July News from Avenues for Homeless Youth

Letter to the Community

If you recently made a contribution to Avenues, thank you. As we close out one fiscal year and begin the next, we are grateful to all the friends who contributed to Avenues during the year. Every contribution keeps Avenues going. We appreciate your cash contributions, supplies, advocacy and volunteerism.

Your support makes our programs strong. Today, we celebrate successes, such as:

12 youth served by Avenues in the last 6 months recently graduated from high school
Since January, 21 of our youth have moved into stable housing
The GLBT Host Home Program has grown to 23 host homes and is currently serving 10 youth

These are just some outcomes of Avenues. We will provide you with a full annual report very soon.

As you know, Avenues is always at 100% capacity. Sadly, we turn away at least 6 youth needing shelter every day. Those we can serve receive 24 hour x 365 day caring, basic needs and supportive services in a home environment. While here, youth can find the safety and stability they need to help them achieve their goals for education, work, housing and good health.

This is a time of great uncertainty for all nonprofits, including Avenues. To combat this reality, we have set "friend-raising" objectives for this fiscal year. Thankfully, Avenues has a diverse base of funding.

But Avenues needs more friends like you...friends who make small or large gifts and who encourage others to give. Please forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues. Encourage them to check out Avenues by visiting our website. Thanks.

Deborah Loon
Interim Executive Director

How You Can Help

Sponsor a Summer Activity for Avenues Youth

Summer is in full swing and so are summer activities. Providing our youth the opportunity to participate in fun summer activities plays an important role in building community at Avenues.

How can you help? Sponsor one of Avenues monthly activities. This summer, we have tentative plans to go to a Minnesota Twins game, ValleyFair and the Minnesota State Fair. We need sponsors!

If you are interested in sponsoring youth events please contact Heather Rist -- heather@avenuesforyouth.org or 612-522-1690.

To add contacts to Avenues e-newsletter list, email heather@avenuesforyouth.org.

Thanks!

Thank you to our supporters during the months of May and June!

Foundations -- Hugh J. Andersen Foundation and Metro HHM Fund (formerly the Partners Fund)

Organizations -- Adventure Club Art Group, Bloomington Jefferson Jag Corps, Minnesota Association for Justice, Minnesota RollerGirls, Quota International Minneapolis, Adventure Club Art Group

Individuals -- John Allison and Rebecca Picard, Tim Baldoni, Steven and Nancy Birth, Corey Cantrell, Laura Eiklenborg, David and Sue Finstrom, Larry and Toni Forsland, Beverly Mills, Dan Willenbring and Kelly Jeanetta, Kaitlin Johnson, John and Ruth Keely, Joan Kennedy, Maury and Julie Landsman, Nate and Laura Maring, Charles P. Miller and Linda Banks, Daren Nyquist, Kevin Overson, Steven and Kathleen Peterson, Ethel Reinharz, Amy Score, Malea Stensel, Stephanie Thompsen, Marcus Waterbury and Jacqueline White, Anne Workman, Patricia Yoedicke

In-Kind Donations --Eden Prairie Senior Class (personal care supplies and youth 'welcome bags'), Saint Louis Park High School (Target gift cards, personal care supplies and paper supplies), Wells Fargo Employee Group (personal care supplies)

In Memory of Dr. Charles Workman -- Margaret Devendorf

Volunteers -- Lisa Bauch, Dot Belstler, Don Brewer, Anna Carlson, Lloyd Davis, Kelly Dotson, Mark Eupelding, Sara Lanunen, George Orhn, Jude Ortiz, Scott Steen, Matthew Tylor, Edina Realty Marketing Department, Avenues Board of Directors, GLBT Host Home Advisory Board, GLBT Host Home Program Hosts, Hands on Twin Cities

About Us

Avenues for Homeless Youth provides shelter and transitional housing with support services for homeless youth in a safe and nurturing environment. Through such service, Avenues seeks to help youth achieve their personal goals and find a positive transition into young adulthood.

At its North Minneapolis house, Avenues has 15 short-term beds and 1 emergency bed for youth ages 16 to 21. Youth receive basic needs and 24 x 7 caring of Avenues staff. While at Avenues, all youth work with case managers to pursue their individual goals of education, employment, housing, mental health and physical wellness.

Avenues also operates the GLBT Host Home Program, a community-based program that provides safe, supportive homes for homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.