Local highschooler’s nonprofit looks to expand

Local highschooler’s nonprofit looks to expand

The Nikiski Children’s Fund, a nonprofit set up by Nikiski High School student Carlee Rizzo, is looking to expand its reach to Homer, Kenai, Soldotna and Seward.

Rizzo said the fund has done a lot of good for the Nikiski School, and could have potential in other peninsula schools.

“It would be nice if other schools had this opportunity,” Rizzo said.

In 2015, Rizzo began the project when she was a freshman in high school, and saw that many of her peers could use a helping hand. Both of Rizzo’s parents are teachers, and are among the first in schools to recognize when students are struggling, she said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I just saw all these kids with holes in their shoes, or holes in their backpacks,” Rizzo said. “As I got older, one of my friends was living in their car with no money for food. I’m not someone who can just stand by.”

Rizzo coordinates public events, like concerts and an annual softball game between the Nikiski fire department and the Alaska State Troopers, to raise money. The money raised is then made available for teachers to use when they see students who might need help.

The fund has generated $8,000 in the last three years to support the nonprofit’s donations, and an additional $8,000 to provide an annual scholarship.

Rizzo said the fund helps pay for anything a kid might need, like the electric bills of families who need assistance, a driving lesson for a student who can’t afford it, or hats, gloves, coats or boots. Rizzo has even helped fundraise for new school supplies and clothing for a student whose family home burned down in the middle of the night.

The nonprofit needs to raise $3,000 to support the expansion to the peninsula’s other areas. Rizzo set up GoFundMe account that has already earned nearly $800.

If Rizzo is able to raise the funds she needs to expand, the money will be available to other peninsula schools by next semester, she said.

In addition to expanding the fund to other schools, Rizzo is setting up an annual scholarship. Every year, a junior in high school will have the chance to win the $1,000 scholarship if they choose to take on the coordinating role Rizzo has been in since the nonprofit’s beginnings. Rizzo said each scholarship recipient will train the next.

More in News

Welcome messages in multiple languages are painted on windows at the University of Alaska Anchorage at the start of the semester in January. (University of Alaska Anchorage photo)
Juneau refugee family gets ‘leave immediately’ notice; 4 people affiliated with UAA have visas revoked

Actions part of nationwide sweep as Trump ignores legal orders against detentions, deportations.

The Soldotna Field House is seen on a sunny Monday, March 31, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna sets fees, staffing, policy for field house

After a grand opening ceremony on Aug. 16, the facility will be expected to operate in seasons.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Officers who shot and killed man in Kasilof found ‘justified’

The three officers were found to be justified in their force by the Office of Special Prosecutions.

A screenshot of a Zoom meeting where Superintendent Clayton Holland (right) interviews Dr. Henry Burns (left) on Wednesday, April 9, while Assistant Superintendent Kari Dendurent (center) takes notes.
KPBSD considers 4 candidates for Homer High School principal position

School district held public interviews Wednesday, April 9.

Organizer George Matz monitors shorebirds at the former viewing platform at Mariner Park Lagoon. The platform no longer exists, after being removed by landowner Doyon during the development of the area. (Photo courtesy of Kachemak Bay Birders)
Kachemak Bay Birders kicks off 17th year of shorebird monitoring project

The first monitoring session of 2025 will take place Saturday.

The Alaska State Senate meets Thursday, where a bill boosting per-student education funding by $1,000 was introduced on the floor. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Education bill with $1,000 BSA hike — and nothing else — gets to Senate floor; veto by Dunleavy expected

Senate president says action on lower per-student education funding increase likely if veto override fails.

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Trial for troopers indicted for felony assault delayed to 2026

The change comes four months after a judge set a “date-certain” trial for June.

Members of the Alaska State Employees Association and AFSCME Local 52 holds a protest at the Alaska State Capitol on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
State employee salaries fall short of levels intended to be competitive, long-delayed study finds

31 of 36 occupation groups are 85%-98% of target level; 21 of 36 are below public/private sector average.

Most Read