The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is an organization of the Sanilac County Community Foundation. The group consists of 30+ Sanilac County school students, working together with an advisor to promote compassion for others and philanthropy within the community.

The YAC meets each month during the school year and each member is invited to attend the monthly Foundation Board meetings. These meetings are not only educational and informative, they are a lot of fun! Their purpose is to:

• Assess local youth needs: Every three years a survey is completed by local high school students to identify needs of the youth population in Sanilac County. The results of these surveys are used in determining grant recipients.
  
  
• Raise funds for specific projects: Events are held each year to raise money for worthy projects. One example is Cardboard City which was held for the first time in 2002. High school students from the county, made up of primarily YAC members, acquired cardboard boxes and spent the night in them on the Courthouse lawn. Donations and pledges have exceeded $10,000 ever year since the start and all funds go directly to helping the homeless or at-risk for homelessness in Sanilac County.
  
  
• Review grant applications that benefit local youth and make recommendations to the SCCF Board for funding: Twice a year the group meets to review grant applications that have been submitted by various organizations in the county for a wide range of projects. They then make recommendations to the Board to fund the requests that they feel will have the biggest impact on youth in our area.
  
  
• Participate in community volunteerism: The council also has been requested on occasion to help out in different areas where there was a need in the community. Last year, they assisted Habitat for Humanity in landscaping newly built homes in Sanilac County. They have also waited tables at Benefit Raffles for McKenzie Memorial Hospital.

 

Sanilac County Community Foundation
47 Austin Street, P.O. Box 307
Sandusky, MI 48471
Phone: (810) 648-3634
Fax: (810) 648-4418