Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, 27 juniors and seniors from seven area schools came together each month as part of Student United Way.
With a shared mission to enhance youth mental health and tackle issues such as substance misuse, hunger, and personal hygiene, the student-led committee recently awarded $25,000 in Youth Allocations grants to six local organizations.
These funds will directly benefit students in their schools over the summer and into the next academic year and those awarded include:
- Bellefontaine High School – Chieftain Pride Lab Program – $3,500 for food for an after-school program for at-risk students.
- Greater Riverside Area Community Encouragers – $2,000 for a weekly summer food program in DeGraff.
- Indian Lake High School SADD – $1,000 for a speaker at an all-school assembly to kick off their annual Red Ribbon (anti-drugs) week.
- Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities – $6,500 for a program that focuses on healthy relationships, community engagement, employment skills, and overall life skills youth will need in adulthood.
- Midwest Regional ESC – $9,000 to conduct the Summer Autism Academy.
- West Liberty-Salem Elementary – $3,000 for their all-school Literacy Night/Week.
The students’ decision-making process was shaped by a year of hands-on learning and discussions within United Way’s leadership development program. Their experience began with a poverty simulation, providing a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by low-income individuals. A visit to the Logan County History Center offered perspective on the county’s past and future.
As part of their journey, the students gained firsthand insight into the community’s human service needs. They developed their own funding criteria, reviewed grant applications, and listened to live presentations. This mirrors the process used by United Way’s Allocations Committee. Student United Way of Logan County advisors are Derek Robb, Chad Wilkinson, Bethany Watts, Ben Stahler, and Lexi Roby.
Student United Way includes:
- Ava Campbell, Senior
- Nolan Core, Senior
- Maci Flesher, Junior
- Jaslene Maier, Junio
- Carter Lyden, Senior
- Kate Gulick, Senior
- Ashton Whitt, Junior
- Hadley Boysel, Junior
- Allena Miller, Junior
- Lincoln Roell, Junior
- Nora Thornton, Senior
- Ezekiel Wylie, Senior
- Ava Faler, Senior
- Daniel Wahl, Senior
- Cooper Hall, Junior
- Lilly Wickline, Junior
- Laila Lynch, Senior
- Paige McComas, Junior
- Lilian Weese, Junior
- Brice Kauffman, Senior
- Avery Perk, Senior
- Grady Jenkins, Junior
- Zoey Ransbottom, Junior
- Kaylee Blair, Junior
- Dylan King, Junior
- Craig Stanford, Senior
- Akira Whitman, Senior
