Scott Swanson
On a school day in mid-November, Sweet Home High School Leadership students sat in their classroom … stamping envelopes.
But there was a lot more learning involved in this exercise than may have appeared to a casual observer. The envelopes contained invitations to local nonprofit organizations – to ask the students for money.
The Leadership class is participating in Community 101, a program offered by the Oregon Community Foundation, which provides students opportunities to make grants to organizations engaged in community service and outreach.
The local effort is based on a gift of $5,000 in seed money from a local couple, Tim and Jo Ann McQueary.
Teacher Chris Hiaasen said Jo Ann McQueary, who is active in various community foundations throughout the state, approached the school with the opportunity to participate in Community 101.
“She wanted to get involved in this program,” Hiaasen said.
Though some schools, such as West Albany, actually have classes that focus entirely on Community 101, she said the best way to take advantage of the opportunity was to have the Leadership students take it on.
Hiaasen, who is advising the students in the program at Sweet Home, said the goal is to connect students to neighborhood issues such as hunger, homelessness and child abuse. Each classroom operates as a mini-foundation with students provided $5,000 for grant making; $1,000 of the $5,000 can be used for in-school grants.
The class identifies issues, researches nonprofits, reviews grant applications, performs community service and awards grants.
Students get a chance to see how nonprofits provide relief and support to those in need and how donors dedicate time and money to help improve our state, she said. At the end of the term, students plan an awards ceremony in which they conduct presentations and present grant checks to selected nonprofits.
“It’s a bit of a challenge, because we’re doing that in addition to everything else we’re doing,” she said. “That limits us in how much time we can spend on it. But so far it’s gone OK.”
Senior Ryan R. Adams said students attended a “big meeting” in Eugene last September to get started, and got some helpful tips from West Albany students who have “been doing it a long time.”
The class has been an eye-opener for the students, Sweet Home students and their teacher said.
“Usually, in leadership, the things you do only affect the student body,” said sophomore Gracie Olson. “I think most people at the high school have no idea what opportunities exist in local nonprofits. I had no idea.”
Hiaason said part of the learning experience for the students was doing research to identify local nonprofits.
“It was a challenge to figure out who the nonprofits are in the area,” she said. “(The students’) go-to is the Internet. A lot of things aren’t listed on the Internet. We sent kids out to physically locate some of the nonprofits.”
Churches were targeted along with other nonprofits. She said some students had not thought of churches as nonprofits.
“They were like, ‘Really?’”
Adams said the group has sent out 46 invitations to apply for funding.
“We’re hoping to get at least 75 percent back,” he said. “A lot were churches, because churches are nonprofits. (The outreach) can’t be religious-related (proselytism), but churches may have something that may qualify.”
Hiaason said examples of church activities that might not be proselytism would include outreaches such as Holley Church’s Halloween Trunk ‘n’ Treat, or the backpack giveaway program at Harvest Fellowship.
Once responses come in, students will select one to three applicants who will then make presentations to the class, Hiaason said.
“My hope is that we’ll get a lot of applications,” she said. “Personally, I like the idea of funding a lot of small activities.”
Adams said enthusiasm has grown as the project has progressed.
“I think most of us were a little skeptical but we’re warming up to it,” he said. “You develop a different mindset on what the community has to offer. I think it will broaden our horizons.”
Jo Ann McQueary noted that nonprofits are of particular importance in Oregon, where, according to the 2013 Oregon Values and Beliefs Survey conducted by the Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon State University and others, “Oregonians don’t trust government.
“Oregonians look to nonprofits for support for their community,” she said.
McQueary said her hope is that students will see the role nonprofits play in Sweet Home and how philanthropy works.
“I’ve been aware of this program for many years and have visited the classes at West Albany High School,” she said. “I am blown away at the level to which they get how important this is to our society, how much compassion they get, how much awareness is generated. It helps them to focus outside of themselves.”