- By Ann Colt
- Around Town
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The Lansing Focus on Community Understanding Service Program (FOCUS), a United Way of Tompkins County Program, awarded $3,000 to local nonprofit organizations that serve the community of Lansing. Overseen by volunteers and staff of United Way of Tompkins County and the Rural Youth Services Program through Cornell Cooperative Extension, the FOCUS Council was comprised of eight students from Lansing Middle School. They met for six weeks to deliberate and distribute the one-time grants, while learning more about their community and philanthropy in the process. FOCUS is a component of United Way of Tompkins County’s Student and Campus Engagement Programs. The Park Foundation generously provides funding for this program. Annually, middle school students in select towns distribute $3,000 to local nonprofit organizations that serve their communities. They participate in consensus building activities, review grant applications, conduct interviews, and deliberate about how to award the money. Students also engage in a documentary photography project, where they capture on film what they like about their community and what they would like to change or improve.
This year marks the ninth year of FOCUS. Since the program’s inception in 2002, the towns of Danby, Dryden, Caroline, Newfield, Groton, Enfield, and Trumansburg have hosted FOCUS Councils. To date, students have allocated $21,500 to nonprofit organizations serving individuals and families in the communities of Tompkins County.
Students read through grant applications, with requests totaling $11,280. The Lansing FOCUS Council decided to grant one-time funds to the following three organizations.
- Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service received $550 for Teen Messaging Project for the development of new suicide prevention classroom materials to use in the middle and high schools of Lansing.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County/4H received $550 for High School Helpers – a youth employment program for Lansing students which teaches job-readiness skills and provides paid employment of first-time job seekers.
- Lansing Community Council received $1,900 to develop approximately four miles of trails located across from the Lansing Town Hall.
At the completion of the program, the students added that they felt like they had real power to do something good for people.
Lansing Focus On Community and Understanding Service (FOCUS) Members:
Danielle Stark
Taylor Marabella
Bridget Davis
Elisa Armstrong
Marissa Mix
Hannah Ritter
Gianna Fezza
Olivia Lemaro
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