Cape Youth Force Awards Grant to Gosnold Teenagers Become Grantmakers in Unique Cape Cod Foundation Program

The Cape Youth Force, part of The Cape Cod Foundation’s Youth & Philanthropy Program, recently awarded a $500 grant to Gosnold, a nationally accredited non-profit leader in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of mental health and substance use disorders. The grant will support a joint project to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that highlights the risks associated with substance abuse, especially among youth.

The Cape Cod Youth Force program has been implemented in schools across Cape Cod and is in its fourth year at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School. The Cape Cod Foundation and Barnstable County UMass Extension/4H established it in 2002 with funding from Massachusetts Environmental Trust. Today, it is funded by individual donations, the Community Fund for Young People, and the Fund for Youth Activities, both funds of The Cape Cod Foundation.  Since the program’s inception, Cape students have awarded over $38,000 to local organizations.

“The grantmaking process provides a unique opportunity for teens to learn more about the nonprofit organizations serving our community and to support something that really matters to them,” said Kristin O’Malley, President and CEO of The Cape Cod Foundation.

Every year, high school students discuss issues, set priorities, review proposals and determine the distribution of grant money.  This year’s committee members decided they would consider funding several areas, including projects and programs that support rehabilitation and recovery from substance abuse.

Gosnold’s “Pathways for Women” program helps women in recovery who are returning to their communities and the workforce after treatment. Alumni leaders and mentors from the program will partner with students from the Dennis-Yarmouth schools to create and distribute a PSA through local media outlets about the risks of underage drinking as well as recreational drug use. The PSA will also inform parents of early warning signs of substance-use disorders among adolescents.

Donations for this project can be made through the Priscilla Cotter Fund for Youth Activities. Contact Kristin O’Malley at 508.790.3040 or donate online at capecodfoundation.org.