Youth Volunteer Corps - 2014 Annual Report

2014 Annual Report LIVES CHANGED Because of your support

MISSION

We create volunteer opportunities to address community needs and to inspire youth for a lifetime commitment to service.

You changed lives.

Thank you!

Your support made it happen. Across the U.S. and Canada, thousands of youth had the chance to volunteer this year with YVC, and they’re not

the same because of it.

This year we witnessed and celebrated thousands of these moments: When a shy volunteer learned that she had what it takes to be a leader. When a team of Youth Volunteers learned that they really could clean an entire park when they worked together. When volunteering gave a high school student the hope she needed to continue on.

We wanted to take a moment to share just a few of these amazing stories and introduce you to some of the most inspiring youth in the world.

Thank you for your support. These moments were only possible

because of you.

Audrey Langworthy Board Chair

David Battey President and Founder

DANIELLE

YVC of Iron County, UT

A Life Changed Meet Danielle. Her life wouldn’t be the same without YVC. Here’s what she has to say:

When I started YVC, I had just left a treatment facility for depression. I was there for around nine months, and I spent eighth grade there. It

was tough transitioning from a place like that to regular society where I was before.

At the treatment facility, I was told you have to help yourself before you help others, and that’s what I did there, I helped myself. When I got home, I was told I needed to keep myself busy and not get back into old habits, so I joined YVC. At that point, I tried to focus on others instead of myself, and YVC taught me how to do that.

YVC wasn’t just a club for me. It was a way that I could rebuild and I could become confident again in who I was, which I was still kind of iffy about at the time.

YVC helped me with that.

It’s amazing that I went from this little group of people that just wanted to help in a small town in Utah to this massive university that has the power to help. Just from YVC to this, it’s amazing. YVC is great. It really is.

Danielle’s now studying at the University of California in San Diego and even went on a service trip to Peru (picture at left) to continue her passion for volunteering.

A Need Met When Camp Bennett, a camp for kids and adults with special needs, had to spend a single day without their usual 15 volunteers from YVC of Muskogee this summer, it was obvious that day was different. The campers weren’t nearly as active, and the counselors were exhausted by the end of that day. During the rest of the five weeks of summer camp, YVC of Muskogee Youth Volunteers were crucial, helping campers get to activities, stay motivated and have a blast.

“We count on YVC,” says Tamra Scherer, director of the camp.

Youth Volunteers partner up with campers and hang out with them throughout the day, whether they are fishing, doing crafts, swimming, on a field trip or more.

“They love to take some of our really hard-to-handle campers and just smile with them and help them with their arts and crafts,” Tamra says. “You can see the campers light up when they see their finished product.”

Camp Bennett has depended on YVC of Muskogee volunteers for as long as YVC has been in the community (20+ years now!). Over the years, many Youth Volunteers have chosen careers in special education after their experience working at the camp.

“They give of themselves at camp,” Tamra says. “It’s unbelievable the things these

young people go out and do for the camp.” *Photo at right of Youth Volunteers having a blast at Camp Bennett is used in place of a camper photo to protect privacy.

CAMP BENNETT YVC of Muskogee, OK

EMMA

YVC of Nashville, TN

A New Skill Learned With hands caked in dirt and skin blasted by the sun, a hard day’s work in an urban farm might seem like an unlikely place to learn. But after spending an hour each week working at an urban farm with YVC of Nashville, Emma found herself learning all kinds of things she never heard about in school about the effects of agriculture, food insecurity and more on the world.

Here’s what she has to say:

My work both on and off the farm has given me a level of self-confidence I didn’t know existed. Recently, my school hosted an event to beautify the campus by doing things like painting, cleaning, and best of all, planting flowers. Because of the lessons I’ve learned with YVC of Nashville, I knew which plants would fare better in the sun than in the shade, how to properly amend the soil to make it as healthy as possible, and how to reduce the number of pests without using chemicals like pesticides that harm the environment. I was able to explain all of this to my peers.

I’ve had an amazing time so far this year, doing everything from planting carrots to cover-cropping to learning how to make pickles. The discussions we have and the back-and-forth dialogue inspire ideas like nothing else. Every time I volunteer,

whether my day’s been amazing or kind of awful, I know that I’ll leave with a smile a mile wide.

A Second Chance Football was everything for Christian. But then he injured his back, and continuing the sport was out of the question.

He wasn’t sure where to turn. Thankfully, he found YVC. He started volunteering with YVC of Alpena this summer as a way to recover some school credits. His planned two weeks of service quickly turned into a summer of volunteering.

Christian found his home in a mentoring program and his changed life began changing another younger boy’s life. Kaiden looked up to Christian and would always look forward to the days when the mentoring program was scheduled and they got to do fun things together like reading, sports, puzzles and even the occasional go-karting field trip.

On the days when Kaiden saw that the mentoring program was scheduled, he would pump

his fist and loudly say “YES!!”

Kaiden and Christian have been meeting weekly throughout the school year to continue their mentoring relationship. Christian has found a new passion beyond the football field, and his life reflects it.

Just after being forced to quit football, Christian’s grades suffered. Now, his Bs and Cs have turned to nearly all As.

