NewsFeed | 5.25.22

youthinneed — Wed, 25 May 2022 17:00:35 +0000

In this issue: Youth In Need contributes to national toolkit on youth homelessness; staff celebrate at YIN-Fest; and YPG wraps up trivia night.

Youth In Need Part of National Toolkit to Better Serve Youth Experiencing Homelessness

“Every year, 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness on their own—700,000 are ages 13 to 17, and 3.5 million are young adults ages 18 to 25,” so begins a new publication from the National Network for Youth (NN4Y) focused on collecting resources that can help youth service agencies better serve these young people and help them avoid or quickly exit homelessness.

It’s also a publication that features Youth In Need and the agency’s work to foster diversity, equity and inclusion. The national toolkit cited Youth In Need’s investment in staff training, changes to hiring practices and our intense racial equity audit.

Erin Strohbehn, Youth In Need’s Senior Director of Youth Programs, Quality, contributed to the toolkit, discussing how biases and inequities contribute to the disparities in systems and programs that should be helping youth.

“We can’t show that we care about [our clients and staff] if we aren’t showing that we care about people of color, people of all abilities,” Strohbehn said. “It’s important that we show our young people that they matter so that they can take that with them into adulthood.”

To learn more, watch the YouTube webinar or download the toolkit.

YIN-Fest Celebrates Staff, Recognizes Service Anniversaries

Youth In Need held YIN-Fest, its annual staff appreciation event, last week for the first time since the pandemic began. After two long years of online meetings and virtual greetings, nearly 300 staff from all of our locations enjoyed a beautiful day #YINThisTogether at 370 Lakeside Park. Staff gathered to relax, dance, eat, visit, play and celebrate all that it means to be a YINner. Among the celebrations were the annual service anniversary awards and the T-shirt competition—congratulations to the Accounting team! (A huge thanks to the amazing Human Resources Department who spends countless hours organizing, planning and executing a stellar event to make staff feel appreciated!)

Thank You for Trivia Night Support

Thanks to everyone who supported the Young Professionals Group’s annual Trivia Night last week! Sixteen tables battled it out for bragging rights and raised more than $4,000 along the way. Thanks to Presenting Sponsor Mia Rose Holdings and Event Sponsors Midland States Bank and Rosemann & Associates for their support. Another round of thanks to members of the St. Charles Ancient Order of Hibernians for volunteering their time at the event.

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NewsFeed | 4.13.22

youthinneed — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 09:30:09 +0000

In this issue: Shoes from the Heart donates new sneakers; longtime volunteer honored; and new members elected to Board of Directors.

Shoes from the Heart for Children

Whether you’re young or young at heart, there’s nothing like a new pair of sneakers to put a smile on your face! And that’s just what Shoes from the Heart recently did for a group of preschoolers. Shoes from the Heart delivered more than 40 pairs of new shoes to children at Youth In Need’s Early Learning Center – Meramec and its childcare partner Hope House. Based in Missouri, Shoes from the Heart provides new tennis shoes to children in need throughout the country. With a focus on Head Start programs, schools and foster care, Shoes from the Heart volunteers deliver shoes and ensure a proper fit for each child.

Longtime Volunteer Honored at COY

Last month’s Celebration of Youth included a surprise honor for longtime volunteer Gene San Filippo. Gene received the first-ever Quiet Hero award for his 30 years of volunteer service to Celebration of Youth and Youth In Need.

Always helping behind the scenes, Gene was famous for going door to door to St. Charles businesses to ask for gift certificates for the Celebration of Youth auction. Gene kept meticulous records and always gave the business owners a chance to increase their donation the following year. For many of those years, Gene’s volunteer partner was his wife Connie. And since her passing, Gene has volunteered at Celebration of Youth’s Wine Pull with daughter Lisa and son-in-law Joe. While the award is called “Quiet Hero,” it’s just in name, because those who know Gene know he’s anything but. Friendly to a fault, Gene always has a smile on his face and likely a good joke to tell. Congratulations, Gene!

From left: Anita Viehmann, Youth In Need Board member and former Annual Fund Director, Gene San Filippo and Gene’s daughter Lisa Hale.

Youth In Need Welcomes New Board Members

Youth In Need has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. Welcome!

Ashley Bloomer is Senior Manager at Grant Thornton, LLP.

David Noble is St. Louis Market President & Director – Community Economic Development at Midland States Bank.

Rusty Putzler is Vice President & COO at Connectria.

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