Passion for philanthropy | Okoboji Magazine

Kendal Niemeier strives to make the Lakes better for the next generation

Kendal Niemeier is busy.

And that’s putting it mildly.

In addition to being a full-time student at Harris-Lake Park High School, Kendal also gives her time and energy to 4-H, the Dickinson County Fair Youth Council and FFA. She’s a multisport athlete who plays volleyball, basketball, softball, track and she’s on the dance team. She’s also on student council and was inducted into the National Honor Society this year.

Kendal, the daughter of Billi and Chad Niemeier, also makes the time to serve her community of Lake Park, where she grew up, and the Iowa Great Lakes as this is her second year serving on the Okoboji Foundation’s Youth in Philanthropy program.

But this 16-year-old high school sophomore is a shining example that a person’s age is not a factor in the good they can do and the positive ways they can affect their community.

Kendal first heard about Youth In Philanthropy, which is aimed at teaching high school kids the ins and outs of running a philanthropic organization, long before she could even apply.

“I found out about Youth in Philanthropy from my mom, as she knows a lot of people on the Okoboji Foundation as she is on the Iowa Great Lakes Trails committee. She heard some information about it and she told me, ‘You will be doing this once you get to high school,’” Kendal said. “We talked about how important the work they do is and how important it is to be a philanthropic person so I applied as soon as I could.”

As a freshman, Kendal applied to serve on Youth In Philanthropy. In applying for the program, Kendal was showing her dedication to doing good as well as some courage as no Lake Park students had ever been in the organization before.

“I’m the first Lake Park person to be in the program, mostly because, I think the students here didn’t know much about it,” Kendal said. “I applied last year and I was a little nervous because I knew I wasn’t going to know anyone else, but it is actually really fun and it’s been fun making friends with kids I don’t go to school with. This year, another Lake Park person joined, and I’m hoping that even more people do in the future, because it’s a really good thing to be a part of.”

Each year that they want to participate, each person has to submit an application and be selected to be a part of the program. The application asks them to talk about what philanthropy means to them and how they can benefit the organization.

Being a member of Youth In Philanthropy means that Kendal attends monthly meetings where they learn more about each organization that has applied for grant money from Youth in Philanthropy. Learning more about where she lives and the organizations working to do good has been one of Kendal’s favorite parts of being involved with YIP.

“I think one of my favorite things has just been hearing all the people’s back stories that have come and spoken to us, because every single meeting, we go to a different place and have a speaker that is applying for a grant,” Kendal said. “Learning about the group and why their efforts are important to the Lakes has been eye-opening.”

In addition to attending monthly meetings to learn more about the grant applicants, each Youth In Philanthropy member is tasked with raising funds throughout the school year. They each have individual fundraising goals as well as a group goal that they all work together to meet.

Kendal believes that working through her nerves and learning how to call up complete strangers and ask for donations has given her skills that she will take with her into the future.

“I’m a talkative, outgoing person but it can be a little nerve-wracking to make calls asking for money for these grants or talking to people we meet,” Kendal said. “Learning those skills is something that I will definitely take with me into the future.”

After spending the year fundraising and hearing from the applicants, the group selects which projects receive grants.

“We’re just doing a small percentage to help them reach their goal. Because as a nonprofit, it is their job to reach out to other donors, not just Youth In Philanthropy, because we’re not here to just fund all these projects and stuff,” Kendal said. “We’re here to help support them so that they can make an impact on our communities.”

Last year, Youth in Philanthropy donated to four different organizations, according to Kendal, and it means a lot to impact a place that means so much to her. And she hopes that her efforts help make it a great place to be for years to come.

“I’m proud of being a part of an organization that has a lasting impact on everybody in the Lakes area because we get to pick those projects that apply to get grants for the year,” Kendal said. “It’s a big deal. We get to decide and help these organizations complete their project and get it out there and available to everybody.”

Even though she is only 16, Kendal is looking to the future generations and preserving what is so great about the Iowa Great Lakes for those younger than herself.

“One of the biggest things for me and why I wanted to be on Youth In Philanthropy, is because I can help kids that are younger than me and that still haven’t even been born yet,” Kendal said. “When they grow up in the Lakes area, they can experience the same experiences that I did as a child. Because, honestly, those were the best times in the summers. Getting to go on the lakes, getting to go over to Arnolds Park, riding the bike trails, going to the nature center, seeing the museums. It’s an amazing place.”

“I like to think we are leaving a lasting impact for the future and doing that through philanthropy and just not really doing it for a profit, just pretty much doing it so that people can continue to make memories in the future.”

Youth In Philanthropy has taught Kendal many things and one of the most important lessons is that while she may be young, she should never feel like her voice doesn’t matter and that one person can make a difference.

“It’s just so cool knowing that I’m making a difference in the Lakes area. Just knowing that I can say, ‘oh, I was a part of this.’ I did this to not get something for myself out of it, but simply just to make a difference and to make it a better future in the Lakes area for all of us — Lake Park, Spirit Lake and Okoboji. Not just one community individually,” Kendal said.

“But just the fact that I can make a difference, just one person, my one vote could change something in the Lakes area is amazing. At every single meeting when they talk to us, it’s just so cool that you can hear all these different things of why these people decided to make these nonprofit organizations and why they wanted to make their own individual difference. And it’s just cool to think that I can be just like these people too and make my own individual impact on the Lakes area.”