Ben Raderstorf was just 12 years old when he served on the Millennium Trust Advisory Committee. “My parents had made a donation to the Millennium Trust in my name,” he explained. “The committee is randomly drawn from donors every year – and in 2003, my name was selected.
“Obviously, I’d never participated in anything like this before. But my parents and I talked with Josie [Heath] and – given that a lot of what The Community Foundation does is focused on youth development and youth engagement in Boulder County – we decided that I should be a part of the committee.”
At first, Ben was quiet. He would ride his bike to the weekly committee meetings, then sit in the back of the room…not really knowing what to do.
“It was the only time that The Community Foundation had put someone as young as me in this role,” he recalled. “It was a foreign experience for me although, as a student in the Boulder Valley School District, I’d had some exposure to foundation-supported programs.
“Still, I really worried about whether I belonged there…and whether I would have anything to contribute among people 40 or so years older than me. I felt like I was walking in too-big shoes.”
As it turned out, however, Ben’s 5th-grade teacher had also been selected to serve on the committee. “She was a parental figure for me. Sometimes, she’d give me rides home after the meetings, and we’d talk about the experience and compare notes.” That teacher, now retired, was Patti Guilford. Ben still keeps in touch with her.
“At one point, the committee was discussing an activity that one person was very excited about, thinking it would be something that kids would really enjoy doing in an after-school program,” continued Ben. “I remember feeling very strongly that what was being proposed sounded really boring, and not like anything a kid would want to do. So I spoke up, and offered what I thought was a reality check.
“From then on, committee members started asking me questions and engaging with me. It was quite empowering, especially when we got to vote on the programs we wanted to support that year.”
Before casting their final votes, committee members conducted site visits. “It’s one thing to read about the merits of a program in a grant application,” said Ben. “It’s another to see how things work in real life.
“I remember sitting in the lobby of Intercambio De Comunidades [a Millennium Trust grantee in 2003, and again this year] and talking to a kid about my age who was participating in the program we were thinking about funding. It was then that I really understood the impact of the work of the committee, and the foundation. We weren’t just talking about nice ideas on paper – we were helping to support real organizations that affect real people in their everyday lives.
“As a kid growing up in the Boulder ‘bubble,’ I remember being really affected by that,” Ben continued. “I realized that not everyone in Boulder County lives a fairy tale life where everything is great. I learned that there are a lot of underserved people and underlying social issues that we need to work harder to address – and that’s what grantmaking is all about.”
Educated at Harvard College and now Undergraduate Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs in Cambridge, MA, Ben says the Millennium Trust committee experience opened his eyes. “Since then, I’ve never looked at our town – or any other place – in the same way,” he said. “I’ve learned that what you see on the surface isn’t the whole truth.
“I also learned about the challenges of grantmaking – the practical aspects, and the need for critical thinking. You’d love to fund every organization with a meaningful mission, but you can’t. The most inspired or inspiring projects might be lacking in feasibility. You have to look at the reliability and sustainability of a project, and its cost-effectiveness. You have to look at who’s dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s.
“Now, when I think about having an impact, I know it’s not just about understanding the big picture, or knowing the solution to a problem, or being aggressive and bold. It’s also about being efficient.”
For Ben, one of the best parts about serving on the Millennium Trust Advisory Committee was learning what it means to be a part of a community. “Everything about the foundation and the committee comes back to building a stronger community. There’s no bureaucracy – just a group of people who understand that we’re all in this together. And I really like that.”
The Millennium Trust was established in 1999, as a permanent fund of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County to serve the needs of residents in perpetuity. It was created by donations from thousands of Boulder County residents giving their last hour of income for the year. People gave money to help meet the needs of the new millennium in the areas of the arts, environment, civic involvement, education, and/or health and human services. Every year, different donors to the fund are randomly selected to serve on the Advisory Committee, and to select that year’s funding focus. In 2014, the Millennium Trust exceeded $1M granted.
