A handful of local organizations have the support of W.C. Miller's Youth in Philanthropy (YiP) group, which doled out its annual grants earlier this week.
Through student-created fundraisers, and with the Altona Community Foundation matching those dollars, the group at Altona's high school was able to distribute $3,400.
"It feels like a success or an achievement when you have a vision and it comes to life."
The fundraisers this year were: a community movie night with a showing of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” where the group sold snacks, a concession stand during the intermissions of the school’s musical production of “The Outsiders” in March, and the sale of candy grams, chocolates, and roses to students and staff at Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The group also sold school clothing as a final initiative in the spring to increase its fundraising amount.
Additionally, the students organized a “Mitten Tree” to collect winter outer-gear at the winter concert which was donated to local charities to distribute to children in need.
"It feels like a success or an achievement when you have a vision and it comes to life, and you get people to do the right things and you get people donating," described Dallas Friesen. "It feels like people are actually interested in what you're doing and actually care about the community like you do. It's nice seeing everyone work together like that."
Jacob Friesen-Stoesz agreed, adding he is grateful for the community support.
"Most people in our YiP program are not adults yet, and I'm really glad that the people in our community are willing to help out and say, 'these young adults are trying to make a difference', and we are really grateful for that."
Benefactors of the 2025 granting period are:
Kiddie Sunshine Centre will be receiving money to help with the purchase of a new foosball table that will be used by their school-aged children over the summer months. Increasing the amount of developmentally appropriate resources available for children to use is an important goal for the Centre, and we are happy to help them continue in their mission and vision with these funds.
Genesis House will be receiving a grant to help purchase a Blackstone griddle with a hood that can be used in the shared kitchen. The in-house cook will be able to use the new griddle to help enhance the nutritious and comforting food that is created for the residents of Genesis House.
The staff at Gardens on 10th are going to use their grant to purchase flowers and other plants to fill the communal garden beds in the courtyard. Residents of the Gardens enjoy coming together to help plant and tend the flowers over the course of the summer season. The courtyard is a positive space for families and residents to spend time together as well as a place where community groups join for recreation activities at the Gardens on 10th.
The Altona Area Family Resource Centre is receiving monies to purchase moveable wire shelving that will be used to store the many toys and resources that are used on a daily basis. The current storage room has wooden shelves that need to be replaced due to water damage from flooding earlier in the year. Moveable wire shelving will allow for more efficient storage of toys and resources with the possibility of easy relocation when needed.
Katie Cares Cottage is a welcoming place that supports families through the challenging times they might face while accessing healthcare at Boundary Trails Health Centre. They will be receiving a grant to help with the purchase of some new outdoor furniture for their patio. Guests will be able to enjoy a comfortable place to enjoy a quiet moment with this new furniture.
Ecole West Park School will be receiving a grant to be used in purchasing equipment for students to use outdoors during recess. They plan on using the funds to purchase shovels and other winter-focused tools to enhance creative play by students during their time outdoors each day.
When deciding which projects to support, Friesen-Stoesz says the committee mulled over the applications that came in and also pondered how the various projects would impact the community in the future.
"We also considered their past contributions," added Friesen. "All of the organizations today have contributed to our community and helped better our community, so we decided it would be worth resourcing them."
Overall, the pair agreed the whole experience of serving on the YiP committee was a good one and say they enjoyed giving back to the community as part of a group.
"Where we have all worked hard all year and now, we get to give our funds back to the community, and to good organizations that do good work for our community too," added Friesen.
Having grown up in Altona his whole life, Friesen-Stoesz he is thankful for all of the opportunities the community provides, and being on the YiP committee was a way to say, 'thank you'.
"I hope I can continue doing that, as well," he added.
With files from W.C. Miller Youth in Philanthropy