Thursday, November 26, 2009

A Special Note on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our wonderful supporters!  We would like to thank you all for continuing to spread the word about our program.  And thank you to those who have responded to our donation requests over the last year.  You have all made a difference in the lives of the kids we work with on the streets.

As you sit to have dinner today, please keep the homeless youth of America in your minds and hearts.  These kids are out there right now, possibly without food and without a warm place to stay.  They need our help to ensure they do not end up another statistic. 13 kids should not die on the street everyday.  They not only need our donations - food, clothes, etc.  They need someone to care about them out there.  Someone to provide them with their options other than living on the streets.

There are so many ways you can help.  Talk about the reality of youth homelessness at your dinner tables during the holidays.  Sponsor a donation drive for our program.  Join our terrific team of volunteers.  If you are in a city outside of Worcester, join a local program or start one where one does not exist.

Just think of the number of kids out there that will die without our help everyday.  One kid is too many.

And for those with youth in your household today, give your kid a big hug and thank him or her for each amazing moment he or she has brought into your life.

May your day be full of joy and happiness!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Welcome Worcester's New Co-Executive Directors!


On November 14th, Donna Katsoudas and Ken Latham stepped into the Co-Executive Director roles at the StandUp For Kids Worcester program. Donna is the Program Contact for the group (facilitating meetings, assisting info sessions, etc.) and Ken is the National Contact for the group (monthly reports, National Executive Director conference calls, etc.). Liz Burrows will assist Donna and Ken as the Treasurer for the program (budget tracking, expense reimbursements, etc.).

This week, Donna facilitated her first meeting. She did a wonderful job! Ken also sat in on his first Executive Director conference call last week and provided an update to the program at the meeting.


Sue Kramer took a picture of the new Co-Executive Directors shaking hands with Kristina England, who served as Executive Director of the program for the past year. In picture (from left to right): Donna Katsoudas, Ken Latham, and Kristina England.


Best of luck to Donna and Ken in their new roles!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

What are you up to this Saturday?

We're holding our National Youth Homelessness Awareness Event this Saturday, November 21st. You're invited!!!

Saturday, November 21st
11:00AM-12:00PM
City Hall, Worcester

Join us in front of City Hall to draw the StandUp For Kids logo on the sidewalk (with chalk of course). We'll be passing out flyers and answering questions as well. Come have some fun and meet our volunteers. Look for us in the purple shirts!!

If you have facebook, you can RSVP at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=189431022000&ref=mf. If you don't have facebook, but want to contact us about the event, see our contact info at the top right corner of the blog.

Join Our Program!
Volunteer with us! We'd love to have your help! Attend our next info session:

Wednesday, December 9th
7:00PM-8:00PM
Worcester Public Library

After you attend an info session, you are then invited to volunteer training (2 hours). If you are also interested in becoming an outreach counselor, we conduct a separate outreach training (2 hours) as well.

You don't have to volunteer with us to make a difference. Spread the word about the reality of youth homelessness. Every voice counts!

Friday, November 13, 2009

It's Our Birthday!

It's StandUp For Kids Worcester's Birthday Today!

Happy Birthday, StandUp For Kids Worcester!

That's right!  Have some cake at lunch or dinner today to celebrate with us!

On November 13, 2008 at 7:13PM, National recognized the Worcester program as an official chapter of StandUp For Kids!  That means we are officially one year old.  The date and time were picked by Founder Rick Koca as a reminder that 13 kids die on the streets everyday.  Our mission is to find, stabilize, and help these kids through weekly street outreach.

The Worcester program was first established in 2006 so we actually have two birthdays - not a bad deal.

A big thank you to all our supporters (that means anyone that is reading this right now)!  Thank you for spreading the word, providing our kids with much needed resources through donations, and just for being you.  

And a very special thank you to our volunteer team!  They are a WONDERFUL group of people.  WONDERFUL doesn't even begin to express how much dedication and support our volunteers provide this program.  

Please congratulate our program on 1 year of outstanding work!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Join Our Program!

We are always looking for new volunteers to join our program. If you have interest in marketing a non-profit, conducting street outreach to youth, or any skills that you would like to share with a great team of volunteers, join us! We would love to have you!

Next Info Session:
Wednesday, December 9th
7:00PM
Worcester Public Library

Our very own Donna Katsoudas will be conducting her first volunteer info session. Come learn about StandUp For Kids and youth homelessness in America.

Come Draw with Us!
Meet up with us on November 21st at 11:00 a.m. at the Downtown Common (We're the group all in purple). November is National Youth Homelessness Awareness Month so to raise awareness, we'll be drawing the StandUp For Kids logo on the common (with chalk, of course!), handing out fliers, and answering your questions.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Our Outreach Team Loves Halloween!

Getting in the Halloween Spirit
With the Outreach Center open on Saturdays, two of our outreach counselors got to conduct street outreach on Halloween.  Ally Trull (Director of Outreach) and Jose Alvarez got all dressed up and headed out to talk to kids (see picture to the left).  As always, our outreach counselors are amazing!

Updated Wish List
We've updated our Wish List on the StandUp For Kids Worcester website.  Food bags are our number 1 need right now.  If you are part of a youth group, church, organization, or class that would like to prepare food bags for us, please contact us at worcester@standupforkids.org or 774- 242-4289.  We also have a Gift in Kind Donation Form on our Wish List page for your convenience.