Upper School Students Receive Youth Philanthropy Award

As leaders of the Le Bonheur Club Teens, Shelton Vance ’23, McLain Pogue ’23, Emma Couch ’23, and Amelia Crabtree ’24 were honored with the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Memphis chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The award recognizes service by an individual or group of young people ages 5-23 who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the community through leadership, volunteerism, and the development of charitable programs. They accepted the award at a special ceremony in November, where they were the only youth at the event alongside many other well-respected award winners.

Le Bonheur Club Teens provides youth with an opportunity to volunteer at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. It is an organization made up of female students in grades 9-12 that attend local private schools. McLain Pogue ’23 and Shelton Vance ’23 are co-presidents, and Emma Couch ’23 and Amelia Crabtree ’24 are co-vice presidents. In their roles, they organize events, work to expand membership within the community, and serve as leaders and communicators with members. They have assembled goodie bags, held toy drives, and planned a Sip and Shop event at Laurelwood Shopping Center to raise money for the club. 

This is the first school year the group is allowed back at the hospital due to previous COVID-19 restrictions, and the girls are looking forward to more interactions with patients and their families. For seniors McLain, Shelton, and Emma, this is their last year to be a member of the organization. They said they hope to make a lasting impact.

 

“We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to serve, and it is exciting when we can see how much of a difference our service makes,” Shelton said.