The mission of Columbus-based Foundation For Youth is to inspire and enable youth. By the metric of participation, FFY is succeeding.
FFY last year had more than 14,000 registrations from young people for activities and events, setting a new record. By comparison, 12,500 registrations were recorded in 2015.
The participation growth shows the importance of the local organization that serves children. FFY averages 179 children per weekday, up from 130 two years ago. The growth also reflected the hard work of staff to get the word out about FFY. For example, a concerted push was made to get into the local schools and highlight FFY’s offerings and programs, such as after-school, sports, science and summer.
In addition to child registrations for activities, another record was set last year with volunteers serving in 4,521 roles. Some volunteers supported multiple programs, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Bartholomew County, Girls on the Run and Columbus Youth Camp. Volunteers donated more than 32,000 hours of their time with a monetary value of more than $750,000.
Such volunteerism reflects strong community support and a belief in what Foundation for Youth does. Considering the benefits to the children who participate, it’s an investment worth making.
