Another side to the story

Aerielle Johnson

Last year, members of the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) youth philanthropy program did something their predecessors had never attempted: With the guidance of the Community Foundation’s development staff, a few brave high schoolers met with donors and invited gifts that grew the 2021-22 program’s $10,000 yearly grantmaking budget by more than half.

In doing so, they set an exciting precedent—and lit a fire under this year’s students to go even bigger for the nonprofits they believed in. Just how much bigger did they go?

When the dust finally settled, the 2022-23 cohort had raised a whopping $30,000 from generous community members. That means, combined with the program’s baseline grantmaking budget funded by the Herb and Arlene Elliott Endowment, they quadrupled the resources they had to grant to nonprofits and support their program. Their grant decisions will be announced next month.

“We were as ecstatic as our teens to see the results of their fundraising—and we share their gratitude for the donors who made this record-setting milestone possible,” said Anne Calder, vice president of development. “Teens for Tomorrow is all about unlocking potential, and in garnering such overwhelming support for their mission, this year’s students have taken that goal to a whole new level.”

“I was shocked when I heard the total,” said Davenport Central High School rising junior Aerielle Johnson, who grew up ringing bells for the Salvation Army with her father. “I just wanted to give to as many groups as possible, and in order to do that, I had to participate in the fundraising.”

Marty Kurtz

“Our goal is forever”

At the very end of their fundraising period, the group received an anonymous $2,000 gift that, after some collective discussion, they decided to invest back into the T4T endowment fund, where it will become a permanent and growing resource for the program’s operations.

“Our goal is forever,” said Nathan. “Our goal is to help people as long as there is need in the Quad Cities. Until that changes, we need to be able to keep doing this.”

Make a gift to the Teens for Tomorrow endowment here.

Aerielle went into her meeting with a potential donor focused on making a connection and having a conversation. They ended up chatting about Trinity Medical Center, where the donor works as a gynecologist and where Aerielle volunteered last winter. Now, she has an invitation to shadow the donor and learn more about the profession this summer. Oh, and along the way? Right there in the room, the donor wrote out a check to contribute to the T4T grant budget.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that conversation,” said Aerielle. “I feel like I stay in my own little bubble, and this showed me it’s possible to do something that impacts more than just me and my school or my sports team.”

“What a great way to inspire teens to look deeper into their actions and think about needs greater than their own,” added Marty Kurtz, founder of the Planning Center, who made a gift to the program after meeting with another student. “It shows them there is another side to the story, that there are people helping people and trying to make this a better place to live.”

Nathan Musal

For Kurtz, it’s never too early to learn that lesson. That’s why he brought his 10-year-old grandson Mason along with him to his solicitation meeting. “Many of us feel lucky we were born in the right time and place, so understanding what we can do to help other people who haven’t been as fortunate is important,” Kurtz said. “That’s part of what I wanted Mason to see—that there is another life besides spending. There’s also giving, and giving with purpose and meaning.”

When Nathan Musal joined T4T last year, his eyes were opened to the wide range of needs in the Quad Cities, the sheer number of nonprofits working to address them, and the ways grantmaking can move the dial on their missions. His second year in, he was determined to participate in fundraising to experience the “whole cycle of philanthropy.”

After successfully soliciting gifts from two generous donors, Nathan’s pitch for supporting the program is airtight. “What makes T4T different is that it’s not just helping nonprofits—it’s helping students like me better understand how they can make an impact,” said the Pleasant Valley High School rising senior. “Everyone in the group has gained a passion for their community, a passion for making a difference. So you get both of those with your donation—you help out the community and you allow the next generation to understand the importance of giving back.”