The road to good citizenship is paved with pitfalls. When young people find themselves in difficult situations, it is often one person or one experience that will change their lives forever and help them become productive adults.Sponsor a Youth is a fund-raising campaign for the Forest Lake area Youth Service Bureau that allows individual donors to impact the lives of one youth at a time.
The YSB is seeking donations equal to the average cost of sending one youth through a program at the bureau. Each donation will be matched with a youth helping him or her complete a program in other of the three mail service areas offered by the YSB: restorative justice, prevention or counseling.
Individual donor support from the community is a significant step in YSBís transition from public funding for services to a higher and broader level of community ownership.
The overall success of Support a Youth and 100 Donor Campaign are very important to the financial future of the YSB, said Jeanne Walz, executive director at YSB.
ìLast year alone, YSB worked with 2859 youth, an increase of 20 percent over 2002,î she said. ìWe donít want to turn any of these kids away.
ìThrough community donations, we will be able to give hope ó one youth at a time ó in our community.î
Sponsor a Youth donors will receive a ìI Gave Hope Todayî button to help spread the word. Each donation will provide assistance for one youth.
For those interested in participating, call 651-464-3685.
The YSB is a non-profit organization serving residents of Chisago and portions of Washington and Anoka counties.
ìYSB, like many other non-profits, have been hit hard by state budget cutbacks and reduced foundation grants,î Walz said.
In 2004, the YSB received $100,000 less funding from state and federal grants. YSB has served the Forest Lake area for 28 years with only five percent of funding coming from local sources.
The mission of YSB is to ensure the success of youth. Programs and services provided reflect the belief that youth will be successful when relationships are strong, families are involved, communities are caring, harmony is restored and youth have the skills and opportunities for citizenship, Walz said.
For more information, go to www.ysblakearea.org.
Testimonials
Two youth who have found positive direction at the YSB are Jack Whitebread and Shana Mason.
Mason, participated in prevention programs provided by the YSB. Mason says the programs helped her choose a direction for her life.
ìThe programs made me see my life from a different angle. I wanted to get my goals in line, I wanted to go to college,î she said. Mason is attending school to become a social worker.
When Whitebread first heard of the YSB, he didnít know what it was about or know anyone there. Once he decided to join, he had no regrets.
He quickly made friends and found a new outlook on the community around him.
ìThe YSB opened my eyes to other background and other ideas,î Whitebread said. I realized there are people around me who have a very different outlook and mindset than myself. I had an opportunity to actually see the people around me that made up my community.î
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