Discover Financial to Support Youth Service
Published:
Mon, 12/21/2009
Discover Grant to Fund Youth Volunteering
On November 10, 2009, The Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago (TVC) received notification that it will receive a generous grant of $5,000 dollars from Discover Financial Services to support its Youth In Action program.
With its grant, Discover will join Zurich Financial Services in supporting Youth In Action. The program develops youth leaders through volunteerism, educating them about community needs and giving them the tools and opportunities they need to get involved.
Mary Fitzgibbons, Executive Director of TVC, said Discover’s support will be critical in promoting civic engagement throughout Chicago’s northwest suburbs.
“This grant will help us show the next generation of leaders that they don’t need to wait until they graduate college or get jobs to help people in their community,” she said.
The funds provided by Discover will be used, according to Fitzgibbons, to produce marketing materials and programming that motivates young people to serve their community and helps them organize their own volunteer opportunities. This effort will include in-school workshops on service and the future formation of a Youth Council which will train area youth to be ambassadors of volunteerism.
In Illinois, 75.1 percent of young people are not currently volunteering due to a lack of awareness of opportunities and busy schedules, among other factors. Those who do develop their leadership abilities, perform better in school, and learn useful skills. Within the next year, Fitzgibbons said, they plan to connect over 2,600 youth with volunteer opportunities.
