Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) membership includes students from all schools in Isabella County, and serves as a pivotal agent in the empowerment of youth and in the development of young leaders. The YAC advises the Foundation's Board of Trustees on the awarding of grants from the Kellogg Youth Fund, which supports charitable projects or events that benefit the young people of Isabella County.
The young leaders of the YAC spend time positively influencing their community while learning about leadership and civic engagement. The three facets of YAC are: grantmaking, community service, and raising money.
The YAC meets once per month to review grant applications, to receive leadership and philanthropy training, and to plan community service projects. The YAC reviews grants and makes recommendations for those that support our youth. Their recommendations are sent to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees for final approval.
Every three years, the YAC surveys the 8th and 10th graders of Isabella County to help identify what they see as the greatest needs and problems facing the youth in our community. Needs and issues addressed in the survey are things such as: alcohol and drug abuse, family issues, depression/suicide/loss, stress/school pressure, personal safety and teen sexual activity/pressure. The 2017and 2020 Youth Needs Assessment Survey helps the YAC when they are reviewing grant applications. They want to fund the programs and services that will best meet the needs of the youth in Isabella County.
Service-helping with Christmas Outreach and Fill a Mayflower
The YAC is always very involved when it comes to community service. The YAC members participate in numerous community service activities. Two favorite activities are the Lion’s Chicken Barbecue and Christmas Outreach. The Lion’s Chicken Barbecue has been an annual event for the YAC the last few years. The Lion’s Club cooks about 5,000 chicken dinners at Island Park and sells them to the community. The revenue benefits organizations that deal with sight and hearing issues. The YAC loves providing volunteers to help with this project! Christmas Outreach has been a volunteer organization in our community for the last 20 years. For the last few years, the YAC has granted money to Christmas Outreach for items for children helped by their program. The YAC members have also volunteered with the program, helping organize clothes, organizing items on tables, and distributing items to the families.
Finally, the YAC members work to grow the Kellogg Youth Fund. The YAC participates in many fundraisers throughout the year, but their all-time favorite event is Flamingo Flocking! For a donation of $50, donors can order a flock of 30 pink, plastic flamingos to land on someone’s lawn at the crack of dawn! The person who gets “flocked” can then make a donation to pass the flock onto someone else. It’s a fun way to get the community involved with fundraising for the Kellogg Youth Fund. If you're interested in "flocking" a community member's home or business, please call MPACF at (989) 773-7322. Keep an eye out in August—you may be flocked, too!
YAC Awarded Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce Eagle Award
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is comprised of students from all schools in Isabella County who commit to engaging in local philanthropy . The YAC advises the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees on the awarding of grants from the Kellogg Youth Fund, which supports charitable projects or events that benefit the young people of Isabella County. Because they spend time positively influencing their community while learning about leadership and civic engagement, they were the recipient of a 2021 Eagle Award given out at the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce’s Awards Banquet.