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 were taken and over $20,000.00
was raised between 2002 and 2003 to
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. As of December 31, 2002 they granted out
over
$40,000.00.
-
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.
.jpg)
