A 
new club at Lakewood High School, funded by a grant from the Healthy Lakewood Foundation, recently wrapped up its work this school year and in doing so, left several Lakewood nonprofits richer for it. Lakewood City Schools parent and development professional Jason Weiner proposed the idea and was able to secure $5,000 through Healthy Lakewood Foundation’s Neighborhood Opportunity Grant Program to fund the club. Weiner was aware of private schools having philanthropy-focused clubs and thought Lakewood High students should have the same opportunity.
Weiner teamed with Lakewood High teacher Alison Gliozi to guide a small group of game sophomores and juniors who wanted to learn about philanthropy and all its facets. The students worked with their advisers through a months-long philanthropic decision making process that resulted in purposeful and mission-aligned grants awarded via the Healthy Lakewood Foundation to Colors+ ($1,200), Gigi’s Playhouse ($1,300) and Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy ($1,500).
Club member Stevie Williams said they were “happy to be able to support organizations doing work that they thought was important.”
Gigi’s Playhouse site director Lizz Maxwell said she was thrilled with Gigi’s grant: “We are incredibly honored to receive important funding from Lakewood High School’s Philanthropy Club! I was highly impressed by their diligence and professionalism and appreciate their intent to learn more while seeking out the needs of their community, Gigi’s site director Lizz Maxwell said.
According to Weiner, the students explored what they care about (and why), what kind of impact they wanted to have with the funds available to them. Through the process, they gained an understanding about work being done in the nonprofit sector, and made difficult- but informed - decisions when it came time to award grants. Two of the students are digging even deeper and now serving as student representatives on the board of the Lakewood Rangers Education Foundation, of which Weiner is also a board member.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these students, who knew almost nothing about nonprofits and philanthropy when we got started last spring,” Weiner said. Weiner hopes that philanthropy and community engagement will now be a part of their lives in the future.
Gliozzi wished to thank Healthy Lakewood Foundation for giving the students an opportunity to explore the world of philanthropy. “It has been eye opening as to how amazing Lakewood is and how supportive its residences are,” she said
As far as Healthy Lakewood goes, the foundation executive director Kate Ingersoll said she was eager to learn more about “what endeavors students would prioritize when given the opportunity to engage with philanthropy, learn about the social determinants of health, and respond to the needs of our community.” Ingersoll said the foundation hopes to expand this type of engagement with students moving forward.