Program teaches Toledo-area students art of philanthropy

Young philanthropists in a Leadership Toledo program spent months raising $18,500 for nine local nonprofits, driving positive change in the Toledo area through hands-on experience and community engagement.

Through YIPEE, or Youth in Philanthropy Encouraging Excellence, high school juniors and seniors go through each step of the grant making process over the course of a school year.

After identifying which issues are most important to them, the students learn to fund raise and decide how to distribute the funds through volunteer projects, site visits, and evaluating grant applications. By the end of the year, 24 students from 15 Toledo-area high schools had raised the $18,500 that they distributed to local nonprofits of their choosing.

“The whole idea of the program is to teach young people — our leaders — the importance of informed giving, and that’s where the grant process comes into play,” YIPEE program director Nicole Susdorf said.

Out of 35 nonprofits who applied this year, nine were selected to receive grant funding, including Families for Fitness, the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center, and Open Arms Transformation Living Toledo. YIPEE participants have raised a total of $392,000 since the program began in 1998.

Emily Boellner, a student at Springfield High School, participated in the program last year as a junior and will be serving on YIPEE’s leadership team for her senior year.

She said that she loved visiting Connecting Kids to Meals, where the students volunteered by helping pack meals for distribution.

“I loved YIPEE because it let me see where different changes of society need to be made,” she said. “It’s such a great opportunity to see Toledo in a different light.”

Another organization receiving funding was OhioGuidestone’s Double ARC Center, a behavioral health clinic that provides services to children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. OhioGuidestone received $2,500 to help families pursue full FASD evaluations for diagnosis.

“There’s estimated to be one in 20 school-aged children with a possible fetal alcohol syndrome disorder,” Brianna Megyesi, a licensed social worker and clinical supervisor with OhioGuidestone, said. “Although it’s unknown, it’s very prevalent. More prevalent than I think anyone knows.”

Diagnosis of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can be a lengthy process involving speech and occupational therapists, neuropsychologists, and developmental pediatricians. Much of the work is not covered by insurance, meaning many families would be unable to afford it otherwise.

The YIPEE students visited OhioGuidestone in February for a volunteer project, Mrs. Megyesi said, and helped stuff envelopes that were sent to donors.

“It was a very, very positive experience,” she said. “I could tell the students in Leadership Toledo are truly committed to learning more about agencies in Toledo and have a better understanding of the community as a whole.”

The program is open to all rising juniors and seniors at area high schools, and no prior experience is required. YIPEE meets on Sundays to accommodate students’ schedules, and there are no fund-raising quotas.

“One of the huge takeaways from YIPEE is learning about organizations the students never would have learned about before,” Mrs. Susdorf said. “What they are taking away from this is that there are so many great people doing important work in our community.”

Contact Alexa York at: ayork@theblade.com.