Youth Philanthropy students honored at luncheon

NORTH KINGSVILLE – The Ashtabula Foundation honored Youth Philanthropy students during a luncheon at Sheldon Calvary Camp on Wednesday, April 15.
The Youth Philanthropy program, initiated by the Ashtabula Foundation, first began in the 2010-2011 school year and now has programs in all high schools in Ashtabula County, including Ashtabula County Technical & Career Center, Edgewood, Geneva, Grand River Academy, Grand Valley, Jefferson, Lakeside, Pymatuning and St. John School. Conneaut High School has been sponsored directly by the Conneaut Foundation since 2014.
Each year, the Ashtabula Foundation provides $5,000 to each high-school Youth Philanthropy Board, and students follow the same procedures used by the Ashtabula Foundation Board to grant funds to non-profit organizations in the community. The students solicit and review grant applications and conduct on-site interviews to learn more about the organization’s request. The students then meet to discuss which organizations will receive a grant recommendation.
Ashtabula Foundation Board Vice President and Youth Philanthropy Committee Chair Michelle McClure welcomed guests to the luncheon.
“This program proves two important things. First, that young people care deeply about their communities. And second, when given real responsibility, they rise to it,” McClure said. “What you’ll hear about today isn’t hypothetical leadership. It’s leadership that’s funded programs, strengthened non-profits and made a measurable difference.”
Since the program’s inception, students in the program have awarded more than $610,000 to nonprofit organizations in the community.
“That’s real investment, real responsibility and real trust, all led by the students,” McClure said.
This year there were 176 student participants, with 89 submitted grant proposals.
“From those proposals, you awarded 50 grants to 33 nonprofit organizations, totaling nearly $50,000 this year alone,” McClure said. “You didn’t just give money away. You learned how to listen. You asked tough questions. You weighed need versus impact, and you made real decisions – sometimes very difficult ones – with fairness and purpose.”
McClure introduced the guest speaker, Charles “Kip” Clarke, a financial services executive and strategic advisor. Over a 26-year career at KeyBank and earlier roles in corporate finance and consulting, he built and led high-performing teams while working with public, private and family-owned organizations.
Today, Clarke focuses much of his energy on mission-driven and civic work. He serves as a volunteer Executive in Residence at Youth Opportunities Unlimited, helping expand programs that support disengaged urban youth. He also co-founded Flashes of Hope, a nonprofit that has partnered with more than 110 hospitals, served over 90,000 families and raised more than $15 million for research.
“I think many of you probably felt a certain tug toward a cause when you were going through this,” Clarke said. “Acting on that tug brought out something in you. The fact that you’re here today and took part in the program said that you listened to that and you acted on it.”
Two Youth Philanthropy students, Bella Limestoll, of Pymatuning Valley High School, and Janessa Kosik, of A-Tech Technical & Career Campus, had the opportunity to share a few words about their experience.
Limestoll said being a part of Youth Philanthropy has completely changed the way she sees her community.
“Youth Philanthropy helped me realize that many struggles in Ashtabula County aren’t always visible,” Limestoll said.
She said the program also has taught her that there’s so many people in the county who need help.
“But there are also so many people and organizations working hard every day to make things better,” Limestoll said.
She said philanthropy is not just about giving money away.
“It’s about listening to people. It’s about learning what a community actually means and making a real difference,” Limestoll said.
She said even small acts of giving can make a big change.
“Philanthropy isn’t just about money. It’s about mindset,” Limestoll said. “Every act of generosity, big or small, sends a message to someone that they matter.”
In her remarks, Kosik said they have the power to change the community right now.
Making that change involves first finding out what needs to be changed.
The second step involves caring.
“Caring about your community is where most people tend to stop. They say things like, ‘I feel so bad about the issue going on here,’ or ‘Ashtabula has so much potential. I hope someone’s able to fix it.’ Anyone can fix their community. It just takes action,” Kosik said.
Action is the final step, she said.
“This is what makes Youth Philanthropy so powerful. We take that extra step and take action,” Kosik said.
Kosik said changing a community involves taking small actions that can make a big difference.
“These actions build connections, strength and create the momentum needed,” Kosik said.