- The 19th Youth Philanthropy Council of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation awarded their annual nonprofit grants on April 2 at the Park View Community Mission Food for Thought Warehouse.
The recipient of the $10,000 Wells Fargo Youth Philanthropy Award is Park View Community Mission and the $5,000 Stuart J. Turille Youth Philanthropy Award is Johnson Health Center.

“This award means that young people care about their peers who are food-insecure, and we are honored by the trust they’ve given us to ensure good nutrition for them. This grant will enable us to improve the quality and variety of food available at our high school pantries. It will make a real difference in the health and education of high students experiencing food insecurity,” said Todd Blake, Executive Director of Park View Community Mission.

“We are incredibly honored to receive this generous support from the Youth Philanthropy Council. Reach Out and Read is a powerful addition to our pediatric care model, and we're grateful the students recognized its value. At Johnson Health Center, we believe in supporting the whole patient—and that starts in early childhood. By promoting early literacy during well-child visits, we strengthen the bond between caregivers and children and set the foundation for healthier futures. This gift will help us make a lasting impact in the lives of families in Amherst County and position us to expand this to all of our other locations," said Gary Campbell, President & CEO of Johnson Health Center.

The Youth Philanthropy Council (“YPC”) consists of 27 outstanding seniors from 13 high schools in the region the GLCF serves: the City of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell. The primary role of YPC members is to award $15,000 in grants to deserving local nonprofit organizations.

This opportunity allows students to better understand how philanthropy impacts our community. Students are advised by local community leaders who guide them through the process of awarding grants.

Kathryn Yarzebinski, GLCF President & CEO of the GLCF said, “Since its inception in 2003, our Youth Philanthropy program has been a rewarding experience for all those involved. The Youth Philanthropy Council teaches high school seniors about how local nonprofits make their community better. As students go through the grantmaking process, they learn a lot of life lessons. This includes how to work through the steps of an eight-month process, how to critically read and evaluate requests for funding, and how to present their own independent findings and research to others. Most importantly, they are learning to sit around a table with people who may have very different perspectives and opinions, and respectfully communicate in order to come to a consensus.” 

The goal of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Program is to instill in our youth the awareness of our community needs and the desire to be active in our community by means of volunteering and philanthropy.

The program was established as the centerpiece of the 30th anniversary celebration of the  Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation in 2002.

Since 2003, Wells Fargo Investment Management has graciously provided the funding for the annual  $10,000 Youth Philanthropy Award. The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation provides funding from the Stuart J. Turille Fund for an additional $5,000 youth philanthropy award.

The YPC held its kickoff meeting in September 2024 at Central Virginia Community College, and met periodically throughout the school year. The students reviewed grant applications, rated the applications, performed site visits of the top applicants, and prepared presentations on these applications
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From this process, a final vote is taken to determine which agencies will receive the $10,000 grant and the $5,000 grant.

An awards presentation and reception is held each spring. This is the culmination of all of the YPC’s hard work, and is a celebration of youth, philanthropy, and the winning nonprofit organizations.
The YPC Advisory Committee includes: Dr. Verna Sellers, YPC Advisory Committee Chair & GLCF Board of Directors; Jodi Gillette, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the Educational Foundation at Central Virginia Community College; Sarah Quarantotto, MSW, Executive Director of Miriam’s House; Dr. Reid Wodicka, Deputy Superintendent for Operations and Strategic Planning at Lynchburg City Schools; Kelvin Whitehurst, former Business Development Coordinator for the Downtown Lynchburg Association; Courtney Baldock, Family Program Manager for Roads to Recovery, Chad Waterworth, Financial Advisor and Vice President at Truist Wealth; Luke Towles,  Senior Vice President at Pinnacle Financial Partners; and Kathryn Yarzebinski, President & CEO of the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.

YPC Student Participants by City/County:
Lynchburg City
Lucy White, EC Glass High School
Serena Hernandez, Heritage High School
Sierra Jade Hester, Heritage High School
Tsiyona Kungu, Heritage High School
Reagan Makenzie Bryant, Liberty Christian Academy
Melia Leitner, New Covenant Schools
Jenna Ng, New Covenant Schools
Cayden Gunawardane, Virginia Episcopal School
Mary Koudelka, Virginia Episcopal School
Sophie Csatlos, Virginia Episcopal School
Frances Fenton, Virginia Episcopal School
Amherst County
Ashton Bryant, Amherst County High School
Cole Grayson McConnell, Amherst County High School
Appomattox County
Tripton Martin Canada, Appomattox County High School
Carsyn Ryleigh Roark, Appomattox County High School
Bedford County
Hayleigh Kuznitz, Jefferson Forest High School
Avery Mahland, Jefferson Forest High School
Jacob O’Fiel, Jefferson Forest High School
Anna Jo Carter, Liberty High School
Addison Dillon, Staunton River High School
Carli Nininger, Staunton River High School
Campbell County
Neal Harter, Altavista Combined School
Emma Stone, Altavista Combined School
Aiden Daniels, Brookville High School
Isabella Crouch, Brookville High School
Kassidy Makayden Crews, Rustburg High School
Jordan York Gunter, Rustburg High School


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The Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation’s vision is to make lasting and impactful change possible by funding the work of nonprofit organizations that are focused on improving the lives of those in Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties.

Since 1972, the GLCF has granted over $35 million to a wide variety of local nonprofit organizations including human services, animal welfare, arts, education, and historical preservation organizations.

The GLCF offers two grant cycles annually: fall and spring. The next grant deadline is September 15, 2025. In 2024, the GLCF awarded over $2.3 million to 251 charitable organizations.