Teen mentor shares power of philanthropy

Like most teenagers, Nathan Musal has a full schedule. Between school, homework, football, and college applications, you might expect him to put his feet up when he can. Yet, for the last three years, Nathan has dedicated many of his weekends to learning and teaching others about philanthropy through the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) program.

“I had volunteered before and been in Boy Scouts, but this program seemed unique,” said Nathan. “Being able to participate in philanthropy and creating real community change is not an experience a lot of teenagers get to have. Looking back, I’m so grateful that I took a chance and got involved.”

For more than 20 years, the T4T program has guided high school students from the Quad Cities region through the entire grantmaking and fundraising process. Participants learn to think regionally as they engage with local challenges and the organizations that are working on solutions. T4T is supported by the Herb and Arlene Elliott Endowment which provides a base of $10,000 for the grants students award to community organizations. Each cohort works directly with donors to raise additional funds.

Nathan, now a senior at Pleasant Valley High School, has learned a lot during his time in the program. “That first year was really eye-opening,” he said. “We did site visits, and I learned a lot about the area I’ve lived my whole life. The program lets you meet so many interesting people—both fellow students and community members—and all those perspectives have been very valuable to me.”  

His perspective is now being shared with the current T4T cohort as Nathan serves the program as a teen mentor. “I was honored to be asked to participate and lend my experience to the program,” said Nathan. “I got to be part of the planning for this year’s program, and I’m there at the meeting guiding students through some of the activities. When you’re going through the process for the first time, it can feel overwhelming. I’m able to speak to the students as someone who has seen it all come together.”

This will be Nathan’s last year with the program before he heads to the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. “The lessons I’ve learned from T4T are going to stick with me,” he said. “Learning that I can make an impact in my community, learning to speak confidently about my beliefs, bringing others into a project and working together; those are all things I learned and practiced in T4T, and I know they’ll be important for my future.”

The current T4T cohort is actively fundraising and growing their grant pool. If you are interested in contributing to this project, reach out to Kaleigh at t4t@qccommunityfoundation.org. Do you know a student who would like to learn about philanthropy and community engagement? Applications for the next T4T cohort open April 1, 2024.