Young Changemakers Receive Funding to Help Local Community

Student visionaries from the The School District of Palm Beach County made their best pitches to investors for community service projects that address societal problems. During the Philanthropy Tank Finals at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on March 8, 2023, students received a total of $39,000 from philanthropist mentors that will be used to execute their ideas.

Congratulations to the following students:

Down to Earth: Daisy Li – Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts

Down to Earth seeks to educate fourth and fifth-grade students in Palm Beach County public and charter schools about climate change, and mobilize them and their families to practice sustainability through the perspective-shifting opportunity to view Science on a Sphere, a six-foot diameter NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration globe projection screen that visualizes Earth systems in three dimensions.

Down to Earth was awarded $10,000 by philanthropist mentor Don Byrd .

Hearing for a Change: Erica Frishberg and Jacob Carrion – Olympic Heights Community High School

Hearing for a Change is an initiative by compassionate high school students who have created book clubs to listen and discuss audiobooks with struggling readers at District elementary schools for 45 minutes per week during aftercare. This project aims to expose young readers to books to increase their vocabulary, knowledge, imagination, and comprehension ability.

Hearing for a Change was awarded $10,000 by philanthropist mentor Tom Vining .

Hooks with Heart: Anna Johnson, Senai Newby, and Donna Cornish – Atlantic Community High School

Hooks with Heart is a crocheting club with the mission of teaching the art of crochet while providing a safe space to encourage human connection, promote animal welfare, and mental health improvement of youth and adults.

Hooks with Heart was awarded $9,000 by philanthropist mentor Tom Vining .

TaTa for Now: Jessie Baxter and Holly Milsom – Jupiter Community High School

TaTa for Now focuses on providing quality, well-fitting undergarments to school-aged girls in Palm Beach County who are clothing insecure. The goal of this initiative is to boost the self-esteem of young women by providing for a basic need that is often overlooked.

TaTa for Now was awarded $10,000 by philanthropist mentor Debra Elmore.

Philanthropy Tank empowers and inspires the next generation of CHANGEmakers by challenging and equipping students to implement sustainable service-driven solutions to problems impacting our community. To date, Philanthropy Tank student-led programs in Palm Beach County and Baltimore have impacted more than 300,000 lives, more than 1,000 students have participated in the student programs, and more than $750,000 in grant money has been awarded to nearly 70 student-led projects. Of those programs, approximately 40% have become their own 501c3 nonprofit organizations.