LEBANON, Ohio — A program that’s teaching school kids about volunteering and philanthropy is branching out to make sure all kinds of kids can take part, including some who are in detention.
Magnified Giving is now partnering with The Mary Haven Youth Center in Warren County to teach its students about giving back.
What You Need To Know
- Mary Haven Youth Center of Warren Co. partnered with Magnified Giving to teach students about philanthropy and volunteerism
- Mary Haven students selected Grant Us Hope to receive a $1,000 grant supplied by Magnified Giving.
- Mary Haven student Dylan Frith led the effort among students.
“I think we had over 700 hours this past year,” said Mary Haven Superintendent Mike Goodlett. “With the Magnified Giving program, we can also now add research and education on what the non-profits actually do and how they go about it."
Dylan Frith, 17, is a Miami Valley High School senior who just completed his time at Mary Haven and led the effort with Magnified Giving.
“Being a part of Magnified Giving helps you and kinda opens up a bigger picture for you,” said Frith. “You see what all goes into the non-profit, who you’re helping, and how it affects those people and that’s a beautiful thing."
He and some other students at Mary Haven learned how to evaluate charities and they selected Grant Us Hope to receive $1,000, courtesy of Magnified Giving.
“It really resonated with a lot of the kids in my group,” said Frith. “Growing up, a lot of us had issues and stuff we dealt with in regards to mental health and substance abuse, so Grant Us Hope was the way to go all the way."
“Grant Us Hope is very appreciative of the philanthropic kindness of Mary Haven and Magnified Giving," said Scott Inskeep, the CEO of Grant Us Hope. He said his team will use the $1000 to start up a new Hope Squad, part of a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program.
“We cannot thank them enough,” Inskeep said.
Goodlett said he thinks the whole experience with Magnified Giving helped Dylan to make a transformation and to be ready to move on from Mary Haven.
“Now, Dylan talks about helping people instead of just about him,” Goodlett said. “He's just grown a lot. He's got a bright future. Anything is possible for him.”
“Despite past mistakes or even present limitations, Dylan received so much more in return because he thoughtfully gave his time and talent to help someone in need,” said Traci Brandon, a history teacher at Mary Haven who also facilitates the Magnified Giving Program.
Magnified Giving Founder Roger Grein is also impressed with Dylan and the other students he met at Mary Haven. Grein attended the check presentation to Grant Us Hope at Mary Haven’s campus in Lebanon.
“Dylan really stepped up,” Grein said. “He took leadership of this project, and bravely used his voice to advocate on behalf of Grant Us Hope.”
Dylan, who is considering either joining the Marine Corps or joining ROTC while going to college, said he plans to continue working with philanthropic efforts like Magnified Giving.
“It’s a great feeling to know you’re helping someone else,” he said.