Here’s something I think is awesome: my fiancé (one of my favorite people) and his coworkers are participating in a fundraising campaign for YouthCare (one of my favorite nonprofits)! Please donate here.
Here’s why you should donate:
Where your money goes:
YouthCare is a really incredible Seattle nonprofit. Their mission is to support homeless and disadvantaged youth on their way to self-sufficiency. They provide outreach, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, employment training and more. These kids are our future and have been dealt a tough hand. It’s so incredibly important to support this organization that is helping them better their lives and feel valued. Check out their website here or read below for their statement on what they do.
Bonus fun if you donate: PRIZES!
Donors to the fundraising campaign via Brandon’s WG Cells fundraising campaign page can win some awesome swag and prizes. My favorite? Their game company will put your likeness on a Hero in an upcoming game! Other prizes including naming a Hero in an upcoming day, hoodies, messenger bags, and more.
Photo and more about YouthCare in their own words:
YouthCare’s continuum of care model is designed to provide a safe and supportive environment for young people to exit situations of trauma and crisis, stabilize, and work towards building life, education, and employment skills. The diverse continuum of services that YouthCare provides is the model identified by both the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the National Network for Youth as the preferred and most impactful way to move homeless youth forward in their lives. Through our system of coordinated care and services, YouthCare serves nearly 1,500 young people, ages 12-24,
• YouthCare’s Prevention program supports young people at risk of homelessness, and their families, through immediate access to shelter and resources for teens in crisis, support services for caregivers, and community-based case management programs.
• Outreach and drop-in services offer young people a safe place to find warm clothing, access hygiene services, get nutritious meals, and connect with caring staff to work on next steps. YouthCare’s outreach team goes out into the community regularly to connect with homeless youth, meet their basic needs, and encourage them to access additional services with YouthCare.
• YouthCare’s emergency shelter programs provide a safe alternative to sleeping on the streets. Our goal is to reunify families where possible, and connect young people to stable housing when returning home is not an option. YouthCare’s transitional and independent living programs focus on stabilizing homeless youth and fostering independent living skills and offer access to case management, chemical dependency and mental health counseling, life-skills coaching, and support with education and employment goals.
• YouthCare’s education programs are designed to help recently and currently homeless youth overcome barriers to obtaining secondary and post-secondary credentials. They combine flexible diploma and GED-track resources with intensive case management, drop-in, and housing services.
• Our employment training programs provide youth with critical tools to build their futures. Youth are paid for their time and gain transferable skills, professional certifications, and an opportunity to learn workplace expectations. We help them develop a résumé, practice interviewing, and conduct job searches. All our employment programs require participants to work on educational goals and include case management support.
• YouthCare’s Bridge Continuum provides dedicated beds in emergency shelter to minors who have experienced sexual exploitation, as well as dedicated beds in transitional living programs to minors and young adults seeking a longer-term housing option. We also offer the specialized wrap-around services these traumatized young people need — including intensive case management, counseling, education, and employment training and paid internships.
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