Youth Philanthropy Council to honor student grant makers at March 8 ceremony
Information obtained from Hutchinson Community Foundation
The Hutchinson Art Center will host the annual Youth Philanthropy Council awards ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 8, celebrating Reno County high school students who distributed approximately $5,000 in grants to local youth-serving organizations this year.
The Youth Philanthropy Council, a grantmaking program that immerses area students in the practice of charitable giving, awarded the funds through the Richard W. Dillon Memorial Fund for Youth Philanthropy — established by the Dillon family to honor Dick Dillon's extensive philanthropic contributions to the community.
The 14-member council began meeting in November to identify local issues of concern to youth, learn about grantmaking principles and ultimately select recipient organizations. The program aims to instill in students the value of philanthropy — the giving of money, time and talents to improve the lives of others.
Members of the 2025-2026 council include Ryan Cherry and Benjamin Gazaway of Buhler High School; Gavin Foster and Lucy Steen of Fairfield High School; Madison Richey and Kalya Rose of Haven High School; Annalee Eckhoff, Leah Foos, Margaret Kaplan, Kinsley Koestel and Blake Patterson of Hutchinson High School; Will Barkley and Isaiah Hathaway of Nickerson High School; and Sam Vogel of Trinity Catholic High School.