The Southwestern College Philanthropy Board (SCPB) presented two grants totaling $3,000 to two local non-profit organizations on Wednesday, April 20, in the Deets Library on the campus of Southwestern College.

SCPB members presented a $2,000 grant to Ruth Bumgarner of Creative Community Living (CCL) of Winfield. The funds granted to CCL will go towards the development of their day service program.  This will assist CCL develop employment opportunities for individuals in the program by developing a curriculum that focuses on social and workplace skills.

The SCPB then awarded $1,000 to Bill Podschun from First United Methodist Church in Winfield.  The funds granted to FUMC will go towards the expansion of their internship program.  This will allow them to add a second intern, specializing in the music of young persons in music through different summer opportunities such as the Southwestern College Music Camp.

The SCPB was formed three years ago as a senior Leadership student’s project.  A grant was written, and Southwestern College was chosen by Campus Compact’s Students4Giving program as one of 10 institutions to receive a start-up grant of $15,000.  The college also contributed to this amount.

With this funding, a group of students from the three Southwestern College service learning teams (Leadership Southwestern, Discipleship Southwestern, and Green Team Southwestern) formed the SCPB.  The board consists of eight members from the three programs.

The mission of the SCPB is twofold.  First, it exists to teach college students about philanthropy and grant-making.  Each year, the SCPB creates Request for Funding Proposals (RFP) and distributes them to Cowley County non-profit organizations.  The board then meets to review and award grant applications.  The second part of the mission is to help students connect and build relationships with local non-profits.  This year, the board worked toward this goal by visiting past grant recipients and hosting an on-campus philanthropy awareness week. 
SCPB advisor Lindsay Wilke has been pleased with the group.

“The eight students on our board meet once a month.  They have been so dedicated and hard-working.  I am very proud of what they have done this year,” Wilke says.

SCPB members are Sally McGuire, Denton, Texas; Jessie Riggs, Wellington; Sydnee Nelson, Clay Center; Chad Pickett, Lenexa; and Christy Rude, Chastity Osen, Hannah Podschun, and Kaydee Johnson, Winfield.