Allstate Foundation Grant to Fund Community Engagement at University

The Allstate Foundation has committed $500,000 to 50 colleges and universities across the country to support youth-driven service programs, including the university's Center for Community Engagement.

"One of their values is supporting more youth and inspiring them to use their brilliant ideas to actually change and improve our community," said Castel Sweet, the center's director. "So, any student who maybe has a brilliant idea and they want to implement it, or maybe they have been working out in the community on a project already and could use some funds to really help support that project – that's the idea of what we're looking for."

The grant money will fund at least 10 Ole Miss students who hope to pursue a community-driven service project. Applications are due before Jan. 15. To apply, send a summary of the proposed community project and a budget proposal to Sweet at cvsweet@olemiss.edu.

This funding will help students such as Ashton Summers pursue community-led projects they are passionate about, Sweet said.

Summers, a junior management information systems major from Jackson, spent the last year interviewing artists about their work and life behind the canvas. His podcast – "Sanctuary Arts" from the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council – gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the lives and inspirations of local artists.

The "Sanctuary Arts" podcast is on track to launch in 2025.

"Artists are very interesting people, and I think interesting is a major understatement," Summers said. "Meeting with these people, it enlightened me on how far you can go.

"If you would have told me in high school that I'd be doing what I'm doing now, there's no way I would have believed you. But this has completely opened my eyes not only to my life, but other people's lives as well."

Summers has applied for assistance from the Allstate Foundation grant and said having additional funding would help the podcast grow.

Wayne Andrews, director of the arts council, said Summers' podcast showcases the impact of artists in communities across Mississippi.

"Having a partnership through the Center for Community Engagement provides access to students who want to apply the skills they are learning," he said. "The funds from the Allstate grant will help fund the production and costs to place the podcast into national distribution."

Summers project – and others like it – are examples of what students can bring to the community, Sweet said.

"Young people come up with some of the most brilliant ideas because they aren't as restricted or as jaded by the world as adults can be," she said. "Students can look at things and say, 'Hey, what could we do if we really dream?'

"Younger folks are better at dreaming than adults typically are. They help us think about innovative solutions to things in the community that we just may not think about. That's what we want to encourage."

Top: Ole Miss students assist organizations in the Oxford community during a day of service. Students with a passion for community service can fund their upcoming projects thanks to a grant from the Allstate Foundation, which allotted $10,000 to the university's Center for Community Engagement to bolster youth-led initiatives. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services