A group of Athens high school students had $2,000 to invest in their community to make a difference.
Students participating in the Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission voted to distribute the funds across eight local nonprofits, with family assistance emerging as their top priority. The money, provided through donations from the Dekko Foundation, represents the commission’s annual effort to put student voices behind real community decisions.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace received the largest grant, $500, which the organization will use to purchase mattresses for beds being built for children in need across Limestone County.
“This is huge,” said Sleep in Heavenly Peace BEDS Limestone County President Bill Dunnavant. “More kids can get off the floor and into their own beds every night.”
Dunnavant is inviting Youth Commissioners to a June bed-building event so students can see firsthand how their investment is making a difference.
The remaining $1,500 was distributed among seven additional organizations.
Camp Hope received $300 for materials for grieving youth campers to make feeling pillows. Athens-Limestone Community Association, Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation, Make A Way Foundation, Athens Arts League and MTM Educational Enrichment each received $200, funding programs ranging from teen career preparation and infant car seats to youth art classes and technology for students in need. The Boys and Girls Club of North Alabama also received $200 to help cover registration fees for the First Lego League Robotics Competition.
Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission Mentor and Organizer Holly Hollman said the process goes beyond writing checks.
“The projects they are funding will impact families in some manner,” Hollman said. “In addition, most of the projects are providing the students a chance to volunteer and learn about services our local nonprofits are providing.”
Hollman said the deeper goal is building a generation that stays connected to Athens long after graduation.
“When we trust students with setting their priorities and funding those priorities, they develop a deeper bond with their hometown,” she said. “They become emotionally invested, and hopefully, if they go out of area for college or to start a career, they will one day come back to Athens to share their talents locally.”
Athens-Limestone Community Association Board Member Carolyn Williams said the students’ contributions go beyond dollars.
“These students help us each year through volunteering and investing,” Williams said.
The Athens-Limestone Community Association will host its first teen career prep program Saturday, May 23, covering workplace etiquette, resume writing and job interview skills. Several Youth Commissioners plan to volunteer at the event.
The Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission serves students in grades 10 through 12 from Athens High School, Athens Bible School, Lindsay Lane Christian Academy, Athens Renaissance and area home-school programs. Its mission is to teach students about local government and the responsibilities of engaged citizenship.
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