Young Philanthropist Group Gives First Grant

The year-old young philanthropists group NextGenNow, a part of the Arlington Community Foundation, gave its first-ever grant to a summer reading program.

The grant, for $5,000, was given to The Reading Connection’s “We Are Readers” program, which enables at-risk children to keep up with their peers when they might not normally have access to reading materials. NextGenNow had determined its cause for the grant would be helping children and families, and chose the Alexandria-based group out of 20 nonprofits that applied.

NextGenNow was launched a year ago to “engage young professionals in philanthropy,” according to a press release.

“The Arlington Community Foundation has long been a proud supporter of literacy initiatives all across the County,” Arlington Community Foundation Executive Director Wanda L. Pierce said in the release. “That NextGenNow members chose to support We Are Readers out of so many worthy proposals speaks to the importance of providing all young children with equal access to this critical skill.”

Kevin Shooshan, director of leasing and marketing for The Shooshan Company, is co-chair of NextGenNow with Susan Anderson, who works in the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office. Shooshan said “NextGenNow is just getting started.”

“”I’m so excited about where NextGenNow is today, a little over a year after launching this effort,” Shooshan told ARLnow.com in an email. “We’re lucky to be in a community in which we can pull together so many people in such a short time with a common goal, and ultimately help others who are truly in need.”

Photo courtesy NextGenNow