2011 Hope for The Streets Campaign

I discovered YouthLink years ago while browsing for charities on CraigsList. At the time, Charley and I were combining two households and looking for non-profits to donate to. A savvy YouthLink employee had thought of a post on CL as a way to raise public awareness about bettering the lives on Minnesota youth. Some weeks later, I knew the group needed even more help when I piggybacked on to a corporate fundraiser and was the top contributor for the evening- with $100!! I thought- "these folks could use a little more help". So three years ago, I started a facebook page for YL and although that didn't raise money amongst my primarily youthful students, my own children, and their friends, it drew attention to the largely hidden subgroup of our population which eeks out survival on the streets of any major city. In 2008, Charley and I had our first Hope For The Streets Campaign. We were proud that our small group of friends contributed $750 and heard from YouthLink representatives about the life on the streets that these young people struggle with daily. Our second year, combined with requests of donations in lieu of wedding gifts, we raised over $1000, much of it donated on Give To The Max Day and therefore matched. It isn't a huge amount in the scheme of the size of the problem, but I still get a little dewey eyed remembering my son, a college student, reaching deep into his pockets to come up with $100 dollars to donate. And that's exactly why I got involved in the first place- no one wants their child on the streets but sometimes that's the way the cards fall.