Last year Southwest Open School started a chapter of EPYCS ... El Pomar Youth in Community Service. Folks in Colorado know El Pomar Foundation is one of the biggest philanthropies in the state. A few years ago, they started a youth philanthropy program. El Pomar donates $7,500 to a high school group that raises a set matching amount ... at least $500. I think the SWOS chapter raised about $3,000 last year, and was recognized as the outstanding chapter in the region in their first year of existence. In addition to taking on the janitorial chores at a local shelter and other fundraising activities, they sponsored a Renaissance Ball.
Last night was this year's Renaissance Ball, shown in the picture. We were impressed that a number of the kids really did dress up in medieval-like clothes and looked great. The music was ... well, not exactly minuets, though we did at least recognize a few songs. Good, clean fun! As Sandy noted, it's a good thing it wasn't held the night before, in the blizzard!
Don't know how much the kids raised, but I hope it was a good amount. They will now accept requests for funding from local nonprofit organizations, set up their own criteria for donations and pass along the cash they've raised to worthy causes. The SWOS kids probably have a little different view of community service organizations than the average high school student does; many of them have seen firsthand how they function.
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