Kexin, a violinist, shared her story in an interview with NCGives:

“A friend of mine from the youth symphony in Winston-Salem told me about how she came across Youth Grantmakers in Action. She asked if I was interested in using a grant from YGA to perform with her to benefit the community. And I was like of course…I realized helping the community is really important.

We played at the YWCA in front of a group of 30 to 40 kids – kids who might not be able to attend concerts or even play an instrument. We brought one of our private lesson teachers in case anyone was interested, and we answered a lot of questions, and we brought extra violins and instruments to let them practice.

Before we presented the YMCA idea in front of the YGA committee, I read more about YGA. When we actually presented it in front of the committee, I was really interested in actually participating in being a grantmaker, because I thought it would be really fun. And I had a friend who is actually a grantmaker, and she told me about what they did. And I just thought how it’s a really great idea to put money in kids’ hands and see how we can actually be responsible and handle it with care. It felt good to be trusted.

I’m a part of YGA now - we meet once a month. Some really cool people from different schools come together and we talk about some of the problems the community has. It’s raised questions that I have never thought about. Just being in the program made me realize what I might want to do when I grow up, what kind of career I might have and how to handle money if I do decide to go into business. I’ve gained insight. I think I’m maturing through the process.

I also volunteer at the library, and I used to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. And I’m interested in volunteering at the Wake Forest University hospital during the summer.”

Visit YGA’s webpages with the N.C. Youth Giving Network and The Winston-Salem Foundation.