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Please join us for our 2024 Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 1st, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm, at Nub's Nob.
Each year, the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation brings people together to recognize and celebrate the impactful philanthropic work the Community Foundation has supported throughout the year. This public event is free of charge and will take place at Nub's Nob. Guests are encouraged to join us at 4:30 pm for mingling, live music with Charlie Millard, and refreshments. A conversation with past YAC members will begin at 5:30 pm.
About the Evening’s Program
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). In celebration, the evening’s program will highlight this important committee. Past and present YAC members will join us to share stories about the lasting impact their work with the Community Foundation has had on their lives and in the communities they serve.
YAC alumnus and current Community Foundation intern Alex Carlson will lead a panel conversation with special guests Michael Craig, Claire Fleming, Finn Hopkins, and Maggie Kloss.
YAC Alumni Panelists
Michael Craig
YAC: 1997-2002
Claire Fleming
YAC: 2010-2016
Finn Hopkins
YAC: 2012-2017
Maggie Kloss
YAC: 2003-2007
More than 180 youth have participated in the Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee since it began in 1994. The experiences made possible thanks to YAC open doors and expose Emmet County youth to the power of philanthropy and community leadership. This panel discussion will provide an inside look at what it's like to be a YAC member and alumni.
"I think what stands out most about my time in YAC was the transition that took place from the YAC being a fun, social experience that got us out of school a few days a year to a meaningful calling as I began to understand the impact we were having on the community. I trained six days a week in the Harbor Springs Community Pool and sometime in the late '90s we provided a grant for a new diving board when the old one was no longer safe. I got to watch kids play on that diving board every day for years and always felt an immense amount of pride seeing the sign on the wall that said, 'Grant provided by the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council.' " ~ Michael Craig
About the Panelists
Michael Craig, Development Director for Racquet Up Detroit
Pronouns: He/Him
Served on YAC: 1997-2002
Michael Craig lives in Grosse Pointe with his wife, Alison, their son, Cooper, and their black lab, Murphy. He spends as much time as possible outdoors with his family on the water, snow, or trails. He is an Executive Board Member for The Children’s Center of Wayne County and the Development Director for Racquet Up Detroit, which is a non-profit youth development program focused on education, fitness, and personal growth. He is deeply passionate about serving children and families from marginalized communities and promoting equitable access to healthcare. Michael still spends as much time as he can in Harbor Springs, boating, skiing, mountain biking, and hiking.
Claire Fleming, Young Life Little Traverse Bay - Youth Ministry
Pronouns: She/ Her
Served on YAC: 2010-2016
YAC was a favorite activity of Claire’s while she attended Harbor Springs high school; it empowered her to pursue entrepreneurship and inspired Claire to attend a social enterprise incubator in Boulder, Colorado. After seeing the latest and greatest in social innovation, Claire realized that local connectivity is the critical heartbeat of purpose and impact. She is honored to get to come back to Northern Michigan and become a part of this community as an adult. Claire was a member of Michigan Community Foundation's Youth Project (MCFYP), the statewide youth philanthropy council for Michigan, from 2014-2017.
Finn Hopkins, MAWBY intern, Council for Michigan Foundations
Pronouns: He/ Him
Served on YAC: 2012-2017
Finn graduated from Petoskey High School and his YAC in 2017 and went on to serve on the MCFYP committee for three additional years while studying at MSU. He now works at the Council for Michigan Foundations as the MAWBY intern, where he helps curate resources for YACs and their advisors and supports the MCFYP Committee in leading the development, design, and facilitation of youth programming.
Maggie Kloss, Shay Elementary School Teacher
Pronouns: She/ Her
Served on YAC: 2003-2007
Maggie Kloss was born and raised in Harbor Springs and went on to get her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Grand Valley State University. Maggie has been teaching for 13 years and is currently a third-grade teacher at Shay Elementary in Harbor Springs. She and her husband, Jake, have three children; Lyla (9), Henry(7), and Griffen (4). In her free time, she loves to spend time on Lake Michigan, hike in the woods, bake, read, and garden. Maggie currently serves on the Community Foundation's Scholarship Committee.
About the Moderator
Alex Carlson, student intern, Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Pronouns: He/Him
Served on YAC: 2018-2023
Born and raised in Petoskey, Alex Carlson served on the PHSACF YAC from 8th grade through his High School Graduation in 2023. He is now pursuing a Major in Management with a Minor in Finance from Northwood University. Alex continues to serve Michigan Philanthropy by participating in the Michigan Community Foundations Youth Project. Outside of philanthropy, Alex loves spending time outside on walks or exploring new parts of the beautiful area that we live in.
About the Youth Advisory Committee
30 years ago, in an effort to increase the giving capacity of community foundations and to engage youth in the grantmaking process, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation sponsored a Youth Challenge for Community Foundations to grow youth endowment funds. These endowment funds were to be used exclusively for grants allocated by youth advisory committees for local nonprofits' efforts affecting youth. Consequently, all across the state, Michigan’s Community Foundations have youth grantmaking subcommittees with permanently endowed youth funds. Youth members engage in leadership development and community service and review and allocate grant dollars.
Youth philanthropy has played a central role in the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation’s history since the Youth Advisory Committee was established in August 1994. Since our own YAC was established, over $1.8 million has been granted back to our local community for programming that makes youth and families in Emmet County stronger.