- The Hollister YEP (with sponsor Chandra Pierce, top left) receive a $500 grant from YEP coordinator Bridget Dierks (top right) for their 3rd place entry in the 60 Second Challenge.
The Hollister YEP recently completed an impressive first year as a YEP of the Ozarks partner. This program, which was started in November by Hollister High School teacher Chandra Pierce, spent this spring semester working hard to put the YEP goals of education, service, fundraising, and grantmaking to practice.
The Hollister YEP student hosted fundraisers both to benefit their youth-oriented grantmaking program and to support the local Special Olympics chapter. They also worked to advocate for Hollister High School in two successful Rural Schools Partnership grantmaking opportunities, which provided funding for two projects to be completed on the school grounds.
The Hollister YEP also received 3rd place in the Rural Schools Partnership’s 60 Second Video Challenge. Hollister students received a $500 prize, which they added to their grantmaking fund. The video, which was posted on YouTube as part of the competition, can be viewed on the CFO website.
Upon completing a semester of fundraising, service, and education, the Hollister YEP solicited youth-oriented grants in the local community and completed their first grantmaking round. YEP students selected four projects, which received a total of $750. They are as follows:
- Hollister High School Communication Arts II, Charity Gibson, $250, to buy novels that explore various kinds of prejudice and stereotypes. This follows the guidelines of the Missouri Reading Iniative’s balanced literacy model in which all students study a similar concept but are able to individualize their reading by choosing amongst several reading options. (Classroom budgets have been reduced due to less state money so this would help make-up for the loss in funding).
- Hollister High School Physics, Vanessa Washburn, $250, to purchase a 2000+ piece rollercoaster set in order to enhance the curriculum by allowing students to apply their concepts to a real world situation.
- Hollister Summer Baseball, Kevin Roepke, $125, to help provide additional funding to the program in order to deter the cost from the youth of Hollister.
- Hollister Mentoring Program, Aaron Newberry, $125, to help provide funding that will support over 180 Hollister students from 7th-12th grade. Over 75% of youth involved in this specific program have shown minor to significant improvements in at least one area of their life.
Congratulations to the Hollister YEP and sponsor Chandra Pierce for a wonderful year!
