FFY recaps 2023 accomplishments, and goals moving forward

April 25, 2024

133062401_web1_20240425cr-FFY-annual-meeting-2 — Mike Wolanin | The Republic Rebecca Kirsch, vice chair of the Foundation for Youth board, welcomes guests to the Foundation for Youth (FFY) annual meeting at the FFY building in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Foundation for Youth, the umbrella organization for several youth-oriented services in Bartholomew County, recounted its 2023 achievements during its annual meeting.

The 2023 overview was given by FFY Executive Director Chuck Kime Tuesday to about 120 adults.

With 20 full-time and 25 part-time employees, Foundation For Youth has learned it leads the state of Indiana in credentialed youth care workers, Kime said.

“And Indiana leads the nation in credentialed youth care workers,” the FFY director said.

Much of the foundation’s success comes from more than 50 older teens and adults who volunteer their time and energies in positions including coaches and the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, Kime said.

Last October, the foundation received a three-year grant of $497,800 funded through the Lilly Endowment’s initiative called “Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana.” The funds were intended to help FFY improve their abilities to promote the academic, physical and social well-being of young people.

In 2023, the foundation began using these funds to improve training, improve staff salaries, and bring in an evidence-based program to reach children in need, Kime said. He also said the funds have given Big Brothers Big Sisters a chance of implement new programs that similar organizations in the nation haven’t had a chance to carry out yet.

The Boys and Girls Clubs have increased their efforts to reach the Black and Black biracial community, as well as continue collaborating with Su Casa and META, a mental health service for children, according to the written FFY annual report.

Thanks largely to private donations, about $200,000 was spent on improving security throughout the foundation’s campus off Hope Avenue, Kime said.

Participation in Big Brothers/ Big Sisters increased by 44% last year from 2022 levels. And after a significant decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, total enrollment in all FFY programs rose to 4,925.

The foundation reported total revenue of $3,575,640 last year. That is $218,866 more than expenses totalling $3,356,774.

But there are still significant challenges ahead, the FFY director said. Those challenges include a lack of counselors and therapists, as well as the consequences of poverty, homelessness, hunger and inflation.

“There are kids struggling,” Kime said. “There’s a mental health issue here, as well as across the nation. So there is a lot of work we need to do to make sure that kids are cared for properly.

On Friday, the FFY board of directors will have its annual retreat to discuss, among other items, a revitalization of the organization’s strategic plan. In recent weeks, board members have been meeting with representatives of schools, business and groups focused on equity to learn whether they see the same problems the foundation’s staff has witnessed, Kime said.

He identified some of those issues as accessibility, location, transportation and the work schedules of parents.

The FFY director mentioned two proposals that he feels deserves serious consideration. One would involve creating a special place to attract and assist teens, while another would be finding more effective ways of telling the foundation’s story more effectively throughout Bartholomew County.

Kime boiled down all of those issues and proposals to two questions: “What do kids need, and what are we going to do about it?”

He emphasized that more adult volunteers will be needed in the future to address those questions, as well as to both inspire and enable youth.

“It’s our responsibility to stand up and say that we see these things,” Kime said. “We’re learning more and more how brains develop and how, over time, that will affect generations. We’re learning how those things can be changed, improved and grown upon through positive interaction. That has to be our voice. That will be our voice.”

Several honors and recognitions are presented during the FFY annual meeting. One of the most prestigious went to 17-year-old Emily Wart, who was named the Youth of the Year.

A Columbus North junior, Wart has been involved with the Girls Club since she was in third grade, but has spent the last two years as an employee. While a variety of factors kept her away for intermittent periods of time from the foundation, Wart expressed appreciation to the entire FFY staff for their warmth, as well as for always making her feel welcomed and accepted.

A group that received special recognition was the annual Circle K Junior Championship Tournament committee. Working in collaboration with Circle K Midwest and the American Junior Golf Association, the committee is responsible for putting on the annual Circle K Junior Championship Tournament.

For raising more than $200,000 for FFY programming, the committee was the recipient of the “It Takes A Village” award.

Awards presented during the Foundation for Youth’s annual meeting.

Youth of the Year: Emily Wart

Carlin Lucas Boy: Joe Warfield

Carlin Lucas Girl: Cheyenne Lund

Hollenbeck Athletes of the Year: Christopher Hawley and Rylyn Dale

Coaches of the Year: Reena Halburton and Starrishia Roberts

Friend of the Columbus Youth Camp: Landmark Columbus Foundation

Camper of the Year: Madelyn Brock

Youth Volunteer: Bella Nickerson

Big Brothers Big Sisters Match of the Year: Lathan & Clayton

Employee of the Year: Tina Cunningham