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Five Key Club officers and school counselor Luanne Resel attended the third annual Girls Investing in Girls workshop on October 3rd, sponsored by the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
Participants learned about local philanthropy organizations and grants. A philanthropy organization is a group that promotes the well-being of others. As part of the program, participants reviewed and then awarded a grant to a local organization.
Fifty girls from the tri-county area were in attendance, including LCHS counselor Luanne Resel, who has attended the workshop since the pilot year. Resel said she hopes students who attend will, “share this experience with others and promote the word philanthropy.” She hopes the program will inspire others to learn, “how to reach different organizations because there are so many that need our help”. Resel’s advice for researching and supporting non-profits is to always go over their message and see how they hope to achieve those goals, then apply yourself to see how you can make a difference.
Key Club vice-president sophomore Kaylee Weaver said she loved experiencing an environment where she felt she had a huge impact on people’s lives. Weaver said she loved that, “they sat us away from our peers so we had to talk and learn from other girls in the community.” Weaver commented that sitting with new faces helped her get new perspectives on philanthropy and what it means to be a volunteer. Weaver said she would go to the Girls Supporting Girls workshop again if given the opportunity, and that it gave her knowledge of the many organizations for her as a woman.
Key Club co-president senior Cecelia Reed had been on this philanthropy trip once before. Reed commented, “I loved last year, and they managed to make it even better this year. Grants and non-profits are something I think everyone should learn about.” She went on to talk about how grateful she was to go on the trip. Reed’s favorite part was getting to meet girls from other schools and making new relationships. Her overall experience was good, and she learned a lot, like how many jobs go into working in non-profits and how important yet stressful it is to give grants to those who need them.
At the end of the workshop, participants selected GLOW, Girls Light Our Way, was selected to receive a grant from the organization for their after-school program for girls in the Peoria area.
The Girls Supporting Girls organization was founded to give young women a gateway into careers and opportunities in the world of philanthropy. The program is in its 4th year and has helped over 200 girls so far while blessing three foundations with grants to help their cause.
