Karina Donayre, a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, hopes someday to work for the United Nations and says learning more about philanthropy is preparing her for that role..
Donayre is part of the Future Philanthropists Program, which she said has made her more aware of local nonprofits and the issues they address.
“I guess it’s really the art of philanthropy,” Donayre said of the program. “It gives me a taste of what I want to do.”
The Oak Park and River Forest Community Foundation’s program, now in its fifth year, gives high school juniors and seniors an inside look at area nonprofits, awarding grants and teaching the art of fundraising.
“In essence, I would say it’s a leadership development program wrapped around a philanthropic experience,” said Rick King, founder of the local program.
Juniors are tasked with learning about area nonprofits and distributing $25,000 among those who submit requests for funds. The following year, as seniors, the teens tackle the fundraising side of things and focus on raising money.
Local mentors involved with philanthropy work with the two groups, offering guidance on grants or fundraising.
“It’s really a community thing right now,” said Future Philanthropists Program coordinator Karen Tardy, referring to the students, mentors and organizations all being part of the Oak Park and River Forest area.
Juniors apply for the program at the beginning of the year and the group is chosen in September. This year, 41 juniors applied and 24 were selected, the largest class so far, King said. Students attend Oak Park and River Forest High School, Trinity High School and Fenwick High School.
Nonprofits submit proposals in January each year, and the juniors sort through them and visit the organizations to learn more about each one, Tardy said.
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The teens then decide which nonprofits will receive a portion of the $25,000, and how much. The money comes from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation’s Future Philanthropists Fund. King said that amount of money puts a good deal of responsibility on the teens.
Organizations that have received funds in past years include the West Suburban Special Recreation Association, Sarah’s Inn, Hephzibah Children’s Association, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry and the Oak Park Education Foundation, Tardy said.
Meanwhile, seniors are taught how to fundraise and are asked to raise money for the community foundation.
“The other eye-opener is really the nuts and bolts of how you raise money,” King said. Last year, students approached Marion Street Cheese Market, which did a dine-and-share week, setting aside 10 percent of profits for the fundraising.
The seniors who graduated in 2014 raised about $23,000, Tardy said, and they expect the next class “will take the ball and run with it.”
There’s no expectation seniors raise the same amount they distributed as juniors.
“It was more about just teaching them,” Tardy said, adding she hopes the program offers teens the opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of philanthropy.
“There’s a lot of kids, I think, still out there who are unfamiliar about ways in which to give back,” Tardy said, adding the program has drawn a variety of students.
“It takes all kinds and we take all kinds,” she said.
OPRF senior Maille O’Donnell said the experience has taught her the value of staying involved in her community.
“I think they’re really giving us the tools to practice philanthropy later in life,” she said.