By DEVAN GAGLIARDO – Program Director of the Community Foundation of Grundy County
Oct. 13, 2016
As I continue my series on what the Community Foundation of Grundy County is and what exactly we do, this month I want to highlight our programs that focus on youth in our community.
As a community organization, it is important that we instill the qualities of good leaders and good philanthropists in our youth. We at CFGC believe we should take advantage of opportunities we have to interact with our youth to educate them on being impactful members of society.
For some, being a productive and impactful member of society may mean having a career; therefore, the Business Education Council has stepped up in the last few years to concentrate on ensuring students are career ready and that students know the wealth of careers available in Grundy County. Educating students in such a way serves two purposes:
1) Students are informed and can align their academic goals with their career goals at an earlier age and;
2) Students will get their post-secondary training and education, then return to Grundy County to live and work.
When students return to Grundy County and begin to work and raise families, the hope is that they will become involved in community activities, as well as be generous with their time, talents and treasures.
CFGC and Grundy Area Vocational Center, in conjunction with the Business Education Council, began the 8th Grade Career Fair in 2015.The purpose of the event is to allow eighth-graders to interact with local employers in a hands-on fashion so they can gain a better understanding of careers available locally.
About 1,500 eighth-grade students attend the event, where 50-plus careers are showcased. This year’s event takes place Oct. 24 in Morris. Employers can still register!
Recently, CFGC, staff along with staff from the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, spent the day at Morris Community High School talking with freshmen about a program being offered to them called Certificate of Employability.
This will be a voluntary program aimed to teach students soft skills necessary in the workplace, such as being on time, appropriate dress, completing new hire paperwork, behavior at a workplace and customer service.
One of the best aspects of this program is that it is taught by local business owners/managers where students may obtain their first job. The CEO program will have seven lessons and at the end of those sessions, students can earn a Certificate of Employability that can be attached to job applications to show they took the initiative to acquire workplace skills. The Business Education Council hopes to expand this program to other high schools in the coming years.
To others, being a productive and impactful member of society may mean giving of time, talents and treasures. Two years ago CFGC began Youth Engaged in Philanthropy that aims: To promote youth development and experiences of philanthropy, engage youth and adults in a partnership to serve a common good, and to build a future of strong community leaders and philanthropists.
In addition to learning about local nonprofits, the group of students will also complete at least one service project and provide a grant(s) to local nonprofits. This year, we have programs running at Coal City and Seneca high schools.
As always, if you are reading this and want more information on any of the programs mentioned above, feel free to call Community Foundation of Grundy County at 815-941-0852.
- Devan Gagliardo is the program director of the Community Foundation of Grundy County.
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