Student philanthropists to award grants in greater Houlton area

Hodgdon and Houlton Jobs for Maine’s Graduates programs participating in the Jumpstart Our Youth Program, a youth philanthropy program sponsored by the Unity Foundation, will award cash grants to two nonprofits that benefit kids in the greater Houlton area.
    On Friday, March 13 at 1 p.m. at the Houlton Parks and Recreation Department, grants will be awarded to: Hodgdon JMG for the Houlton Parks and Recreation Department in the amount of $1,000 to help fund scholarships for the Summer Just for Kids Program and/or renovations of the Community Park Playground and to Houlton JMG for the Houlton Community Arts Center in the amount of $1,000 to help fund the building project of the center.
According to the president of the Unity Foundation, “Jumpstart Our Youth (JOY) program is a special project designed to teach students about the responsibilities and rewards of philanthropy. The project was initiated this school year in memory of our founder, Bert G. Clifford, who recently passed away. Bert Clifford was a life-long benefactor to his beloved Maine. These young people are carrying on Bert’s tradition of planting financial seeds to grow a community that cares about its children.”
The Hodgdon and Houlton JMG programs committed several weeks of their class time learning the basics of “Grant-making 101,” reviewing applications, analyzing budgets, and conducting interviews with applicants.
The members of Hodgdon JMG are: Rosemary Camilleri, Eric Carpenter, Lacey Codrey, Jetta Dame, Katelyn Duff, Wade Estabrook, Callie Foster, Desiree Foster, Jessica Garza, Jennifer Goodale, Katie Jo Hall, Cody Hand, Brianna Hanington, Renee Hemingway, Taylor Hovey, Nikki Hughes, Emmaly Jurson, Jessica Kerekes, Chelsea Kervin, Emily Lee, Samantha Lycette, Taylor McGary, Dillon McGuire, Ivy Neher, Alyssa O’Connell, Schuyler Richardson, Heather Rockwell, Amanda Ryan, Chelsea Sloat, Kelley Suitter, Kelsi Suitter, Dayna Tidd, Sarah Toner, Chelsea White and Harley Wiggins
The underclassmen members of Houlton JMG are: David Adams, Holly Bouvier, Jordan Brown, Amelia Butler, Amber Carmichael, Tiffany Carmichael, Nick Chase, Brittany Clark, Meghan Clark, Monica Clark, Jordan Codrey, Laura Cone, Courtney Cote, Samantha Dickison, Desiree Dow, Corey Farwell, Brianna Faulkner, Kenirae Fitzpatrick, Amber Flewelling, Emily Gendron, Brigette Goguen, Amy Hagerman, Casey Hand, Sonja Haney, Kelsey Harris, Jacob Henderson, Joe Holmes, Amber Hyman, Kortney Kibler, Dustin Lavoie,  Kameron Lincoln, Morgan Lincoln, Chelsea Lynds, Taylor Martin, Ethan McGary, Nelson McGuffin, Brandon McGuire, Jenna McGuire, Courtney McLaughlin, Kendal McLean, Martha McPartland, Loryn Moran, Taylor Morris, Andre Munoz, Ryan Norton, Vanessa O’Donnell, Shelby Oliver, Julia Ouellette, Danielle Perry, Kassandra Reeves, Caleb Richardson, Allison Robshaw, Danielle Shields, Daniel Smith, Maegan Smith, Tiffany Tucker, Kylie Ward and Kerstein Wilcox.
The awards session is open to the public and begins at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Houlton Parks and Recreation Department on 128 Main St. in Houlton.