During a Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council (CMYC) meeting, Audrey Satchivi, council member and senior, puts together a promotional handout for the Carmel Christkindlmarkt. CMYC advisor Kelli Prader said Christkindlmarkt director Maria Murphy spoke to the council at their most recent meeting, and discussed the members’ role in the upcoming event.

After raising over $400 for the Hamilton County Humane Society through Howl-o-ween, a dog-themed event hosted earlier this month, the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council (CMYC) is turning more of its attention to volunteering and community outreach, according to CMYC advisor Kelli Prader.

“Some of the (CMYC) people are saying, ‘Well, since we don’t have a fall project, let’s volunteer more as a member of the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council’, (even though) it’s not necessarily a Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council-sponsored event,” Prader said.

CMYC members will have the opportunity to volunteer at the city’s Christkindlmarkt when it opens on Nov. 17, according to Prader. Even when the German market closes on Dec. 23, members will still be able to volunteer at the Ice at Center Green, which plans to remain open through March 10.

During a recent council meeting, Rik Bag, CMYC president and senior, announced that the council also plans to participate in a “civic engagement project” called the White River Alliance Project. This initiative involves Hamilton County Tourism, along with CMYC and other mayors’ youth councils from within Hamilton County, and will include a clean-up of the White River. Prader said a date has yet to be established for the project.

In addition, according to Prader, CMYC plans to organize the annual toy drive in partnership with the middle schools’ National Junior Honors Societies this December.

Bag said the council plans to meet next on Oct. 30.

“The youth council doesn’t want to be just an event club,” Prader said. “We want to have a good balance between being event-planning in Carmel (and) volunteering at gallery walks and different city-of-Carmel events, as well.”