“Every person holds a lot of power, so use that power and make it a goal to leave a positive mark on someone else.” – Vera Hindi
This 12th grader at Frontier High School is no stranger to using her strengths to make a positive difference. Holding multiple leadership positions in her extra curriculars, Vera shines brightest when she’s helping others.
Vera Hindi, daughter of Paula and Sami Hindi, is a second-year member of the Community Foundation of White County’s Youth Philanthropy Council. In her first year, Vera held the position of Frontier’s Project Manager. Project Managers are responsible for leading their localized efforts in the school including delegation of marketing materials, tracking grant applications and awards, coordinating site visits, and more. In her second year, Vera was elected to serve as this year’s Vice President. The Vice President is responsible for managing social media, press releases, the website, and filling in for the President when needed.
The mission of the Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) is to empower White County youth by cultivating philanthropic engagement and leadership. To cultivate philanthropic leadership, YPC members are responsible for identifying needs and opportunities in their school communities, creating and marketing grant applications and processes, and awarding grants to support projects that strengthen their school communities. The YPC allows youth to have a direct hand in making a difference that they can witness.
Vera’s favorite thing about being in the YPC is the great impact she can make in the schools. “I always wanted to help others, so the fact that I am able to do this through the YPC is amazing and thrilling. Because the feeling of knowing you get to put your ideas into action and impact other people for the better is a feeling I am thankful for.”
Last spring, four YPC grants were awarded to support initiatives in Vera’s corner of the world at Frontier: CTSO Presentation Materials for leadership club groups; anatomy set with a didactic skull and spine for the health care science classes; constitution quest game for real life simulation for government and economics classes; and a self-serve salad bar for the entire school.
Vera shares, “I am most excited to see how the grants we gave clubs in our school last year will be used in their competitions, especially at the state and national level. This is because competitions are a big thing in clubs such as BPA, and FCCLA, so new and improved technology will allow students to express themselves through their hard work in a better and innovative way.”
Outside of the YPC, Vera can be found participating in track and field, the sunshine society, forensics speech and debate, and during the summer months, she can be in the yards of her neighbors, mowing the lawns for free to help with their workloads. It’s clear that wherever life is taking Vera, she leaves it better than she found it.
“As a youth leader in the community, the impact I hope to leave behind in White County as I graduate is for people to acknowledge that even the smallest act of kindness can turn a person’s whole life around for the better.”
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