Youth advisory council

2023 Funding:

$30,000 was awarded to 14 local organizations with funds available from the Kellogg Youth Endowment Fund. These grants will be put towards projects and initiatives that benefit youth in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.

The grant recipients were:

• Dan Schmitt Gift of Music and Education Fund, to support musical instrument lessons for local children. 

• 31 Backpacks, providing free necessities to at-risk children.

• Ahmeek Village Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, for a baby changing station in the Ahmeek Village hall, pediatric emergency supplies, and the Gabriel Chopp Park for accessible ADA-compliant playground equipment.

• Allouez Township, for the Emil Aho Memorial Ice Rink in Ahmeek, towards the upgrade and replacement of boards surrounding the rink.

• Calumet Theatre, for their Movie Magic program

• Community Alliance for Progressive Education, for their Summer Field Day Celebration, and Peace Camp - a three-day camp focused on the notion of peace and its importance to community.

• Copper Country Intermediate School District, to support local students to attend the 15th Biennial Lake Superior Youth Symposium in Ashland, WI.

• Houghton High School Business Professionals of America, to support registration and travel costs for next year’s regional, state, or national level competitions.

• Kaleidoscope Education, to support programming and youth club activities.

• Lake Linden-Hubbell Schools Public Library, expansion of the young-adult reading area and renovation and updates to the computer center. 

• Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly, to support the Friends from Generation 2 Generation program, pairing students from Stanton Township Schools with an elderly community member.

• MTU Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, for the Western Upper Peninsula Air Pollution Sensor Network to provide monitors that will allow us to track our local air quality.

• Rabbit Island Foundation, to support its Summer 2023 Rabbit Island School program.

• Village of Laurium, towards the purchase and installation of a sprinkler system for Daniell Park.

2022 Funding:

$24,925.60 was awarded to 10 local organizations with funds available from the Kellogg Youth Endowment Fund. These grants will be put towards projects and initiatives that benefit youth in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.

The grant recipients were:

• Ahmeek Village Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, for the Christmas for the Children event.

• Glad Tidings, for the Barkell Elementary Trail.

• Keweenaw Wild Bird R.E.C., for the Feathered Friends Academy.

• Lake Linden-Hubbell Robotics Club, for equipment upgrades.

• Unitē Mental Health and Wellness, for art and garden therapy.

• Copper Country Suzuki Association, for the ensemble program.

• Keweenaw Family Resource Center, for family outreach.

• Community Alliance for Progressive Education, for summer camp programming and local farm field trips.

• Kaleidoscope Education, to support after school programming and community events.

2019 Funding:

$33,650 was awarded to 12 local organizations with funds available from the Kellogg Youth Endowment Fund. These grants will be going towards projects that benefit youth in grades 6-12 in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.

The grant recipients were:

• Simple Kindness for Youth to assist in funding their student needs grants for the upcoming year

• Calumet High School’s La Fiesta del Chili to fund the purchase of a new refrigerator for their foreign language and culinary arts programs

• The BHK Meraki Youth Art Festival to assist in funding workshops and supplies for the event, which will engage youth in both the planning and attending of the arts program

• The Rabbit Island Foundation to assist in funding the supplies and materials needed for an intensive week-long arts and ecology program in July of 2019, and a student presentation and exhibition at the Portage Lake District Library in the Fall of 2019

• The Calumet High School Art program to fund the purchase of tickets to the Art Institute of Chicago for a trip that will be attended by all Calumet Art students.

• The MTU Center for Pre-College Outreach Day of STEM to assist in funding necessary expenses for the event, which will expand local students’ career interests into areas of STEM

• The Calumet Theater’s Movie Magic series to assist in funding movie showing costs and other expenses. The program fills a need in the area for inexpensive and safe summertime activities for youth.

• The Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative’s Celebrating Lake Superior event to assist in funding a program informing local high schoolers of the environmental concerns surrounding Lake Superior and methods of conservation

• The South Range community garden to assist in construction and gardening material costs. The garden will be implemented in classes and programs at all South Range schools.

• Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly to assist in funding for giving a class from Houghton Middle School the experience of interacting with and getting to know elderly friends through fun activities and service work

• The MTU Center for Science and Environmental Outreach’s STEM career tours to assist in funding project-related expenses. This program’s goal is to educate local students on the importance of STEM-related careers by having them tour Tech’s facilities, participate in activities, view presentations, and interact with faculty and graduate students.

• Houghton High School’s Nutrition for Life program to assist in funding the expenses of bringing in professional bodybuilder and nutrition expert John Hansen to the area to present to all local students and community members on the importance of eating healthy and keeping your body in good shape.

2018 Funding:

$29,512 was awarded from the Kellogg Youth Endowment Fund to eight local organizations. These grants supported projects that benefited youth in grades 6-12 in Houghton and Keweenaw Counties.

The grant recipients were:

• Dan Schmitt Gift of Music and Education Fund to pay instructors to teach music to youth and to assist in busing for outdoor education instruction.

• Michigan Technological University for “A Day of STEM in the Copper Country” to provide high school students in our community the opportunity to participate in STEM activities to ignite a passion for STEM learning and introduce them to careers in STEM.

• Calumet High School SADD Chapter to raise awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol.

• Calumet Theatre Co. for their 2018 “Movie Magic Film Series” to provide funding for youth/family movies for July and August 2018.

• City of Hancock to purchase multiple bicycle parking racks for at least three locations where large groups gather. As well as a second project to purchase playground swings for physically disabled users – children, youth, young, and adult usage.

• Copper Country ISD for providing multicultural experiences for middle/high school students in Houghton County by making attendance at multicultural events at MTU more accessible to middle/high school students.

• Houghton MI Skatepark to finalize funding for a professionally built, public, outdoor, concrete skatepark in Houghton, MI.

• Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc. to provide financial assistance and reduce fees to give every girl the opportunity to unleash her power as a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader).