Service-learning program benefits students, nonprofits

The Student Philanthropy Council (SPC) at 91�鶹��Ʒ has awarded three nonprofit organizations in central New York grants totaling $10,000.

The SPC is a service-learning program composed of twelve 91�鶹��Ʒ sophomores.

This year’s grant money will support initiatives that enhance the personal and life skills development for underserved populations in the community.

During a ceremony Thursday at the 91�鶹��Ʒ Inn, the SPC awarded funding to:

• The in Utica, N.Y.: $2,555 to grow its character development program through the purchase of supplemental teachers’ kits. These additional resources provide new tool sets for the schools faculty to teach and reinforce values and behavioral skills in their students.

Jenna Weber ’10, a member of the Student Philanthropy Council, stands with Melissa Roys (left) and Patrice VanNortwick, both from the Neighborhood Center in Utica. The center received $3,895 from the council.

• It’s 91�鶹��Ʒ Childhood and Family, Inc. in Cazenovia, N.Y.: $3,550 to expand its mental health services program into Madison County and surrounding rural areas. The program provides parent, family, and teacher education/training seminars to low-income and underserved populations.

• The Neighborhood Center in Utica, N.Y.: $3,895 in support of the Somalia Bantu Project, which provides English as second language lessons as well as culture transition and community knowledge classes to Somali refugee women. The classes address issues such as receiving healthcare and understanding the school system.

The philanthropy program, now in its second year, is supported by the Brennan Family Foundation of Ohio, which has ties to the university through Jay Brennan ’81.

The foundation made a gift of $50,000 to support the program for five years. Each year, $10,000 of that money is made available to the SPC to provide grants to area nonprofits.

The students in the council have worked together since September 2007, learning about philanthropy and non-profits through a lecture series. In December, the council began the hands-on work of a small regional foundation.

“We really put a lot of work into doing the best we could, and this was mostly driven by the real-life applicability of the SPC,” said Cassandra Galante ’09. “Real money affecting real people means we had to make serious decisions.”