RENO COUNTY, Kan. — The Youth Philanthropy Council of Hutchinson Community Foundation awarded $5,000 in grants to nine organizations at a ceremony in March at the Hutchinson Art Center.
Led by high school students from across Reno County, the Youth Philanthropy Council is a grantmaking program designed to involve area teens in philanthropy: the practice of giving money, time and talents to help make life better for other people. The group began meeting in November to discuss local issues of concern to youth and the community, learn about grantmaking, and present grants to youth-serving organizations.
The grants were awarded from the Richard W. Dillon Memorial Fund for Youth Philanthropy, established by the Dillon family to honor Dick Dillon for his extensive philanthropic work in the community.
The 12 members of the 2024-2025 council are Claudia Taylor and Libby Trumpp, Buhler High School; Gavin Foster and Lucy Steen, Fairfield High School; Kayla Rose, Haven High School; Ellie Foos and Hollyn Neufeldt, Hutchinson High School; Will Barkley and Haley McGill, Nickerson High School; Mary Newboles, Ruby Tovar-Contreras and Sam Vogel, Trinity Catholic High School.
The following awards were given:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, $500: The grant will help purchase equipment and materials for the club’s Future Welders of Tomorrow program designed to introduce youth to welding and metalworking.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, $600: The funding will purchase equipment for the club’s Lyricism 101 program, focused on empowering middle school students through DJing, music production and lyric writing.
Hutchinson NAACP Youth, $500: The grant will purchase books for a book club established to promote cultural awareness, empathy and literacy among minority youth through the exploration of books centered on diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, $425: The grant will help purchase supplies, food and beverages for game and craft gatherings between Bigs and Littles.
Nickerson High School-Debate & Forensics, $425: Funding will help offset student costs associated with attending the National Speech and Debate Association national tournament.
Reno County Education Cooperative, $900: The grant will help purchase snacks, equipment, a sign language interpreter and lighting for the Soft Spotlight Theater. The is a project collaboration between Family Community Theatre, Reno County Education Cooperative and Clothed in Compassion to offer a sensory-friendly theater performance designed for children with sensory sensitivities and their families.
Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation, $300: The funds will go toward the purchase a portable gas generator to help amplify sound for the Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps, a summer performance troupe made up of students from across the region.
Spark United Church of the Nazarene, $350: The grant will help purchase cookbooks for Kitchen Hero Academy, a 10-week summer cooking skills program for middle school students.
Trinity Catholic High School, $1,000: Funding will purchase a help guide, board games and snacks for a newly established peer-mentor program called Sources of Strength focused on resilience through student connection and support.
Hutchinson Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire philanthropy, leadership and collaboration to strengthen Reno County. Since 1989, the foundation has granted more than $104 million.
