YouthCARE's Recent Awards and Recognition

 

YouthCARE Receives Best Practices Award

(L to R) Craig Luedemann, Lee Buckley, Gleason Glover

The Governor's Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives presented YouthCARE with the 2009 Best Practices Award on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. The awards were presented by Lee Buckley, Special Advisor to Governor Tim Pawlenty, Windell Clint Calvert, Acting Chair of the Governor's Council and Joan Fabin, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Accepting the award on YouthCARE's behalf were Craig Luedemann, Executive Director and Gleason Glover, Vice Chair- Board of Directors. The Governor's Faith and Community Service Initiatives Best Practices Awards program was established by the Council in 2006 to recognize grassroots faith and community organizations with best practices models for collaborating with a variety of resources and that have positively impacted a social condition and changed the lives of individuals.

 

YouthCARE accepts the Minnesota MILE "Community Ignition" Award
	YouthCARE is honored to be nominated by Minnesota MILE (Motivating and Inspiring Leadership & Excellence) to receive the "Community Ignition Award." Each year, Minnesota MILE chooses one non-profit organization that has made a unique contribution to the youth of Minnesota to honor with the "Community Ignition Award." Jeff Xiong, alumni YouthCARE program participant and current Camp Sunrise Program Director, accepted the award on behalf of YouthCARE at the 2008 Xtra Mile Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 24, 2008. All proceeds from the Xtra Mile Awards Ceremony support the Minnesota MILE in its mission of identifying and developing youth leadership in Minnesota through the promotion of personal responsibility, volunteerism and social awareness. In accepting the award, Jeff described YouthCARE's work in the Twin Cities community by telling a story about Aaron. "YouthCARE ignites communities in the Metro area and brings all walks of life together. I am reminded of this when I work with a youth named Aaron. Aaron is 16 years old and an African American teenager who recently moved to Minnesota from Tennessee. On his fourth week in Minnesota, he participated in YouthCARE's 2008 Camp Sunrise summer program. At Camp Sunrise, he was instantly included as a part of its positive community. It was so important for him to feel included, because he didn't know anyone here. In Tennessee, Aaron had been involved with gangs and seen violence and drugs in his community. YouthCARE has offered him something different, a positive group of youth and adults to work with, learn from, and feel connected to, and that's why Aaron is still involved today. Now, Aaron comes to YouthCARE's after-school events, he trusts YouthCARE staff and knows he can call them and ask for help if he needs it, and he enjoys knowing he is part of the YouthCARE family." To view YouthCARE's press release Click Here.
David Sletten, Corporate Board Vice-President for Minnesota MILE (left) and Jeff Xiong, Camp Sunrise Program Director (right).

 

Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota "Access to the Outdoors" Award - YouthCARE's Camp Sunrise Program

From left, Dorian Grilley, Executive Director of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, Kao Thao, naturalist at Fort Snelling State Park and other recipient of the Access to the Outdoors Award, Senator David Durenberger, Honorary Chair of the Ball of the Wild, Craig Luedemann, Executive Director of YouthCARE and recipient of the Access to the Outdoors Award, Tim Farrell, President of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota.

“Access to the Outdoors" On April 24, 2008, YouthCARE's Camp Sunrise program and Executive Director, Craig Luedemann, were selected by the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota to receive the "Access to the Outdoors" Award as one of 10 organizations and individuals honored for significant contributions to Minnesota's great outdoor legacy. YouthCARE's Executive Director, Craig Luedemann, and the Camp Sunrise program were chosen because of the significant impact they have had on the excellence of our state's thriving system of public parkland and trails. The "Access to the Outdoors" Award was presented to YouthCARE/Camp Sunrise at the Parks & Trails Council's first Annual Ball of the Wild Awards Dinner. All proceeds from the Ball of the Wild will support the Parks & Trails Council in its mission of acquiring, protecting and enhancing critical lands in Minnesota. YouthCARE operates three successful multicultural programs, Camp Sunrise, YouthLEAD, and the Young Women's Mentoring Program. YouthCARE programs focus on bringing together youth from diverse ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds and providing engaging activities and leadership development opportunities. The Camp Sunrise program also provides youth with a unique opportunity to live, work and learn in Minnesota's great outdoor environments. We are delighted to accept this award from the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota.

Minneapolis Community & Technical College "Celebrate the Dream" Nonprofit Humanitarian Award

From left, Andre Walker, YouthCARE Alumni; Craig Luedemann, Executive Director; Eve Vang, YouthCARE Alumni; and Martin Luther King, III, Keynote Speaker at the “Celebrate the Dream” Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 2003 in Minneapolis, MN).

“Celebrate the Dream” Presented by Minneapolis Community & Technical College, YouthCARE received the 2003 “Celebrate the Dream” Nonprofit Humanitarian Award for “outstanding contributions to the community reflective of the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Over the last 30 years, YouthCARE has maintained a strong emphasis on bringing together youth from diverse ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds. YouthCARE believes very strongly in the importance of helping youth learn how to live and work together cooperatively, the need to appreciate cultural differences, and the richness gained in making multicultural friendships.