WATERVILLE, Maine — The Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers has been awarded $4,500 for the agency's Summer Camp Scholarship Program through Colby College's Learning by Giving: Nonprofit Organizations and Philanthropy course.
Taught by Colby College Department of Sociology assistant professor, Matthew Archibald, the college seminar places students with local nonprofit organizations to introduce them to the nonprofit grant writing process and the skills they need to become successful philanthropists. During this past spring semester The Maine Children's Home welcomed three students to become involved with the agency in an effort help them learn about nonprofits and philanthropy.
To support the course objectives, the class of 15 students was responsible for dispersing $10,000 of grant money to one or more of the local nonprofits they chose to work with, made possible by the Learning by Giving Foundation and a Colby alumnus. The money was awarded at an end-of-semester grant awards ceremony.
The three Colby students working with The Maine Children's Home included Brad Gaffin, '16, and Aquib Yacoob and Jordan Nathan, both graduates of Colby as of May 28.
"We were so pleased to have these bright students take an interest in nonprofits and philanthropy here at The Maine Children's Home," said Executive Director Sharon Abrams. "It's vital to the future of small Maine nonprofits that young people learn about the grant-writing process and pursue it as a career. We are incredibly grateful the students took an interest in the Summer Camp Scholarship Program."
The students of the Learning by Giving course selected the Summer Camp Scholarship Program because they felt it had the greatest potential for positive and long-lasting social change by enabling underprivileged children to attend summer camp for a week during the summer, allowing them to interact and fully integrate with other children.
"Working with The Maine Children's Home has been a great experience that has given us the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to our education and apply what we have learned in class in the real world," said Nathan. "It is rewarding to be a part of this process and learn from a successful nonprofit that works to better the lives of children and families."
The other area nonprofits that received a portion of the Colby course grant money were Family Violence Project, Augusta Food Bank, and Maine Women's Policy Center.