SPARC Students Tour UWSWA Partners
On Wednesday, January 20, 2016, members of Student Philanthropists Actively Reaching the Community (SPARC) toured several UWSWA partners, in order to increase awareness of UWSWA and its partners, while also teaching Mobile County high school students about community needs, fundraising, and grantmaking. This program is designed to raise student awareness of community needs, while engaging them in raising and distributing money to address these needs.
SPARC participants help raise funds at local public schools through UWSWA’s Mobile County Student Campaign. From these funds, grants of up to $5,000 are awarded to support programs in Mobile County that benefit school-age children and youth in the areas of education, financial stability, health, and essentials. SPARC participants, with the support of UWSWA staff, review grant applications and conduct site visits before making funding recommendations to UWSWA’s Board of Trustees.
This year, Martha Peek’s Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, an initiative of Mobile Area Education Foundation, is participating in the program. The members of this advisory council are juniors and seniors from area high schools that spearhead fundraising on behalf of United Way and visit local health and human services organizations to learn about what they do and how they’re meeting community needs.