Youth as Resources Awards Over $5,000 for Youth Service Projects

The Hendricks County board of Youth As Resources of Central Indiana (YARCI) awarded more than $5,000 in grants on March 23 to local youth who plan to use the money on projects to benefit the community.

Nine projects were presented to the Hendricks County YARCI board by local youth interested in providing a variety of benefits to their county. The nine projects will involve 251 youth volunteers.

Projects receiving grant funding included a second grade class from Sycamore Elementary School in Avon who plan to make regular visits to a nursing home in Brownsburg, socializing with the residents there, helping with work, completing crafts, and reading stories with them.

Another group, the Bruin Service Club, has plans to plant 72 trees along Jeff Gordon Boulevard in Pittsboro. The Danville Community High School student council received funding to supplement their annual Safe Trick-or-Treating festivities. The Brownsburg Youth Encouraging Philanthropy group is hosting a swimming event at Brownsburg High School from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. in an effort to combat childhood obesity and to promote physical fitness.

Youth As Resources is funded by the United Way of Central Indiana and has branches in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, and Morgan Counties. The Hendricks County board is comprised of 24 community volunteers--twelve adults and twelve teenagers representing all six local school corporations as well as home-schooled students--and awards grants twice a year for youth-led community service projects.

"Every year, United Way inspires Youth as Resources kids into action to address local community needs. Each year, we see kids putting their unique ideas into action. I love seeing kids producing anti-sexting videos, authoring and illustrating books, visiting shut-in seniors and reaching out to kids living at Sheltering Wings. There is no limit to what kids can achieve if they have access to key resources," said Christy McIntyre-Craig, YAR Hendricks County Coordinator.

YARCI challenges youth to identify community needs and design projects that use their skills, creativity, and energy to help others in the community. The kids who wish to apply for grant money must complete the application process themselves and make a presentation about their project to board members. The project itself must have at least one adult advisor.

The board offers grant workshops to help kids write their grant proposals. Workshops are currently scheduled for September 1 and September 6 for the the fall 2011 proposals.

During fall 2009 and spring 2010, Youth as Resources funded 21 youth-directed volunteer projects in Hendricks County. These projects involved 760 youth volunteers who contributed 7,376 hours of service. It is estimated that about 31,449 individuals benefited from their volunteer work. A total of $12,753.06 in grant money was received by the youth for their volunteer projects, an average of $607.29 per project.

A Kickoff Celebration for the spring 2011 projects is scheduled for Sunday, April 17.

Christy McIntyre-Craig can be reached at (317) 745-0310 or at christy.mcintyrecraig@uwci.org.

Links of Interest:

Hendricks County YARCI
YARCI's Facebook Page
United Way of Central Indiana

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