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.

In this issue: Lighting switch to save thousands; reserve your trivia table; and save the date for Give STL Day.

More Money for Mission with Light Switch

Thanks to Ameren Missouri’s Business Social Services Incentive Program (BSS) and PCS Energy, Youth In Need is set to save approximately $28,000 each year by switching to LED lighting at six of its locations. Available to nonprofit organizations that provide social services to the community, Ameren’s BSS Program provides incentives for customers to receive installed efficient technologies that provide energy savings.

“At Ameren, we believe in working together with the communities we serve to make lasting change,” said Ryan Arnold, Ameren Missouri’s Vice President (Division Operations) and Celebration of Youth Cabinet member at Youth In Need. “It is a privilege as an Ameren employee and a volunteer with Youth In Need to know that our combined efforts will help young people in our communities thrive, as well as the organizations that serve them.”

PCS Energy, an Ameren-certified provider, replaced all the incandescent lighting in emergency exits, hallways, offices and restrooms with energy-efficient LED lighting that includes five-year bulbs. Ameren’s cash incentives to complete the work totaled more than $63,000.

Reserve Your Trivia Table Today!

Youth In Need’s Young Professionals Group will hold its annual Trivia Night to benefit Youth In Need on Friday, May 20, 2022, at the Bridgeton Recreation Center at 4201 Fee Fee Road. Registration is $185 for tables of eight. Don’t have a team but still want to play? Register as an individual for $25 per person, and you’ll be matched with a table. Beer, wine and soda are provided. Outside food and drinks are permitted; just no glass, please. Doors open at 6 p.m., and trivia begins at 7 p.m. Your fun-filled evening includes 10 rounds of trivia, a silent auction, raffles and more! Register or secure your sponsorship online today. For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities or to make an auction donation, email Emily Birgenheier, Development Services Manager.