Junior year has been a busy time for Middleburg Academy's Katie Hill and Matt Nickles. The two have been fully immersed not only in their studies and sports (both play varsity tennis; Matt is also a swimmer), but in their roles as student grant-makers for the S. Murray Rust and Mary H.C. Rust Student Philanthropy Project.

Known as "Forward Turn," the Project is a community outreach program of the Piedmont Community Foundation. It was created six years ago to fund and encourage youth-driven projects, and to teach philanthropy to area high school students.

Matt and Katie are part of a twenty four-member Steering Committee that represents high schools throughout Loudoun and Fauquier counties. Working both in teams and as a whole, the group reviews, discusses, scores and, ultimately, proposes which grants their committee wishes to see funded. Typically, they devote two Saturdays a month (over a five-month period) to their work.

Determining which grants to fund and exactly how much money to give (award amounts range from $500 to $2,500) has proven more challenging than either Middleburg Academy representative expected.

"The pace and speed of how things move was surprising - I thought it would be easy," says Matt. "It brings the reality of a business environment . . . and how fast you need to move to get things done."

Katie explains, "There are many things we look for when scoring grants: how will it benefit the community, will it have a lasting effect, does it seem practical and able to be accomplished, and are we truly interested in seeing the project move forward." Once the group reached agreement on the projects to be funded, deciding how much money to give to each was "a huge discussion and everyone had a different opinion, leading to a very lively debate. In the end," she reports, "we were all able to agree on the amount and feel confident in our decision."

On a broader level, student grant-makers also help assess the needs of the greater community, as seen from a youth's perspective, and serve as spokespersons for Forward Turn. To help get the word out, they developed a catchy slogan and logo, You Tube videos, Facebook interactions, and their own website (www.forwardturn.com).

Every spring, they provide an overview presentation of their work, including their funding recommendations, to the Board of Directors of the Piedmont Community Foundation.

PCF Executive Director Karen Krei described the presentation as, "My favorite day in the Student Philanthropy Project is when we see the students give a professional and impassioned accounting of their work and a grant recommendation."

"It is impressive to witness their enthusiasm and collective knowledge; a proud testament that our youth can be a powerhouse, up to the task of thoughtful leadership for our communities and country."

The endowment seed that Mr. and Mrs. Rust first planted is now a deeply rooted perennial. And just as they had hoped, it has blossomed into the self-perpetuating project they envisioned, empowering and encouraging area youth to act as civic-minded citizens and good stewards of our community's resources.