Opportunities Abound

Jamie Swinnerton
Tompkins Weekly

 

Since 2003, a group of Dryden community volunteers have been helping to fund dozens of cultural and educational programs for the youth of the greater Dryden area. When school budgets started to feel the squeeze 15 years ago and some programs had to be cut, the Dryden Youth Opportunity Fund (DYOF) was created to help fund some of those programs through donations from the community. Since then, the DYOF has given away over $110,000 for select programs through numerous local organizations.

Now, the DYOF is gearing up to give out even more. The grants given by the DYOF are typically handed out in two cycles: the spring cycle, deadline for application ends April 30; the fall cycle, deadline for applications end October 31.

“We wanted to be able to provide a source of funding for teachers,” said Randy Stewart, one of the original members of the DYOF board. “If they wanted to have a program they could apply and we’d give them the grant. But as we talked, we decided we also wanted to open it up to other organizations in the Dryden community.”

Some of the many recipients of the long list of DYOF grant recipients include the Southworth Library, Dryden High School, Dryden Middle School, Dryden Elementary, Dryden Girl Scouts, Tompkins County 4-H, and the local Cub Scouts, to name a few. Although there are similar organizations to DYOF, they are often tied to a school board. Not the case with DYOF. Although the organization often works closely with the school district, DYOF is completely independent.

The DYOF raises money for the grants mostly through local donations, a few sponsorships, and some fundraisers. The organization has created a few criteria and general rules about what programs it wants to fund, and who can apply.

“We also require an organization – to receive a grant – they have to be a 501(c)3, a non-profit,” Stewart said. “Primarily what we fund are going to be enrichment programs for students. Educational enrichment, culturally. Expose students to different cultural things.”

For the most part, DYOF hasn’t funded capital projects or given funds that would be used for one-time resources. Stewart said the organization also avoids being redundant by funding programs that could be funded by other organizations, like a local sports booster.

“I’m a firm believer that athletics is a great educational experience for kids,” Stewart, himself an athlete when he was in school, said. “But that’s just not our main focus.”

 

Not all grants are funded in full, Stewart said, for a number of reasons. It may be that the DYOF sees the educational and cultural value of one aspect of a grant, but not another. Or, the money available won’t cover all of the money applicants ask for.

“What we want is something where there’s actually going to be an educational component that the kids can do and learn from,” Stewart said. “That’s what we look for when they apply.”

A loyal group of donators come through each year, Stewart said, but the amount does change each year depending on how much is raised. Although it’s not a stated rule, the programs that receive DYOF funding are for students high school age or younger. The organization doesn’t deny grants just because an applicant has applied for grants in the past. Southworth Library is a common recipient, having received over 20 grants from DYOF since the organization started.

“Because of the funding we get from DYOF we’re able to do a lot of the programming that we do,” said Diane Pamel, director of Southworth Library. “Our regular budget is fine for doing general library activities and programs, but any of the specials that we do – Shakespeare program or Magic Tree House, or any of those after school activities and also presenters and performers that have come in, theater groups or musicians or jugglers – all of that is funded through extra funding, which DYOF has been really generous in providing.”

Southworth has received funding for the same program multiple times because the kids at the library love them so much.

“That’s why I have to keep asking for more money because they say ‘When are we going to do them again?’” Pamel said.

It’s an easy process to apply, Pamel said, which is helpful for a busy library director that wants to give kids the programs they are asking for. Without the funding from DYOF, the library programming would be much more limited.

 

“Oh, we couldn’t do half of what we do,” Pamel said. “They really do kick in for a lot of extra programs that we do. I think the community would feel it. I know the library would feel it.”

Because of the popularity of some of the DYOF funded programs, Pamel said she has been able to apply for grant funding elsewhere after proving that the programs are popular with the younger library patrons.

As part of the organization’s celebration of 15 years in the community, DYOF is planning on tabling at Dryden Dairy Day this year. Stewart said this year’s table will be a little more elaborate than past tables, possibly with some games for kids. But plans have not been set in stone.

Stewart is in the unique position of being able to see the impact of the grants from several sides. As a member of the DYOF board, and as a library board member, he sees first-hand how these programs are implemented and received by kids in Dryden.

“I’ve been to some of the programs that the library does and I see the opportunities that it provides for kids, the learning opportunities,” Stewart said. “And fun. They’re learning and having fun.”

Groups that receive funding are also asked to provide a report after the program. Some of these reports include detailed accounts of what the kids did and learned, sometimes with pictures included. From these reports Stewart said the DYOF board members better understand the impact the programs have on the Dryden youth who get to participate. Although its hard to measure the impact of an initiative like DYOF, Stewart said he has seen it, and heard it, from the youth that have been a part of the dozens of DYOF funded programs.

Announcements of grant awards are announced just a few weeks after the application deadline. Early to mid-May will be the next awards announcement following the April 30 deadline.