YouthCARE Recognized
in
"Clique: Access to Local and Global Opportunities" Newsletter
Tom Hubler & Millie Hernandez,
alumni
Youth Mentor, at the 2007
"Celebration of Urban Youth" Event
March 2008, YouthCARE is honored
to be recognized with Board Member, Tom Hubler, in an article
in the community section of "Clique: Access to Local and
Global Opportunities;" a newsletter distributed by Business
Forums International.
Craig Luedemann with Girls Group
girls at the YWMP Holiday Party
In the article, Mr. Hubler describes
his connection to YouthCARE saying:
"One of the things that excites me about YouthCARE is that
it creates opportunities for inner-city kids to be recognized
and singled out for their gifts and their strengths, and allows
them an opportunity to manifest those gifts."
Social Venture Partners will be
hosting the Engaged Philanthropy 2008 Conference on June 5, 2008.
This event will bring together Minnesota's philanthropists with
its most innovative social entrepreneurs. The half-da conference
will include a luncheon, panel: "Philanthropy Yesterday,
Today & Tomorrow," networking opportunities, and the
Social Entrepreneur CUP Awards ceremony.
YouthCARE Board of
Directors Elects 2008 Officers & New Directors
2008 Officers:
* Nathan Dungan - Board Chair, President & Founder,
Share Save Spend
* Tonya Schoenfuss - Vice Chair, Sr. Research Food Scientist,
General Mills
* John Bachhuber - Treasurer, Vice President - Compensation
Design & Management of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
* Gleason Glover - Secretary, Vice President Sales &
Marketing, Midwest Home Services
New Directors:
* Atul Philip - Director - Strategy Transformation Group,
Ameriprise Financial
* Paul Gaines - Director of Student Life, College of Visual
Arts
* Simon Riordan - Staffing Recruiter, Xcel Energy
Women's Foundation
of Minnesota (girlsBEST) funds YWMP Expansion
In the spring of 2007,
a group of passionate alumni Youth Mentors (17-20 years old) and
program staff met to brainstorm how to better prepare young women
and girls for economic success. Through their discussions, it
became clear that the Young Women's Mentoring Program's most significant
untapped resource is its alumni Youth Mentors. They bring a unique
insight into program management, opportunities for program growth
and enhancement and the most pressing needs of their peers and
the girls they serve.
As a result, the Young
Women's Mentoring Program was granted a $10,000 grant for program
expansion from the Women's Foundation of MinnesotagirlsBEST
Fund. With this grant the program staff and alumni Youth Mentors
are working to expand the program to:
* Add a higher level of
leadership and involvement by re-hiring alumni Youth Mentors (15-18
years old) as Junior Program Staff.
* Integrate economic readiness as a purpose and link for all programming.
* Create a comprehensive girl-led Youth Mentor Training Program
in which girls learn to develop and teach leadership, employment,
and cultural competency skills.
Thank you Women's
Foundation of Minnesota!
Alumni Youth Mentor leads training for 2007-08
Youth Mentors
YouthCARE Recognizes
Two Retiring Board Members
Alissa Oppenheimer & Erik Girvan
12/19/07
YouthCARE recognized retiring Board Members Alissa Oppenheimer and
Erik Girvan during the Annual Board Holiday Dinner for their service
and commitment to the organization. We feel very fortunate for the
insight and time Alissa and Erik contributed as members of the YouthCARE
community and they will be missed by all.
Thank you Alissa and Erik and we wish you the best!
Paris
Koehler named to Minnesota's Youth Advisory Council!
Minnesota's
Youth Advisory Council is comprised of youth ages 14-18 from throughout
the state of Minnesota and is hosted by Youth Community Connections
and The Minnesota Alliance With Youth.
Paris has been involved with YouthCARE since 2005; she was a Junior
Counselor this past summer at Camp Sunrise and is currently a mentor
to new members of YouthCARE's Youth Advisory Council.
Minnesota's
Youth Advisory Council representatives will promote youth voice
in their community and lead youth actions that will help
make a difference for young people in their community and across
the State of Minnesota. Youth leaders will gain skills in leadership
and civic engagement. In return they will provide advice and youth
perspective to the work of our organizations, participate in committee
meetings and events, and create or participate in local or statewide
efforts addressing issues important to young people.
New
YouthLEAD and Camp Sunrise
Program Assistants!
Brittany
Carr
YouthLEAD Program Assitant
Isiah
Jones
Camp Sunrise Program Assistant
"Person
of the Month" Craig Luedemann
October
2007
YouthCARE's Executive Director, Craig Luedemann, was recently
recognized in the African News Journal as Person of the
Month!
"Craig has dedicated his
life to helping inner city youth and this is a tradition that
every one of us should consider; giving back to the community
which we all feel so proud of."
Congratulations Craig!
YouthCARE Awarded After-School
Community Learning Grant
On October 15, 2007, YouthCARE
was officially awarded a 2 year, $197,000 After-School Community
Learning Grant from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Led by YouthLEAD Director, Shaina
Abraham and Camp Sunrise Director, Jeff Xiong this grant will
be used over the next two years to expand the YouthLEAD Program.
Hurray!
2007 Visitor's Day - Recognizing Camp
Sunrise Volunteers
Nathan Dungan and Michelle
Miller were the recipients of the 2007 Bruce A. Palmer Distinguished
Volunteer Service Award for their hard work and their years of dedicated
service to Camp Sunrise. Thank you Nathan and Michelle!
Jeff Xiong
and the Camp Sunrise staff surprised Don Woebkenberg with a special
gift for his ongoing commitment to YouthCARE and Camp Sunrise. Don
was so supportive this summer that he'd often arrive at Camp Sunrise
before Jeff had even had his coffee and leave when the staff was
ready to turn in. So, everyone agreed that Don deserved a Camp Sunrise
staff sweatshirt, because he was part of their crew and the extended
Camp Sunrise family.
Camp
Sunrise & Director, Jeff Xiong Featured in
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Exciting
News!
Camp
Director, Jeff Xiong, and Camp Sunrise were featured in the St.
Paul Pioneer Press on Sunday, August 19, 2007 on the front
page of the Local section.
Click title to read the article - "A
Camp for Exposure":
Camp Sunrise, a free camp along the St. Croix River, offers many
teens from St. Paul and Minneapolis their first experience 'roughing
it' and their first interactions with people of cultures different
than their own."
*Community Service
Stars* Complete Incredible First Summer
In partnership
with the City of Minneapolis Employment and Training Program
(METP), YouthCARE started a new summer youth employment program
this summer called Community Service Stars (CS Stars).
The CS Stars are a multicultural group of 14 youth who travel
around Minneapolis performing important work at local non-profits.
Additionally, the youth receive professional development training
and the opportunity to visit colleges and explore a variety
of careers.
Erika Sass,
Program Director for the CS Stars, described their experience
stating that "CS Stars is a program where everyone wins
- the youth get a hands-on experience with community issues
and the non-profits we worked with get much needed help in their
work toward social justice. No matter where the CS Stars go
from here, we have all been empowered by how much positive impact
a small group of people can have. I feel so lucky to have worked
with such an incredibly diverse group of leaders!"