Support Bay County Students by Donating Backpacks and School Supplies

Bay Area Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee partners with United Way to support area children

The past two school years have been a struggle for area youth. Between online learning and COVID-19 restrictions, area students are looking forward to returning to school for a normal school year. Unfortunately many students in the area will not be able to return to school with the necessary supplies to be successful. The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) of the Bay Area Community Foundation recognizes this issue and is proud to partner with the United Way of Bay County to provide backpacks and school supplies as part of the Helen Wirt Lee Back to School program.

The Youth Advisory Committee is a group of dynamic young people (7th to 12th grade) who positively impact the youth of Bay County by identifying needs, making informed decisions, raising and distributing funds and volunteering within our community. “The Youth Advisory Council is designed to develop our next generation of community and philanthropic leaders. Through the YAC, area youth are given a unique opportunity to improve life for their peers and those who come after them. Resourced with an endowment fund of almost $2 million, participants are asked to identify the most pressing youth issues and to recommend grants to solve these challenges and improve their hometown,” said Diane Fong, Bay Area Community Foundation President and CEO.

In order to collect the necessary supplies, the YAC has organized a Back-to-School Drive that will take place on Saturday, July 31st and Sunday, August 1st from 10 am-6 pm. The drive will take place at both Bay City Meijer locations (595 N. Pine Road & 2980 Wilder Road). School buses, provided by Bay City Public Schools and Bangor Township Schools, will serve as collection points for backpacks and supplies in each store’s parking lot.

Education & Youth

Bay Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce that 221 Bay and Arenac county residents will receive a total of more than $335K in scholarships for continuing education. Click here to see the recipients and learn more.

From closed offices and cancelled fundraising events to adaptive programming for the digital landscape, we know that our local nonprofits are feeling the effects of COVID-19 in varying ways, both big and small. Perhaps operations have already shifted, or perhaps you're only starting to experience the longer-term implications. Here at the Community Foundation, we are listening and working through ways to best serve you. Know that the work you do is important and that together, we will see our community through this.

Environment

Summer days at the beach. Waves washing upon the shore. A fishing line plopping in the water. Strolling along a riverbank.

These images evoke a sense of well-being and create a strong and enduring connection to place. Communities with a strong sense of place prosper. They attract workplace talent and business. Lake Huron and the Saginaw Bay, coupled with our dynamic river system, provide the Bay Area with access to special and unique natural resources - resources that improve economic vitality and provide a competitive advantage for our community. We must protect and use these resources wisely.

Congratulations 2020 Scholarship Recipients

Education & Youth

Bay Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce that 231 Bay and Arenac county residents will receive a total of more than $300K in scholarships for continuing education Click here to see the recipients and learn more.

Thanks to funding from Dow, Bay Area Community Foundation is able to offer $1,000 grants to youth groups in Bay and Arenac counties as a reward for volunteering and giving back to the community.

Ways to Give

On May 4, we celebrated our local Bay and Arenac county nonprofits and agencies for the hard work they do day in and day out. During this 24-hour online fundraiser, our community raised more than $160,000!.