After five months of eye-opening exposure to the human service needs of Logan County behind them, the Student United Way committee is ready to receive applications for funding.
Local schools, teachers, organizations, churches, and government entities are encouraged to apply for a United Way Youth Allocations grant by the Feb. 14 deadline.
Grants will be awarded in March for use this summer or during the 2025 -26 school year. Applications are available online at www.uwlogan.org or by calling (937) 592-2886.
The 28 high-schoolers involved in United Way’s leadership development program finalized their criteria for awarding grant dollars this week. Now they hope to make an impact with the $30,000 they have available to allocate.
This year, Student United Way wishes to support work in these areas of need that they identified:
- Mental Health, such as but not limited to one-on-one support for students and coping skills for younger students.
- Anti-Vaping Initiatives, such as but not limited to support for students currently vaping and anti-vaping education for elementary and middle school students.
- Poverty-Fighting Initiatives, such as but not limited to financial literacy, career exploration, and employment opportunities for teens and soon-to-be graduates.
- Mentoring Programs.
- Other ideas that support local youth, such as Food, English as a Second Language, Drug Prevention, Access to Personal Hygiene Products, Driving Safety, and After-School Transportation.
Applications can come to support new or existing in-school or community-based programs that serve Logan County youth under 18.
The students collectively arrive at their conclusions after a series of experiences and discussions during United Way’s year-long leadership development program.
The year started with a poverty simulation. The students also served the community by distributing the Thanksgiving food boxes for Second Harvest Food Bank. A tour of the Logan County History Museum gave the students a look into where Logan County came from and where we are headed.
These activities were followed up with a Community Conversation with the students to help better understand the needs of Logan County from theirs and their peers perspectives.
Richwood Bank hosted the students and representatives from area business including Honda, WPKO, Marker, Richwood Bank and Ben Vollrath with The Logan County Chamber of Commerce, who shared the importance of corporate giving and how it works.