PTECFF Launches Youth Community Improvement Group for Local High School Students

PENDER, Neb. – The Pender Thurston Education and Community Foundation Fund (PTECFF) has launched a new Youth Community Improvement Group. The hands-on program is designed to give students in grades 9-12 a firsthand look at how community projects come to life. Launched in fall 2026, the program provides participating students with funding and the responsibility to decide, as a group, how to use it to make a meaningful impact in the Pender and Thurston communities. Students will also help choose the program’s official name. The application process is simple, and all interested high school students are welcome to join. Applications are open until October 28 and available here.

“Our goal is to inspire and empower the young people in our community,” said Program Lead Karissa Johnson. “We’re excited to show them how projects really get done and to help them build their own vision for the changes they believe matter most.”

Karissa Johnson leads the program alongside PTECFF Coordinator Channing Reha, with guidance from committee members Matthew Smith, Ashley Bessmer, and Katie Gutzmann. Through the program, students will build leadership skills, learn how local projects are planned and carried out, and leave a lasting mark on their hometown.