Rivers Givers Honors 2025 Community Grant Recipients

Rivers Givers is more than just a fundraising initiative. It is a unique, immersive learning experience that aims to teach students about philanthropy, fundraising, and charitable giving. It empowers students to raise money, research nonprofits, and choose organizations to support. Open exclusively to students in Grade 11 and Grade 12, the program currently has 28 participants, with selected senior leaders recruiting and mentoring junior students. Fina Applegate ’25, Spencer Gary ’25, Justin Jang ’25, Elizabeth Lapides ’25, Ella Patti ’25, Pepper Taylor ’25, Reagan Whitaker ’25, and Mulan Zhang ’25 led this year’s cohort through the program, which involves three training sessions, numerous fundraisers, grant reviews, nonprofit site visits, and a vote on grant awardees.

Throughout the year, Rivers Givers raises funds with events that engage the Rivers community and beyond. Fundraisers include a Rivers holiday tournament t-shirt sale, the annual dodgeball tournament, bake sales, raffles, and more. This year’s group committed to reaching a $5,000 goal, which Rivers matched for a grand total of $10,000 in funds to the selected nonprofits. “A special shout-out to our senior leaders this year, who led engaging and insightful trainings, stepped up to host additional fundraisers, and took ownership over ensuring we were thoughtful in our allocations and processes,” said Director of Community Engagement Lucas Malo, co-advisor of Rivers Givers. 

“Rivers Givers is a prime example of Rivers’ commitment to building lifelong leaders who are dedicated not only to understanding their communities, but also to being actively involved in them,” he added. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your students engage, reflect on their values, better understand inequities, and then both educate and motivate their peers to do the same.” 

Students invite nonprofits to apply, then review proposals and evaluate each based on the following criteria: community need and impact, connection to Rivers, budget analysis, project sustainability, and articulation of funding need. This year’s group reviewed and discussed submissions by 11 organizations before selecting the three finalists, who presented about their organizations to the Rivers community when visiting to accept their awards. 

One of the most impactful aspects of the program, for both students and the professional community, is the site visit day. Julia Wills, director of annual giving and co-advisor of Rivers Givers, reflected on the day with enthusiasm and pride. “The students travel to each finalist organization and are able to witness firsthand what an immense impact their grant funds could have,” she said. “It is a very transformative experience to learn not just how to give but why it matters.” Malo agreed: “Site visit day is my favorite day of the program. Students are immersed in the community and see how nonprofits operate from the ground up.” 

This year’s grant recipients reflect a broad range of community needs. Circle of Hope provides infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness with clothing and hygiene essentials in order to protect their health and personal dignity. Deliveries of clothing, coats, shoes, bedding, and hygiene essentials are made monthly or in emergencies to 32 partner shelters, health care clinics, schools, universities, and community programs. Grant writer Leslie Levinson attended the assembly on behalf of Circle of Hope to accept the $4,000 grant, which will support the organization’s effort to end housing and food insecurity.

The second grant recipient was Dress for Success Boston, which helps unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence by providing formal attire for job interviews, as well as providing professional development events and a network of support that continues beyond each client’s final appointment. President Kim Todd and Tykia White, Manager of Marketing and Youth Programs, accepted the Rivers Givers $4,000 grant, which will help Dress for Success continue its mission to help disadvantaged women achieve financial stability and navigate successful careers.

High Spirit East Community, an organization that aims to create an enriched family-style residential and work-life community for young adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, received the third and final award of $2,000. During her presentation at Rivers, co-founder Kathryn Stanley shared plans to build a community space in the MetroWest area in the near future. 

“This year in particular,” Malo said, “our grant recipients expressed such gratitude and shared such praise about our students’ passion, learning, and how they represented the hope and the common good of our futures. It’s rewarding for Rivers to be a vibrant partner in this way, uplifting the needs of our community. I cannot think of a better win-win opportunity for everyone involved.” 

In her remarks at the check presentation ceremony, Taylor thanked the visiting organizations for their work in the community. “Each of these nonprofits helps to address social matters valued by members of the Rivers community,” she said. “We are confident that our donations will help to further their important work.”

Gary reflected, “Rivers Givers is such a special program because it has given me a deeper understanding of philanthropy by guiding me through each part of the process, including fundraising, reviewing grant proposals, and conducting site visits. This program has also shown me how effective leadership and collaboration can lead to lasting change in communities.”

Applegate described the program as “an incredibly meaningful experience,” saying, “It’s a unique opportunity to be able to learn about philanthropy not only from experts, but also through firsthand experiences like reviewing grant proposals and visiting nonprofits.” She reflected that working as a cohort is a special part of Rivers Givers, too, concluding, “I have valued the chance to collaborate with such caring and passionate individuals.”