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February 22, 2005
Record-Eagle/Josh Biggs Abby Grieve, of Kalkaska County, evaluates various area grants with other high school students as part of "grant decision day," part of a youth endowment program run by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Students get focused on grantsYouth advisors weigh requests for fundsByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Students at Eastern Elementary envision a glorious, handicap-accessible playground, but the $84,952 price tag is a bit steep for a fourth-grader. Some high school students might be able to help them out, however. Students from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties met over the weekend in Traverse City to consider youth-oriented grant applications. "For every endowment we have at the foundation, we have advisors," said Jeanne Snow, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, which runs a program that has seen students award $800,000 in grants since 1993. "For the youth endowment, we have youth advisors." A group of students from each county considered a dozen or so applications and determined which deserved part of $5,300 they had available to hand out. Grant recommendations were forwarded to the foundation board, which expects to announce the winners in March. Near the top of the list considered by Kalkaska students was a fund-raising drive for a playground project called NEMO, or the No one Ever Misses Out All Star Park. The architectural design of the proposed playground includes five access points that are wheelchair accessible, an accessible club house, and a paved area around the multi-level structure. "It's pretty much so kids with disabilities and without can play side-by-side," said Ella Bartlett, a 12th-grader from Kalkaska who liked the proposal. A fourth-grader wrote, "NEMO is a phrase to never forget. ALL STAR is two words to keep in mind. Together these words make someone's dream." Some elements of the design drawn by an elementary student are included in the proposal, like a sign that reads "Everyone Plays." Some are not, like the proposed "fake telescope." An application quickly eliminated for consideration by the Kalkaska group was from Planned Parenthood asking for $500 for prom kits. The kits include information, not contraceptives. Ben Filipowicz said the idea was shot down not because it could be controversial, but because it didn't appear an effective use of money. "It didn't seem to help enough," Filipowicz said. "It's something that people need to hear, but we hear it from a lot of places."
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