Young people in our community are steering philanthropy

by Sue Hafkemeyer, president and CEO

Young people are fundamental to our mission. And this time of year, they are especially on our minds.

With the awarding of our 2024 scholarships and the announcement of the Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) grant recipients, I have been thinking about how young people are both served by philanthropy and how they are shaping what philanthropy looks like in the Quad Cities.

Thanks to a group of generous donors, each year, we provide more than $500,000 in scholarships to local students who are pursuing education at community colleges, four-year institutions, and trade schools. At our recent scholarship award reception, our student keynote speaker, Stephanie Gutierrez-Reyes, spoke beautifully about the opportunities created by scholarships.

Stephanie said the financial freedom has meant “exploring a range of perspectives and creating a life path guided by passions.” Speaking to the award recipients at the event, many mentioned that getting a scholarship has inspired them to give back. They want to reflect the generosity of the donors who make the awards possible.

We bring our donors and scholarship recipients together because when students meet and talk with the donors who care so deeply about their success, they are inspired to take on a spirit of giving. These connections span generations and foster our community’s spirit of generosity.

I’ve seen the same thing happen through our Teens for Tomorrow program. For more than 20 years, T4T has brought hundreds of teenagers into the world of philanthropy. And just this year, participants worked with donors to raise $18,500 that will be granted to local nonprofits.

Nathan Musal—now just a month away from graduation at Pleasant Valley High School—has been involved with T4T for three years, first as a participant and now as a mentor to new members of the program. Earlier this year, Nathan told us how much he’d grown through the program. He said T4T opened his eyes to new experiences, gave him confidence, and made it clear that (even teenagers) can make a huge impact in their community through giving.

In the fall, Nathan will head to the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School. We are proud of what he has already achieved, and I’m so excited to see where his journey leads next. Wherever that is, like all of our T4T students and scholarship recipients, I’m confident Nathan will always find a way to give back and make his community a better and more generous place.  

If you want to support our youth programs, give me a call, and let’s talk. There are so many ways we can partner with you to support young leadership in our community.