MG – Awards Ceremony – 2011

Third Annual Award Ceremony
May 11, 2011 – Mount Notre Dame

Click HERE for photos from the ceremony.

THANKS to everyone who attended the 2010-2011 Award Ceremony! It was a wonderful evening which brought together over 250 people – program funders, students and teachers from 15 different high schools, parents, friends, and representatives from 20 different non-profit agencies. The evening was a celebration of the work that the students did this year, an opportunity for funders to see how their money was invested, and a recognition of the great work that our non-profit community does for our city!

Donor Reception
This year we held a special reception for members of the GivingStar Society, those members that have contributed $1000 or more to Magnified Giving over the past several years. We were lucky enough to have numerous benefactors join us for this private reception where they were able to meet Roger Grein as well as students and teachers who participated in the program. Thanks to Heidi Keppler for organizing this portion of our event.

Student Leadership
Mount Notre Dame Youth Philanthropy Council Members hosted this year’s Award Ceremony. Emcees Mindy Reed (’11) and Ashley Keppler (’12) did an outstanding job of organizing the ceremony and guiding us through the program. Special thanks to Jaci Damon (’12), Kelli Harmon (’12), Shae Douglass (’12), Jamie Naber (’11), Cassidy Miller (’11), Laura Hendrixson (’12), Katelyn Sussli (’12), Ramey Knecht (’11), Caroline Ray (’12), Maggie Kissing (’13), Lizzie Schnicke (’13), Ashley Reinert (’13), Zai Johns (’13), and Maeve O’Connor (’12) for their help with registration, photography, introducing the schools, helping with setup, and assisting with cleanup of the Award Cermony.

Roger Grein Spirit of Philanthropy Award
This year we were happy to present the First Annual Roger Grein Spirit of Philanthropy Award to one deserving student and teacher. Student nominees included Robby Martin (Bishop Brossart), Julia Steffen (Bishop Brossart), Philip Ryan (Covington Catholic), Alexis Mitchell (Dater), Shae Douglass (Mount Notre Dame), Katelyn Sussli (Mount Notre Dame), Rachel Poston (Seton), Quinn Fredrixson (St. Xavier), and Darren Cooley (Wyoming). Teacher nominees included Ariel Warshaw (Wyoming), Al Kovacic (Seton) and Julie Vehorn (Roger Bacon).

The winner of the Roger Grein Spirit of Philanthropy Award for 2010-2011 were Katelyn Sussli (student) and Ariel Warshaw (teacher). Student runner-ups were Rachel Poston and Philip Ryan.

Katelyn Sussli – Student Recipient
Katelyn, a junior at MND has been a participant and a leader in her school’s Philanthropy program for the past three years. Because of her involvement Katelyn has developed a passion for philanthropy: “Passion is defined as an intense desire or enthusiasm for something and that is what I have for philanthropy. Philanthropy is a way of life that not only exists during a meeting, or while on a site visit, but it impacts your life to behave in philanthropic ways in your everyday actions. Philanthropy is about meeting people who inspire you to become a better person. That is philanthropy; remembering and cherishing the moments, relationships and memories that lead to the awarding grants.”

Katelyn was presented an iPad2. Being so moved by the experiences she has had, Katelyn decided to donate the prize to a worthy non-profit, selecting Josh Cares as the new owner. Josh Cares will use the iPad to connect kids at Children’s Hospital with their parents via face-to-face video chatting.

Ariel Warshaw – Teacher Recipient
Wyoming High School Social Studies teacher, Ms. Ariel Warshaw also was recognized for her outstanding work this year with our program. She was greatly impacted by the experience she had this year and touched by the impact the program had on her students. One of her students told us: “My heart has grown to believe that when we are given more, we are expected to give back more.” Ariel indicated that the philanthropy program has impacted her life – both professionally and personally. It has given her a platform to try innovative teaching strategies, and has inspired her to action, all while affecting her at a deeper level. Her ultimate reward? Ms. Warshaw commented: “My students love their community, want to enact change and know they can.”

Check Presentations
Checks were presented to the organizations listed below. (Note: Mount Notre Dame’s agencies received their awards at an earlier event help on April 28, 2011) Students and teachers from each of the schools presented checks to the non-profit agencies they selected as their recipients. Representatives from each school spoke about the implementation of the program at their school, what they learned as a result of the experience, and why they chose their agency. Agency representatives then told us a little bit about their agency, their interactions with the students, and how the money would be put to use.

Wrap Up

The evening again concluded with an appeal for students to take what they have learned, to become wise and educated investors and educated philanthropists. Everyone was invited to become financial supporters of this program, and to identify forward-thinking individuals and organizations that would be excited to see their money pass through the hands of students before making its way to effective non-profit agencies.

Food was again catered by Power Inspires Progress, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and men learn job-readiness skills.