Community Youth Advisory Councils Select Wedgwood to Receive Grants

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, Ionia County Youth Advisory Council, and Wyoming Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council have each selected Wedgwood Christian Services as a recipient of their annual grants.

Each area Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is made up of local teens who review all grant applications and select recipients based on the organization or project’s impact on youth in their community.

“The Ionia County YAC is excited about the opportunity to fund a grant from Wedgwood Christian Services because their services are meeting the growing youth mental health crisis that is important to all YAC members and falls within our community’s current needs,” said Maura Lufkin, YAC Co-Chair.

The grants from each YAC will support the Children’s Hope Annual Fund which makes it possible for Wedgwood to provide 100% donor-funded Transforming Services, including: Recreation & Wellness, Prevention, Manasseh Project Outreach, Employment Training, and Chaplaincy & Young Life.

“While reviewing the grant application that Wedgwood submitted to us this year, it was immediately clear to us that Wedgwood had created a very impactful service program that had not only proved to be successful in the past, but also outlined and showed a promise of further success in the future,” said Micheala Castle, YAC Grant Committee Chair. “The Children’s Hope Annual Fund stood out to us as a program that had the potential to continue making a large impact on youth throughout our communities, and so while at first funding the program appeared to be intimidating due to its larger reach in comparison to the grants YAC typically funds, we ultimately decided that it was important to aid the youth not only in our own community, but within many communities.”

Wedgwood’s Transforming Services are critical to the successful outcomes of those Wedgwood serves and make a vital difference in helping individuals make the lasting improvements that truly turn their lives around. The person-centered approach of Wedgwood’s Transforming Services works to restore physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being if children, teens, families, and adults in West Michigan.

“We are thrilled and honored to receive grants from each of these Youth Advisory Councils. These funds will allow us to continue offering hope and healing to those who rely on Wedgwood.” said Vivian TerMaat, Wedgwood’s Chief Advancement Officer. “We are also encouraged by these community-minded groups of students who are taking action to make a difference in the lives of those around them.”

Since 1960, Wedgwood Christian Services has been dedicated to boldly taking on the toughest mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges facing children, teens, families, and adults through residential care, counseling services, and community programs. The goal is to support and help restore the physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being of those who rely on Wedgwood. www.wedgwood.org.

The Grand Haven Area Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council is made up of high school students who discuss and assess youth issues prevalent in the community, review grant proposals that benefit youth in the community, and look for opportunities to engage and empower youth in Northwest Ottawa County. The YAC was established in 1991 thanks to a challenge grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Since then, over 200 students have served on the YAC, and the Youth Fund has generated almost $2 million in assets. More importantly, since its inception, the program has had the privilege to grant out about $1.2 million to programs that address relevant, pressing issues that face area youth. www.ghacf.org/who-we-are/youth-advisory-council/

The Ionia County Youth Advisory Council is represented by high school students from Ionia, Belding, Portland, Lakewood, Saranac, Pewamo-Westphalia, and Lowell High Schools who plan, develop, and implement service-learning projects. This youth-led council hosts fundraisers for the projects they plan, develop, and execute. Each year, YAC has grant dollars to give to deserving projects and organizations. The group goes through a grant application process in which they rate each on its impact on the community, value, and how it addresses youth issues. Currently, the Ionia County YAC has money through State Farm to grant out for service-learning projects. www.ioniacountyyac.org/

The Wyoming Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is made of up students from four Wyoming-area high schools. The group makes grants to programs that benefit youth in the Wyoming area, with focuses on programs or projects that address depression, getting into and paying for college, stress affecting families (divorce, job loss, financial problems) and pressure to succeed academically. The Wyoming Community Foundation is a regional affiliate of Grand Rapids Community Foundation. www.grfoundation.org/about/regional-affiliates/wyoming