08-05-2025
LSB Junior Board awards local nonprofits funding during year-end meeting
The Logansport Savings Bank Junior Board wrapped up the 2024-25 school year Wednesday afternoon by awarding $1,000 checks to the Literacy Volunteers of Cass County and to Our Father's House.
The Junior Board is made up of local high school juniors and seniors from Caston, Lewis Cass, Logansport and Pioneer.
A requirement for being part of the board is that each member completes 10 hours of community service. The bank pays the students for their time and collects the money into a single fund. The students then choose local non-profits to gift the money to.
Each students researches a local organization and gives a presentation on that organization during a board meeting.
Literacy Volunteers works to help locals learn to read and also teaches English to non-speakers. The Father's House is a sober living home for men.
Dave Miller, the organization's director, was thankful to receive the gift.
'The funding will go a long way toward training tutors, buying materials for tutors, buying materials for students and training students,' he said.
He said that many in the community did not know about the Literacy Volunteers. When it came to researching the program, Pioneer junior Mia McKaig set out to look for literacy coalitions and discovered the Literacy Volunteers via a web search.
Josh Garrison and Aaron Bolin are residents at The Father's House and were present as the Junior Board awarded the house a check. Garrison said he was surprised when he found out that the would receive the funding and called it a blessing.
'It helps more people get on their feet,' he said. 'It helps with repairs. Just knowing that there are people who are willing to help us is even more of a reason to want to do better.'
During the year, the bank takes the students to different businesses and organizations around the community to learn more about what they offer Logansport and Cass County.
'It's been really nice getting to see the other businesses and how they work,' said Nicholas Park, a Lewis Cass senior who will attend Rose Hulman to study optical engineering. 'This year especially, the community hours have been really nice. We worked more closely with places like Our Father's House and Emmaus. Last year was about building relationships and this year was about seeing the practical application of those relationships and how they can help people in the community.'
Myli Rude, a junior from Caston, said that being part of the board had encouraged her to help in the community and said working with students from other schools had been a confidence booster. She said she learned it is very important to have people by her side who want to accomplish similar goals so that those goals can be accomplished in better, stronger ways.
Ashanta Curry, a Logansport senior, credited the Junior Board for teaching her how many opportunities there were in Logansport.
'Not many people think there are a good amount of job opportunities in Logansport but I think the junior board has shown there are so many job opportunities here and there are opportunities that will help you put your best foot forward,' she said.
McKaig said her first year on the board was a great opportunity to meet new people and she was surprised how many similarities the students shared despite their diverse backgrounds
'I was surprised by that and how many friends I could make here,' she said.
Hunter Bartling, also a Pioneer junior, said he agreed with McCaig and when he started the year he tended to keep more to himself until he realized the group of students shared a lot in common.
'I could relate to them more than I thought I could and I started to speak up more and everyone listens,' he said. 'It's nice to be listened to in a group.'
Pioneer senior Keirsten Nies served as the board president this year. She will attend West Point in the fall.
'Leading a group of students such as those on the junior board has been extraordinary,' she said. 'It's so comforting to see that so many youth in the county really care about the community and possess the intellect and leadership required to do some of the things that we do. We were able to impact Logansport in some pretty monumental ways this year.'
Carmen Jones, the bank's marketing officer, worked closely with the students throughout the school year.
'It's a joy and a privilege to get to know these kids so well during their time on the Junior Board,' she said. 'We have a lot of fun and we learn a lot, too, about our community and each other. I look forward to having the juniors back as seniors next year, and to seeing what this year's seniors will do in their futures.'
'(The students) have been great to work with,' said Chad Higgins, president and CEO of Logansport Savings Bank 'I think this is our sixth group and I'm said to see the seniors go but I think they've been a great group of kids to work with.
