YOUTH HELPING YOUTH: #BeTheGood | Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV)

MEET THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE FOX RIVER VALLEY YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

IN PHILANTHROPY (YEP) CLASS OF 2020-21

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV) is proud to introduce 21 high-achieving area high schoolers filled with empathy for their community. Through the CFFRV’s new Youth Engagement in Philanthopy (YEP) program, these 21 Fox Valley students, representing 7 area high schools, will work together virtually this year to 1) raise and 2) distribute $25,000 in grants to Fox Valley nonprofits serving youth needs.

Mariella Acevedo, 16

Junior, West Aurora High School

Bethany Anderson, 14

Freshman, Oswego East High School

Anabel Celis, 15

Sophomore, East Aurora High School

Sofiya Fatima, 16

Junior, Oswego East High School

Paige Grzenia, 18

Senior, Rosary High School

Cole Hemmes, 17

Senior, Batavia High School

Katelin Hong, 14

Freshman, Oswego East High School

Lauren Howland, 17

Senior, Batavia High School

Terrell Johnson, 16

Sophomore, East Aurora High School

Nalani Lopez, 14

Freshman, Oswego East High School

Maxine Mikkelson, 16,

Sophomore, Newark Community High School

Reagan Mikkelson, 16,

Sophomore, Newark Community High School

Lydia Oker, 17

Senior, Rosary High School

Jasmine Rivera, 17

Senior, West Aurora High School

Arleth Rodriguez, 17

Senior, East Aurora High School

Maximus Sambucetti, 17

Junior, West Aurora High School

Sarah Shoaff, 18

Senior, Rosary High School

Tatum Smith, 15

Freshman, St. Charles East

Julia Tippett, 17

Junior, Rosary High School

Abigail Vagnoni, 16

Junior, Rosary High School

Kayla Walker, 16

Junior, West Aurora High School

AURORA, IL, November 18, 2020 – Concerned about what the future holds for today’s youth, particularly when it comes to giving back to their community?

If so, get ready to meet 21 diverse students from seven different Fox Valley high schools ready to prove you don’t have to be an adult to start living a life of philanthropy.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV) is proud to introduce 21 high-achieving area high schoolers filled with empathy for their community. Through the

CFFRV’s new Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, YEP’s “Class of 2020-21” will work together virtually this school year to 1) raise and 2) distribute $25,000 in grants to Fox Valley nonprofits that serve or benefit youth. (For more details on which nonprofits and projects are eligible, visit cffrv.org/yep-grantmaking-program.)

How will YEP raise $25,000 to seed the grants they will award next spring? To start, the students have launched a Giving Tuesday campaign hooked to the hashtag #BeTheGood. To donate and support our next generation of young philanthropists, visit cffrv.org/yep-giving-tuesday on or before Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2020). Best of all, donate now through

December 1, 2020 to the Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) Giving Tuesday campaign and the impact will be doubled thanks to a generous matching grant of $12,500 from the Dunham Fund.

Donations will help raise necessary funds for local nonprofits. The YEP experience will help a core group of young Fox Valley philanthropists learn the ins and outs of the grantmaking process, developing grant applications, fundraising, evaluating submissions and determining how $25,000 in grants will be divided and dispersed to Fox Valley agencies at the end of the 2020-21 school year.

About the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV) is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley in Illinois.

Founded in 1948, the CFFRV is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, public charity that allows individuals, businesses and other nonprofit organizations to establish permanent endowment and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation. Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The CFFRV serves the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County in Illinois.

For more information, visit cffrv.org or follow the Foundation on Facebook.