The Coweta Community Foundation has announced the launch of its first High School Community Service Team for freshmen and sophomores.
Former Coweta County educator Cynthia Bennett will lead the program and is currently reaching out to all high school students in Coweta County.
“Cynthia has long volunteered in our community in different capacities, and given her strong leadership and passion for assisting students to achieve greater heights, we felt that she would be a perfect fit,” said Ginger Jackson Queener, board chair of the Foundation.
Bennett also serves on the board of Meals on Wheels, and she said they’ve been fortunate to have a high school student volunteer with them and then go on to actually serve on the board, so she knows firsthand the benefits of having younger volunteers work with local nonprofits.
“We’ve seen the benefit of it on the (Meals on Wheels) board,” she said, and she believes service on the Foundation’s High School Community Service Team will give these youth great “training opportunities” that will also help them on their college applications.
The objectives of the Service Team are to:
• Build awareness of local nonprofits among high school students.
• Provide an opportunity for active participation in local nonprofit organizations.
• Train young teens to serve as auxiliary board members of local nonprofits during their junior and senior years.
• Bring new ideas and youthful energy to local nonprofit agencies.
• Provide an opportunity for the team to research and select one local nonprofit to receive a grant for a special project or program.
Membership will be determined through an application and interview process among students in the first two years of high school. Students will attend no fewer than five monthly meetings during which they will be introduced to the various nonprofit organizations serving Coweta citizens. The students will participate in two workdays each year with a nonprofit agency. Their first meeting will be Nov. 3 and their final meeting will be May 3, 2016.
At the end of the two-year participation, nonprofits may invite the participant to serve as an auxiliary member of the Board of Directors. In addition, a standout sophomore will be awarded a $500 scholarship from the Coweta Community Foundation.
Application forms will be available beginning Sept. 4 in the counselors’ offices at Newnan High School, Northgate High School, East Coweta High School, Heritage School, Trinity Christian School, Central Christian School and Landmark Christian School. Home school students may contact the Foundation office directly. Applications must be postmarked by Sept. 30 for consideration.
For more information about the Community Service Team, contact Cynthia Bennett at 770-328-8414 or email her at ccbennett@numail.org, or call Ginger Queener at 770-253-1833 or email her at gqueener@cowetafoundation.org.
