GiveBIG—our state’s biggest collective giving event—is here! Giving runs through 11:59p.m. on May 5th! Today, we’re asking for your help to keep youth experiencing homelessness safe and fight back against this pandemic’s injustices.
The Covid crisis has magnified the inequities impacting our most vulnerable communities. Emerging data shows that people of color are dying and getting sick at higher rates; people experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to infection; immigrant families are struggling and some aren’t receiving stimulus checks. While vaccines may feel like a light at the end of the tunnel for many, the young people we serve are still navigating the realities of this pandemic—more than a year later.
With your help today we will continue to ensure all young people have access to a support system that won’t give up on them and will confront the systemic issues that they face in our community. That support system, which includes youth counselors, case managers, teachers, and mental health clinicians, makes all the difference for a young person searching for the tools that they need to build a bright and stable future for themselves.
Our staff are a strong and reliable safety net for every young person who walks in our doors. They encourage young people to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish. Creole, a former client, reflected on the support he received at YouthCare at our 2019 Luncheon:
“I spent a lot of time at YouthCare’s Orion Center working on my GED. In the classroom, I met Jill, one of the teachers. Jill instantly saw my skills and capabilities. She never flinched. She was always positive. Math and science came to me easily. However, I failed the writing test two times. My confidence was bruised, but Jill would not let me give up until I passed.”
With the uncertainty COVID-19 has created for youth in our programs, this type of consistent encouragement and care is essential in helping young people experiencing homelessness recognize and achieve their potential. You are part of this support system—your gift today ensures that young people like Creole don’t slip through the cracks.
GiveBIG is an annual celebration to give to the causes you care about. GiveBIGGER to YouthCare today and show the young people that we serve that they are cared for by our community.
Like you, we believe every young person deserves a safe home in this crisis and the opportunity to thrive in a post-pandemic future. With sincerest gratitude, we thank you for standing alongside us in the fight to keep young people safe.
If you need assistance making a gift, please reach Megan Lundquist at megan.lindquist@youthcare.org or call 206.267.3084.
*Name anonymized for confidentiality