Natick Student Joins Youth in Philanthropy Junior Board

The Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program, which provides middle and high school students with educational and philanthropic opportunities, announced that Caroline DeHaven, a Junior at Natick High School has joined the organization’s newly created Junior Board.

Designed for graduates of YIP, the Junior Board serves to fulfill YIP’s vision of creating the MetroWest community’s next generation of philanthropists and leaders, and involves this group in various aspects of decision-making related to the program, such as building awareness and recruiting students to the program.

Through the YIP program, MetroWest students research local organizations and award $10,000 in grants, and no fees or tuition are required to participate. Over the past two decades, YIP has educated more than 1,250 teens who have granted more than $1 million to youth development organizations in the MetroWest area.

Caroline is currently serving as chair of the YIP Junior Board fundraising committee. She credits her YIP experience for her decision to join the Junior Board, and feels as though it will help her reach her goal of ultimately starting her own nonprofit.

“I want to be a bigger part of this program as it has opened me up to possibilities I never thought of before, such as starting my own nonprofit,” said Caroline. “For me, philanthropy is a lifestyle. It is a job about the interconnectedness of people…philanthropy reminds me of the positive impact I can brings to others, and brings me back to my best self.”

“We’ve always been so invested in preparing this next generation of philanthropists, and yet we didn’t have a platform for them to assist us in doing that,” said Renee Quinn, Senior Philanthropy Officer at the Foundation for MetroWest and overseer of the YIP Junior Board. “So, we started to think about how we would do that- what was the best way? With this new initiative, they’re now an integral part of our organization.”

The YIP Junior Board is aiming to meet a fundraising goal of $10,000 by the end of next June. To learn more about how student groups involved in YIP programs across the region have made positive impacts on the MetroWest community, visit www.yipmetrowest.org.

About Youth in Philanthropy

Since 1997, the Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy program has been inspiring youth to give back and to truly become invested in the MetroWest community. Key to the future success of our region, we are proud to offer one of the largest youth philanthropy education programs in the country that has educated more than 1,250 teens who have granted $1.1 M to over 140 youth development organizations in our backyard.