United Way’s Power of Youth Council to Allocate $10,000 to Local Agencies

unitedway portercountyUnited Way of Porter County The “Power of Giving” grant allocations ceremony will take place at the United Way of Porter County in Valparaiso on Thursday, May 23 at 6:00 pm. The United Way’s high school council, the Power of Youth, will allocate $10,000 to area non-profits for programs that address youth self-esteem.

Local agencies that will receive grants from the Power of Youth include Family House, Discoveries Unlimited, Hilltop Neighborhood House, Visiting Nurse Association, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau. These recipient agencies were selected by the Power of Youth Council members based on a criterion which evaluated their programs’ efforts to strengthen youth self-esteem within the Porter County community.

Family House will receive $1,000 which will fund the purchase of laptop computers for its parent-child visitation program. Discoveries Unlimited will benefit from $2,000 in support of the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) program for middle school-aged girls. The Hilltop Neighborhood House will receive $2,500 for its Walt’s Place after-school program which allows parents to keep working or go to school. The Visiting Nurse Association will receive $1,800 for the Phoenix Center program which provides a safe place for children, teens, families, and adults to share their experiences as they move through the grief process after losing a loved one. Family and Youth Services Bureau will receive $2,700 for its Adolescent Mentoring program, which is designed to assist at-risk middle school students who could benefit from the support of positive role models.

The Power of Youth Council is composed of 15 high school students from Porter County high schools who are dedicated to making an impact and living united. The Council chose to address youth self-esteem in their communities through volunteerism and philanthropic endeavors. The Council raised the majority of the grant allocation fund through the Valparaiso Half Marathon which took place in November.

United Way of Porter County improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of the Porter County community through financial and volunteer resource development. United Way invests in 3 core strategies: Education, Financial Stability, and Health. We help over 60,000 Porter County residents build better lives. For more information, visit www.unitedwaypc.org and www.uwsuccessby6.org and www.nwivolunteer.org or call 219-464-3583.