2002-2003 PCI YAC Report
The second year of the Youth in Philanthropy project at Portage Collegiate has been a good experience for our group. We held our initial meeting at noon on September 24, 2002 with the returning members from our group from 2001-2002. Following that meeting we opened our group to new members and selected five to join our group.
The members of our executive are Keri Lynn Keeler, President, Hailey Wright, Treasurer, Michelle Egan, Secretary, and Devon Jones, Public Relations. The rest of our group members are Lisa Pao, Angie Boak, Courtney Freeborn, Kimmie Halwas, Brett Collett, Cora McKenzie, Stephan Lesage, and Brittany Bruinooge.
We were able to get off to a good start on September 30 with an orientation session provided by Jim Rennie and Karen Braden. We certainly appreciate their willingness to come to PCI and introduce the new members of our project to the concept of Community Foundations.
We received letters from the charitable organizations that we donated money to in 2002-2002. The letters included a description of the use of the funds and in some cases pictures of the children participating in the programs that we had helped. This was very gratifying and inspirational for the members of our group.
Lisa Pao was invited to attend an organizational meeting at the high school in Boissevain on October 7. She attended with Karen Braden and Jim Rennie. Lisa was asked to present a student's perspective on the Youth in Philanthropy Project and to provide some information about her trip to the conference in Kelowna in 2002.
During the year we did some fund raising for our endowment fund by holding 50-50 draws at PCI and by serving dessert and refreshments for a Drama presentation. We have raised $146.56 this year.
The group researched charitable organizations in Portage la Prairie and after several meetings decided to ask for interviews with the following groups: Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the Children's Wish Foundation, Youth for Christ, Young Parents Resource Centre, the Friendship Center, the Women's Shelter, Helping Hands, the Portage la Prairie Hospital Auxiliary, Central Plains Cancer Society, Delta Marsh, the United Way, Prairie Prolife, Neighbourhood Connections, Sunset Palliative Care Association and the Manitoba Development Center.
Students made every effort to contact the above groups and sent letters confirming their appointments with the representatives of the organizations. Following their visits with the charities they wrote reports on their site visits and presented them to the Youth in Philanthropy group with a recommendation.
We had a lot of discussion about the best use of the money available and are able to make the following recommendations:
1. Cancer Care - $500 for the Kids Can Cope program
2. Young Parents Resource Center - $400 for their Stay and Play Activity Program
3. Prairie Prolife - $400 for formula and baby supplies
4. Manitoba Development Center - $500 for the Summer Camp Program
5. Women's Shelter - $500 for their Kids program
6. Neighbourhood Connections - $200 for their Breakfast program.