Young Leaders Give Back

“My experience at Saint Joseph Ballet?  So far, life changing,” says 16-year-old Sophie Gallegos who has been involved with Saint Joseph Ballet for seven years.  “If I wasn’t at Saint Joseph Ballet, I don’t know where I would be.  People I know – they’re not bad, but some of them are doing bad stuff.  Saint Joseph Ballet is keeping me straight, helping me accomplish more, improve my grades, and plan for college.  And dance has helped me feel so good about myself.”

This year, Sophie has learned she can also be a mentor and role model for others.  As co-chair of Saint Joseph Ballet’s Leadership Team, she is helping lead ten students in their participation with The Philanthropists program.  This leadership experience, sponsored by companies involved with the Orange County Community Relations Council, teaches high school students about the nonprofit sector and the importance of philanthropy, and empowers them to contribute to the Orange County community through grantmaking.

The Fieldstone Foundation, a member of OCCRC, invited Saint Joseph Ballet’s students to participate.  Fieldstone Program Officer Marcos Ramirez meets with the leadership team monthly to mentor them through the project.

“I wanted to join the Leadership Team to learn about being a leader,” said Sophie.  “My first experience was to help the team survey the student body and select three types of organizations we would fund.  On behalf of the team, I am excited to announce that we will be supporting nonprofits that focus on performing arts, clean-up programs, and homelessness and hunger relief.”

For this project, the Leadership Team has broken into four committees – finance, correspondence, public relations, and nonprofit agency research.  The focused efforts of each group will help the team raise money, select grant recipients and publicize the project.

For Saint Joseph Ballet, The Philanthropists project will culminate in the Leadership Team distributing at least $5,000 in grants.  Students are responsible for raising a minimum of $500 which they plan to do through a series of food sales events at Saint Joseph Ballet.  The first event, which took place January 29, featured foods of Mexico.  The next planned event will feature international fare, showcasing various nationalities represented by the Saint Joseph Ballet student body.  The funds raised by the Leadership Team will be matched with a $4,500 donation from the Fieldstone Foundation.   

In February, 15 local agencies will be invited to apply for a grant.  In March, the team will make site visits of at least two of these organizations so they can gain more first-hand knowledge of the agency or program.  During April, grant applications will be evaluated by the team and finalists will be selected.  In May, the team will distribute their funds in grants ranging from $1,000 to $1,500, and will present awards at a reception held at Saint Joseph Ballet.

“I have wanted to join the Leadership Team to learn about being a leader – I want to be a leader,” said Sophie.   “I’ve learned a lot from The Philanthropists program, and it makes me feel so good to think that some of the younger students might look up to me and see me as a role model.”