Budding Philanthropists at Badin HS Educate Peers on Important Causes and Grant $1,500 to Local Charities
February 14, 2023 | Written by Lindsey Barta
Members of Badin’s Magnified Giving Club at their first meeting.
During their first semester of the 2022-2023 school year, 48 Badin High School students committed to train as philanthropists! Training as philanthropists may look different than training for sports, rehearsing for musical performances, or practicing for academic competitions, but it still requires time and dedication. Through their participation in Magnified Giving Club, these students brought their all.
Students in the Magnified Giving Club met six times throughout the semester to participate in a hands-on process of identifying community needs and building relationships with local nonprofits that meet those needs. Ms. Megan Halverson, Christian Service Coordinator at Badin, partnered with Magnified Giving, a local 501(c)3 educational organization with the mission to inspire and engage youth in philanthropy. Magnified Giving provides training and resources to educators and staff like Ms. Halverson to implement service-learning in their clubs or classrooms and also entrusts youth with funding to grant to organizations of their choice. This is the 8th year Badin High School has partnered with Magnified Giving. Through the process, Badin students learned the foundations of philanthropy, investigated social causes, researched and visited nonprofits, evaluated grant applications, and advocated for their chosen nonprofits. Ultimately, this process culminated in Badin students awarding $1,500 to two organizations.
Club members collaborating to decide which agency to nominate for grants. Each of the four groups made a poster about their agency - what they knew so far about the agency and what they wanted to find out through their research and visits.
The students started by investigating the missions of 16 different organizations and then narrowed their selections down to four: Ken Anderson Alliance, Lighthouse Youth and Family Services, Wesley Chapel Mission Center, and Center for Closing the Health Gap. Students split into groups to represent each nonprofit, and they organized site visits to three of the agencies and a Zoom call with the fourth. Ms. Halverson shares, “Our site visits were all very impactful this year. Every visit had a profound effect and taught our students something about each of our chosen causes that they did not know before.” The students devoted one of their club meetings specifically to sharing stories and reflecting on their visits to the agencies. Ms. Haverson recalls the way one student described being so struck by challenges faced by the children they met at Wesley Chapel Mission Center. Her experience motivated her to apply for a summer service program focused on learning more about the assets and needs of urban environments. The process of exploring social causes was full of eye-opening experiences that helped club members better understand the world around them and how they can make a positive impact within it.
Students en route to Lighthouse Youth Services for a site visit!
Not only did the students at Badin visit and build relationships with local nonprofits, but they educated their entire student body about the missions of these agencies and the needs they address within their community. Each group developed a video to advocate for their selected agency, and their fellow students watched the videos during Religion classes and voted for a nonprofit to receive the grant. Every student at Badin High School had the opportunity to learn about new social causes and important missions, thanks to the efforts of their classmates in the Philanthropy Club. Ultimately the Badin High School student body selected Wesley Chapel Mission Center as the recipient of a $1,000 grant and Lighthouse Youth and Family Services as the recipient of a $500 grant. Click here to view the video the students created to help advocate for Wesley Chapel Mission Center
Magnified Giving Club members at their final meeting of the year, which they closed with a prayer service for the four agencies they researched. Groups lit a candle for each agency, and students had the chance to write their prayers for that agency.
Magnified Giving congratulates these awesome Badin High School students for their dedication to training as philanthropists! In addition to providing financial support to two worthy nonprofits, these students also used their voices to share about the missions of all four top organizations with their peers, starting a ripple effect that knows no bounds! Magnified Giving believes these hands-on experiences help pave the way and make it easier for youth to engage in philanthropy and service throughout their lives. We are excited to see how these Badin Rams go on to use their time, talent, and treasure to make an impact in our community!
In addition to the program at Badin High School, Magnified Giving supports 130 Youth Philanthropy Programs throughout Ohio and Northern Kentucky, and youth in these programs are expected to grant over $150,000 this year to 100+ nonprofits. Badin students will join youth from other programs to award their grants during one of over 15 Giving Ceremonies that Magnified Giving will host in the spring. Learn more about Magnified Giving’s Youth Philanthropy Program here. Learn more about Badin High School here.