7th Annual PITCH-ER THIS! Youth Venture Competition
1ST PLACE WINNER
Rylee Sisco, a junior at Beal City High School won $5,000 and took 1st place for her idea “Rylee’s Closet” — a give and take space for Beal City students.
“Unfortunately, there are quite a few people in our county that are living below the poverty line and so just to be able to have this money is very, very helpful,” Sisco said. “We went on a field trip recently for band and when we came back, we stopped to get food, except there were a couple of kids that couldn’t really afford it, and so they didn’t get food. And that just, it made me very sad, because you know, it’s not their fault.”
The closet was up and running in September of last year, it has everything from clothes and shoes to shampoo and soap — all free for anyone who has a need.
“While it is confidential, you know, there’s always that ‘oh no, I need help, but I’m really embarrassed about it. But I think we need to push the idea that there’s no shame in getting help, and it’s okay to reach out and be like ‘I’m, I’m struggling, I need, I need something,” Sisco said. “The support from our community is just, it’s overwhelming the amount of people we’ve had, just giving to us, and everything like that. And we’re actually getting our room now. So, we’ll have a ‘Rylee’s Room,’ maybe we can upgrade the title.”
Sisco is taking the $5,000 winnings and putting all of it toward her closet and a care fund at the school.
“It’s super important, because it feels like we’re going to the next step, and now kids won’t be, won’t have to like go to this little, little corner in this room in a random hallway. Like, it’s right there and they can go find it and it’s, it’s super convenient,” Sisco said.
When Sisco, a junior, graduates, student council will take over the closet, ensuring students for years to come have a place to get the necessities.
6 TEAMS. 6 SCHOOLS. 14 STUDENTS.
On February 26, 2022 at the College of Medicine Auditorium, teams presented their ideas to improve the community in front of an audience and a panel of judges at the 7th Annual PITCH-ER THIS! Youth Venture Competition.
United Way is excited to be investing nearly $15,000 in funding each of the top three winning teams! Congratulations to "Rylee's Closet" from Beal City Middle School/High School for receiving first place, "The Good Neighbors" from Ithaca High School for receiving second place, and "Healthy Huskies" from Breckenridge Community Schools for receiving third place!