CHRISTIAN YVC of Alpena, MI

BRIAN

YVC of Calgary, AB

A Leader Born It was a busy day helping the local retirement home, with several new volunteers who had never volunteered on a project helping the elderly before. Luckily, Brian knew the drill.

Because he had volunteered at this project many times before, he stepped up and helped set up activities, introduced the new volunteers to the retirement home residents, and made sure the project went off without a hitch.

Brian saved the day on that project, but he’s also stepped up as a leader as one of 22 youth on this year’s International Youth Advisory Board (IYAB). Brian and his fellow IYAB members serve as the youth voice to YVC and help with all kinds of crucial projects from planning the annual YVC Summit to launching an all-YVC day of service.

Here’s what Brian had to say about his experience with YVC:

“Knowing everyone at the project is there just to help and took time out of their day is an amazing sight. YVC has opened my eyes to how youth today are having a positive impact in their community.”

This year as an IYAB member, Brian will have the opportunity to step up as a leader both in his local community with YVC of Calgary and across the U.S. and Canada.

Numbers at a Glance 6,338 Youth Volunteers

served

127,662 hours

Each volunteer served an average of 20 hours—that’s a 23% increase from last year!

184 Youth Volunteers earned Milestone Awards

These youth earned either the 100-in-1 Award (for serving at least 100 hours in a single year) or the Ethic of Service Award (for serving at least 500 hours with YVC in their careers)

Youth served on at places like:

3,105 projects helping 592 agencies,

Retirement homes

Park clean-ups

Animal shelters

Nature centers

Community gardens

Homeless shelters

We surveyed youth after they completed at least 30 hours of service with YVC. Here’s what they had to say:

96%

99%

said they plan to

said they know they can

volunteer again

make a difference

66% know more about what kind of job they may want

YVC Affiliates Alpena, MI Anderson County, SC Ann Arbor, MI Anne Arundel County, MD Calgary, AB Camden County, NJ Cleveland, OH Corvallis, OR Dane County, WI Grant County, NM

Greater Kansas City Greater Topeka, KS Guilford County, NC Hampton Roads, VA Hopkins County, KY Iron County, UT Lawrence, MA Macon and Middle Georgia Manhattan, KS Muskegon, MI

Muskogee, OK Nashville, TN North Texas Plymouth, MI Racine County, WI St. Joseph, MO The Capital Area, LA Washington County, UT Western Connecticut Yellowstone County, MT

Welcome New Affiliates!

We’re thrilled to announce three new YVC programs that launched in 2014! Please join us in welcoming Dane County (in Madison, WI); Manhattan, KS; and Cleveland, OH, to the YVC family.

We dream of the day when every youth in every small town, big city and rural area in the U.S. and Canada has access to life-changing volunteerism. Help us get there! Let us know if you know a community that could benefit from YVC.

Board of Directors Audrey Langworthy Chair

Cathi Duchon Board Member

Peggy Dunn Vice Chair

Jim Hise Board Member

Mark Tatum Secretary

Margi Pence Board Member

Melanie Tucker Treasurer

Lisa Rinehart Hoffman Board Member

Martha Bottomley Board Member

David Battey Founder and President

Pictured at left: Front row: Peggy Dunn, Audrey Langworthy, Margi Pence, David Battey.

Back row: Jim Hise, Melanie Tucker, Cathi Duchon, Lisa Rinehart Hoffman, Not pictured: Mark Tatum and Martha Bottomley.

How You Can Help Volunteer

11-18 year-olds are of course encouraged to become Youth Volunteers with YVC, but even if you’re outside of that age range, we would love your help! Adults interested in volunteering can contact YVC at info@yvc.org to help with event planning, administrative projects, alumni outreach and more.

Spread the Word Do you know a youth who would be interested in volunteering with YVC? Please let them know about YVC!

Connect

We’re constantly searching for new communities that could benefit from a YVC program. Do you have ideas? Contact us at info@yvc.org if you have ideas of communities to include in our expansion efforts. We especially appreciate it if you have any connections at potential host sites like the local YMCA, United Way, volunteer center, school district or Parks and Recreation.

Donate

Give the gift of transformative service by donating to YVC. Your gift can help us bring YVC to a new community and introduce more youth to the joy of volunteering. Donate online at yvc.org/donate or send a check to Youth Volunteer Corps, 1025 Jefferson Street, Kansas City, MO 64105.

Financials Contributions Federal Grants 21% Foundations 22%

Affiliate Revenue 24%

Individuals Other Revenue Corporations 12% 1% 20%

Program Expenses

Programming 72%

General & Administrative 13%

Fundraising 15%

2013-2014 Budget = $636,238 Assets

Current Assets: $599,649 Property & Equipment: $37,977 Other Assets: $9,417 Total Assets: $647,043

Liabilities and Net Assets

Current Liabilities: $26,499 Unrestricted Net Assets: $593,539 Temporarily Restricted Net Assets: $27,004 Total Liabilities & Net Assets: $647,042

1025 Jefferson Street • Kansas City, MO 64105 816-472-9822 • yvc.org