michael, and Kieanna Notestine from Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.
- Nate Copas, Rachel Knight, Emma Saylor, and Kaleb Schindewolf from Riverside High School.
- Ivy Cline, Abbigayle Long, Makenna Smith, and Carter Titus from West Liberty-Salem High School.
Melody Couchman, United Way's Community Engagement Director, coordinated the year-long project.
"This Student United group was filled with some great future leaders," said Melody Couchman, United Way's Community Engagement Director and coordinator of Student United Way. "Their genuine concern for the community, desire to learn what the needs are and how they can best impact those needs was evident in their interaction during each session. They were engaged in the presentations and gave honest, helpful feedback in discussions. I have no doubt this group will do great things in their future endeavors and appreciate the opportunity to have learned along with them."
Student United Way will resume in the fall.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Above: Members of the Indian Lake High School Student Council pitch their grant proposal to the full Student United Way Committee during grant interviews at Logan County Electric Cooperative on April 11. After learning about the human service needs of the community, the 28-member panel representing two juniors and two seniors from each Logan County high school, developed its own criteria for funding. They then reviewed 19 grant requests like their adult counterparts on United Way’s Allocations Committee and awarded $29,050 to teachers, student groups, community organizations, and churches.
Below: Student United Way volunteers Mya Burrey, Allie Henault, Evan Carpenter, and Parker McGowan from Benjamin Logan High School deliberate about how to allocate donor dollars.
