Grants support Spokane’s West Central neighborhood
Whitworth was one of five institutions nationwide selected by Fidelity® Charitable Gift FundSM and Campus Compact to oversee $15,000 allocations of donor-advised funds. Whitworth used a portion of its allocation to award its first grants this spring as part of a student-run philanthropy project supporting nonprofit organizations that serve Spokane’s West Central neighborhood, one of the poorest areas in Washington state.
The donor-advised fund is part of “Students4Giving,” a pilot project that seeks to advance philanthropic education efforts at colleges and universities across the country, and to encourage community-based learning and partnership with local nonprofit organizations.
Maureen F. Curley, president of Campus Compact, a national coalition of college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education, says Whitworth’s proposal stood out in a strong pool of applications.
“It was exceptional for its integration of philanthropy, student leadership, and community engagement,” she says.
The philanthropy project builds on Whitworth’s Bonner Leaders Program, a service-based leadership-development program that facilitates civic engagement. The 19 Bonner leaders were joined by additional students in a Jan Term course on community engagement that continued into the spring.
In April, the students recommended funding a $6,650 grant for an urban agriculture/community clean-up program for youth, administered through Riverfront Farms, and a $7,500 grant to the West Central Community Center for a summer youth-activity program.
This spring, participating students mounted fund-raising activities as part of Whitworth’s annual Springfest event and are working, alongside the institutional advancement office, with individual donors in the community. In addition, Fidelity® has provided an additional $1,500 to the five pilot schools.
“Participation in the Students4Giving program gives Whitworth students a rare opportunity to learn about philanthropic giving before entering the job market,” says Rhosetta Rhodes, ’99, Whitworth’s director of service learning and community engagement (pictured, far left). “Through Whitworth’s service-learning program our students are already learning about and serving community needs, but we also want to encourage a culture of philanthropic giving. I want to see the ripple effect of philanthropy expand so far that everywhere these students go after they graduate, we’ll see the results of their experience at Whitworth.”
If you would like more information on Whitworth’s Students4Giving program, please contact Rhosetta Rhodes atrrhodes99 {at} whitworth(.)edu or 509.777.4238.
