Second round of Lilly funding enhances Trine camps

Trine University has received a grant of more than $400,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to sustain and enhance its youth camps and workshops.

The funding, totaling $422,778, comes in the second round of Lilly Endowment’s Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC) initiative.

Thanks to funding from the first round, Trine University has hosted more than 30,000 school-age students during the past three years in activities and camps designed to provide learning experiences and expose them to higher education.

“Lilly Endowment funding has provided the opportunity to help thousands of students learn about new concepts and about pathways they have available once they finish high school,” said Jennifer LaRose, executive director of camps, conferences and events at Trine. “This additional funding will help us make sure these programs remain accessible, high-quality and impactful for even more Indiana youth.”

Increased capacity

The new funding will enable Trine University to expand high-demand programs by increasing capacity for LEGO Robotics, overnight camps and multidisciplinary STEM workshops.

In a report summarizing the accomplishments from the first round of funding, the university noted that enrollment at the LEGO Robotics camps has grown more than 3,000% over the past three years.

The university also will incorporate structured recreational components into each program.

In addition, the university will use the new round of funding to recruit and train CDL-certified staff, providing cost savings for transportation. Currently, the university has to charter buses to transport large groups.

The additional funds also will allow the university to increase building maintenance staffing during camps, as well as expanded food service options for campers to include more allergy-friendly and dietary-specific meal options.

Trine will also work to integrate parents more fully into programming by developing family workshops focusing on college preparation, STEM careers and financial aid. New digital newsletters and social media campaigns will help keep families informed and engaged.

In additional, the university will create materials to support non-English-speaking parents and families.

“We’re excited that, in addition to providing improved camping experiences, we have the opportunity to better integrate families into what their students are learning,” said LaRose.

About IYPC

According to Lilly Endowment, the Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC) initiative is designed to help Indiana colleges and universities create new or expand and enhance existing high-quality, on-campus programs for Hoosiers ages 5-18. The initiative, in part, is a response to recent declines in the number of Indiana high school graduates attending college.

The IYPC initiative seeks to increase opportunities for Indiana youth to participate in learning experiences on college campuses, expose more Hoosier youth to the state’s higher education institutions, provide experiences that will help prepare youth to succeed in college and life, and ultimately Increase the numbers of Indiana youth who earn college degrees and credentials.

These programs will help support students academically and personally and prepare them to transition successfully to higher educational opportunities.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.