Impact 100 Next Generation (NextGen) began in 2017 as a grant making initiative for young women in the Owensboro community. The program is designed to create a sense of community among young women through engagement with local non-profits and to create a philanthropic spirit of giving back through time and money. Each lady donates $100. (Scholarships are available for those who would like to participate, but can’t fulfill the financial requirement). The number of NextGen members determines the grant award amount, i.e. 50 NextGen members means the organization would award a $5,000 grant.
Joy Caroll, is a founding member of IMPACT 100 Owensboro, serving on the Board of Directors for 8 years, two of those years as president. “There is nothing I have been a part of in our community that holds more meaning for me than my involvement in IMPACT 100,” Joy said. “The combined wisdom, intelligence, imagination, and generosity of so many women all at once focusing their sites on changing lives… It is an amazing privilege, and I treasure it. So, when the idea emerged to invite young women into the world of disciplined, focused, and thoughtful giving as a form of community engagement and service, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. And, as our second year begins, I am grateful to serve as the Chair of NextGen, and to join with several other women who are guiding 8-12th grade young ladies into all that charitable contributions make possible.”
Over the summer, ladies then review grant applications from local non-profits, choose three finalists, and then perform site visits. Finalists present projects and then NextGen members vote on which finalist they would like to award the grant. 100% of the ladies’ donations are given to a local non-profit.
In 2017 NextGen had a total of 35 members so we awarded a $3,500 grant. Our 2017 award winner was Hospice of Western Kentucky. The grant helped provide teddy bears to children in the Hospice grief counseling program and expanded their support services, including the initiation of their Storybook Series. NextGen hopes to double their membership for 2018, which in turn means we would be able to give a larger grant award.
“To have the opportunity to mentor young women, including my own daughter, in the areas of leadership, community service, the empowerment of women, and philanthropy means the world to me,” Joy said. “I believe in the power of women joining together and to make a difference in the lives of all people. And I will always want to be doing something to contribute to that movement, that cause, that reality. Watching the next generation catch that fire gives me such hope that all is never lost, and that our children, which are so much more than just our future, are themselves very capable leaders already. We truly learn from each other.”
NextGen is open to all current 8th-12th grade ladies. Any young woman interested in a scholarship, please contact Joy Carroll, NextGen Board Chair, at 270-929-7896. Young ladies interested in NextGen can fill out the membership form online at impact100owensboro.org. Membership deadline is March 31, 2018.
“IMPACT 100, the parent organization, provides such rich opportunities for mentoring, for leadership development, for modeling empowerment and community advocacy,” Joy said. “Not to mention that virtually every IMPACT 100 member has said they would happily sponsor a young woman for IMPACT 100 Next Generation. That kind of hopeful involvement teaches our young women that giving to one’s community is not only a civic duty and responsibility, but it is an offering, and it is a gift in itself.”
