ADRIAN — The Lenawee Community Foundation recently announced $18,854 in grants to community projects. The projects were chosen by members of the Lenawee Youth Council.

The Lenawee Youth Council, which is a program of the Lenawee Community Foundation, provides Lenawee County residents between the ages of 12 and 21 with opportunities to participate in community service projects, collaborate with others, and develop leadership skills. 

The money comes from an endowment that was established over 25 years ago to support projects that benefit and are driven by young people in Lenawee County.

Lenawee Youth Council members review each grant application for eligibility then make recommendations to the Lenawee Community Foundation board of directors.

“These young people take great pride in their community and the impact these grants will have throughout Lenawee County,” said Paula Trentman, LCF vice president and director of grants and programs. “They carefully and thoughtfully base their decisions on several factors including the communities in which the project supports and the number of youth assets that will be increased.”

The grants will support 11 programs:

• Youth programming at the Adrian Center for the Arts, including art classes and after-school clubs for children and teens.
• The purchase of materials in Spanish for the Adrian District Library, benefiting more than 1,700 teens.
• A field trip to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation for students in the Adrian High School International Baccalaureate program.
• Youth programming at the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, including a concert that serves up to 2,300 Lenawee County students.
• Engaging young volunteers at Ahimsa Safe Haven, an animal rescue near Onsted.
• The restoration of the teen space at the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee, which will be planned with input from teens at the club.
• The Roadmap to Graduation project, operated by Catholic Charities, which places unaccompanied 17- and 18-year-olds from Lenawee County into safe and supportive mentor homes, with the goal of helping them graduate from high school.
• A program through Housing Help of Lenawee that will help more than 500 kids experiencing homelessness take part in sports, drama, field trips, and other extracurricular activities that require money to participate.
• An informational event about mental health for young people in the Hudson area.
• The Lenawee Community Foundation’s Health, Happiness, & Hope Fund, which is intended to increase the amount of unrestricted funds available to meet community needs.
• Imagination Library, which distributes books to over 1,000 Lenawee County children from birth to age 5. Books are mailed to the children at home at no cost to their families.

For more information about the Lenawee Youth Council, contact Paula Trentman at [email protected].