The Hill School’s Student Philanthropy Council (SPC) recently awarded a total of $28,000 to 11 Pottstown-area nonprofits, including several operating in the Hobart’s Run neighborhood. An awards ceremony was held earlier this month in Hill’s Center For The Arts.

The following organizations received grants from the SPC:

• The Arts Bubble
• Shady Hollow Assisted Riding
• Second Wind Bicycles
• Pottstown Historical Society
• Pottstown GoFourth!
• Hearts of Humanity Community Development Corporation
• Good Samaritan Services
• The Ricketts Center of Boyertown Area Multi-Service
• Be ReZilient
• Animal House Project
• Trellis for Tomorrow

The SPC was created in 2008 through a gift to The Hill by the late Charles Frank III, Class of 1959, and his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Frank. The Franks’ goal was to encourage students to learn about the value and processes of philanthropy; develop lifelong habits of volunteerism and giving back; and provide funds to nonprofits that enhance the lives of Pottstown-area residents. The 12 SPC members are elected after an application process that looks for students’ genuine interest in altruistic endeavors and in serving the community where Hill makes its home.

This year a record number of applicants (30) requested a total of $147,789, so the students had a challenging task as they worked through their decisions.

“Ultimately, we made our selection with several factors in mind,” said Sophie Walsh, a Hill senior from Pittsburgh and the SPC’s co-president. “We hoped to fund some relatively new programs that had never applied to the SPC before. We wanted to support a range of causes, from food insecurity and education to historic preservation and mental and physical wellness. Also, we aimed to leave an impact on a variety of demographics, from young children to senior citizens.”

“If we could, we would have funded each applicant,” said Atticus Short, a Hill senior from Chicago and the SPC’s co-president. “Needless to say, this process fulfills the founders’ goal of educating us, as students, about the heart-wrenching but ultimately rewarding experience encountered by philanthropists.”