Gift of $1.4m will keep giving

An anonymous donor impressed with Concord's history of community service has set aside $1.4 million to help five public and private schools in town mold a new generation of philanthropists.

The Crossroads Community Foundation, which is administering the new endowment fund, was expected to announce the donation today.

``The donor has close ties to Concord, and he was impressed by the spirit of philanthropy in the community," said Kathan Tracy, codirector of the Natick-based Crossroads Community Foundation. ``Concord . . . has a strong sense of community with a tradition of having its citizens step up to the plate for those in need."

The new Concord CommonWeal Fund will allow Concord Academy, Concord-Carlisle High School, The Fenn School, Middlesex School, and Nashoba Brooks to participate in Crossroads' Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program.

The extracurricular program, created in 1998, teaches students about the importance of giving back to a community by volunteering or donating resources.

``There's a whole spectrum of things you can contribute to your community, whether it's time, money, or serving on a board," Tracy said. ``Yes, it's important to think about how you direct your charitable dollars, but it's important to think of how you can give your time or skills."

As part of the program, students review grant proposals that are submitted to Crossroads Community Foundation and are allowed to distribute funds to worthy local programs. The new endowment fund makes it possible for students at each Concord school to donate at least $10,000 a year to community groups in perpetuity, Tracy said.

Crossroads runs the program in 13 other schools throughout Boston's western suburbs including Acton, Boxborough, Framingham, Needham, and Weston.

Elizabeth Bedell, head of the English department at Concord Academy, said she believes the program will be invaluable to the students.

``The central thing that jumped out at me was the chance to connect kids to the world beyond campus," Bedell said.

In the first part of the program, Bedell said, the students work with a representative from Crossroads to learn how non profit groups operate, the role they play in a community, the importance of volunteering and giving back, budgeting, and decision making.

The program ends with the students reviewing grant proposals submitted by local organizations and conducting site visits. The students must decide which groups are worthy of funding, and they are responsible for awarding up to $11,000. The endowment fund will cover 90 percent of the grants, and the students must raise 10 percent of the funds awarded.

``This gives them a chance in a real meaningful way to see the larger context of the community in which they live," Bedell said.

All the money awarded each year goes to groups that work with the youth, Tracy said.

Manasa Jayanthi, a junior at Acton-Boxborough High School, participated in the program last year and signed up again this year. Jayanthi said the program opened her eyes to a world she never knew existed.

``Acton is known for being kind of wealthy, and I never realized there were people in need right here in my own town," Jayanthi said. ``It was a big shock to know there are welfare families."

Jayanthi said she has participated in other community service programs in the past and volunteers at a local hospital on a regular basis. But being able to donate money to groups that are almost completely reliant on grants was a new experience.

``It was really special," she said.

Tracy said educating students about philanthropic choices is a key part of the program because $41 trillion will be handed down to future generations over the next 50 years as baby boomers pass on.

Jeanette Szretter, director of community outreach at the Rivers School in Weston, said it's one of the most popular programs at the school.

In the past four years, the students have awarded $40,000 to local community groups.

``It puts a face on hunger, housing, and other issues," Szretter said. ``It lets them look at their own town with new eyes. It brings it down to a concrete level for them."

Crossroads has distributed more than $3 million to nonprofit s since it is was founded in 1996.

Funds have been used to promote economic security, create safe neighborhoods, foster academic achievement, support wellness , and improve the quality of life in the region.

Crossroads provides the $10,000 grant funding to most of the schools that participate. With the new endowment fund, the Concord schools are the only participating schools that are guaranteed funding each year.