High school students met this week to decide how to spend $3,000 to enhance Athens, a process that allowed them to become financially and emotionally invested in their city.

That emotional investment was evident.

“How many people will that help?”

“They get support from other entities. We need to help those who need our support.”

“I can’t support funding that.”

And as one student left the meeting, she said, “This got my blood pressure up today.”

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks laughed.

“What a joy it was to watch them become enthusiastic about certain projects, defend their positions and in some cases reluctantly compromise,” he said. “When it got down to the last $500 remaining, it got fierce. But that’s what we want to see in our youth. We want to see them feel ownership in Athens and share their ideas.”

The students are members of the Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission, a program that teaches students about local government’s role and their role to be engaged and informed citizens. Each spring, youth commissioners accept grant applications from nonprofits that have a proposal for a project to benefit Athens. Various entities have sponsored this portion of the program, such as WOW! and Dekko Foundation. This year, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Athens Utilities supported it with TVA CARES funding.

“I think it is important we give students an opportunity to have a say it what they think makes Athens a better community,” said Blair Davis, manager of the electric department for Athens Utilities.

The youth commission received requests totaling more than $7,000. They had some funding left from Dekko to go with the CARES funds for a total of $2,600. A generous donor added $400 more to give them $3,000 to invest.

The youth commissioners completed an online survey to set their parameters for grant proposals. They decided to fund up to $500 per project and placed an emphasis on how many people are directly impacted by the project and on projects that impact youth, education, health care and cultural opportunities. They also scored proposals on how well the organizations followed the grant form directions.

At the meeting, approximately 35 youth commissioners divided into smaller groups. Each group set their top priorities and had to justify why they supported those projects. Counteroffers were made, and the groups had to compromise or stand firm until the students as a whole came to a consensus on what projects to fund and the amount of funding to provide.

Commission mentor Holly Hollman, who also serves as a grant writer for the city, said the mentor committee stressed repeatedly to students that the $3,000 is their money, and it’s their decision on how best to spend it.

“We encouraged them to speak up, and a couple of students asked to fund organizations more than what they requested,” Hollman said. “I told the students that as a grant writer, I had never received more money than I requested, and one student replied, ‘Well it’s our money, isn’t it?’”

Hollman said students volunteer with some of the groups that applied. Those students spoke about what impacts they have personally witnessed, such as students adapting with a learning disability and a child learning how to deal with grief.

“These students are not putting money on the table and walking away,” Hollman said. “Many are giving back by sharing their time and talents. That speaks volumes about their love of Athens and our city’s future.”

In the end, youth commissioners agreed to fund eight nonprofits for the following projects:

• Learn-to-Read — $500 for youth literacy program in which students receive tutoring and mentoring assistance with a goal of maintaining or achieving at their grade level. Retired teachers and high school students will work with program students to increase math and reading skills, advancement to the next grade level and more. Each student comes to at least one session per week.

• Family Resource Center — $500 for a teen Christmas program in which 50 teens from local schools and FRC’s Family Solutions program attend classes on issues that youth face today. A parent/guardian is required to attend at least one class with their teen. Professionals from the community lead the classes.

• Full Tummy Project — $500 for the summer feeding program, which feeds students four days a week from June 7–30. This is to help students who might not get regular meals while out of school.

• Athens-Limestone Community Association — $500 for Pincham-Lincoln Community Center to help expand the center’s meeting space by purchasing an additional table and set of chairs. This will allow more people to attend community meetings and cultural events. The center is part of the Trinity/Fort Henderson historic site that tells the story of slave to soldier to student.

• Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation — $401.65 to purchase two handheld screen magnets for the radiology department to help keep patients safe when referred for an MRI exam. The magnets are used to screen patients, devices and implants for certain magnetic properties to see if the patient can safely have an MRI conducted.

• Camp Hope — $350 for feeling pillows for Camp Hope, a one-day event for children who are coping with grief. Each camper gets a handmade feeling pillow to keep that they can use to express the newfound emotions involved with losing a loved one, whether that’s by hitting the pillow, throwing it or cuddling it.

• Athens Main Street — $150 for Merchant’s Alley, a placemaking project to provide a space downtown to sit, gather and experience local art and music. AMS is renovating the alley between U.G. White and the Main Street office with the theme, “Amplify Athens.” Area students will create the murals and refresh them, have a dedicated space to create art and build a “selfie spot” for Instagram photos. This alley will connect to public parking and offer seating areas as well as lighting, landscaping and the art visuals.

• Athens Arts League — $100 for Seeds and Sharing at High Cotton Arts, where 15 local children aged 5–9 will paint clay pots and plant seeds, which will then be displayed on wooden pallets behind High Cotton. A retired art professor will teach the free class. Following the painting and planting, Athens author Carissa Lovvorn will read her newly released children’s book, “Seeds for Sharing.” Participants will also get to take home one pot with two packets of seeds.