Avenues for Homeless Youth
To the Avenues Community

Dear Friends:

 

We hope you've had a great start to 2013.  Looking back to the end of 2012, we were blessed and inspired by the generosity the community showed to Avenues and the youth we support.  I invite you to review the long list of year end donations and supporters

 

We couldn't do it without you.  Fully two-thirds of Avenues' $1.3 million budget comes from private donations.  You make a direct difference in the lives of hundreds of homeless youth every year.

 

We are excited to report we made the 2 to 1 challenge grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation, thanks to the over $20,000 in new and increased contributions Avenues received in November and December!  Thank you all.

 

AND, we now have a 1:1 challenge match from the Otto Bremer Foundation.  New and increased contributions made to Avenues in 2013 will be doubled!  Attending one of the events listed below* will qualify for this as well.

 

Here are some highlights in this issue:

Stay connected and stay warm,

 

Deborah Loon

Executive Director

  

P.S.  We have some special volunteer opportunities at Avenues right now -- we are looking for volunteer piano teachers, a receptionist on Wednesday afternoons and financial literacy instructors.  And we are recruiting and training hosts for our three host home programs, and always needing groups to do collections of supplies, socks and underwear.  To talk about these and other volunteer opportunities, please contact Mike Meyer.  

  Give MN.org Charities Review
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 VocalPoint  February Concerts Benefit Avenues

 

VocalPoint - a philanthropic chorus based in St. Paul - selected Avenues to benefit from its 2012-13 season.  The concerts are just around the corner!  Come be inspired and support Avenues.  

 

You'll be treated to great music (Avenues' own Deb Loon and Mike Meyer are singing), guest soloist Jearlyn Steele, the Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota, spoken word by Avenues Youth Counselor Michael Lee, and special words by an Avenues youth and Laura Kadwell, Heading Home Minnesota.

 

AND, since we now have the 1:1 challenge match from the Otto Bremer Foundation, all contributions made to Avenues through these concerts will be doubled. 

 

February 9 and 10 at 4pm 
Central Presbyterian Church in St. Paul

Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.
DancingFeb 22: Dancing for Avenues 

Dancing  

Local celebrity Christopher Hopkins will compete to raise funds for Avenues in the 2013 Dancing with the Twin Cities Celebrities competition.  Known as the "The Makeover Guy," Christopher Hopkins is an entrepreneur, author, artist and entertainer.  Christopher's captivating charisma is caught around the world through his television and radio appearances.

 

Join us Friday, February 22 at the Minneapolis Marriot City Center to watch the competition and cheer on Christopher!  100% of general admission tickets ($45) and half of dinner and VIP tickets benefit Avenues.   Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

 

The 1:1 challenge match from the Otto Bremer Foundation applies to this new opportunity as well.  All contributions made to Avenues through this event will be doubled!

 OakPark  Community Center Collaboration
Oak Park
 

Located directly across the street from Avenues, Pillsbury United's Oak Park Community Center collaborates with Avenues on various projects throughout the year.  The Center is now partnering with Avenues to provide inter-generational mentoring opportunities for youth and community members.  Oak Park is recruiting and training neighborhood adults and matching them with some of our youth.

 

Five youth expressed enthusiasm about this opportunity and attended the first meeting last week.  They discussed several potential projects, such as an open mic night, art and music projects, and a special collaboration for black history month.  The mentoring goes both ways.  Youth will hear from community members how to conduct job searches, communicate effectively, and give back to the community -- and in turn will share their perspective and teach participants how to use technology, write and perform spoken word and more.  The group will meet weekly for the next three months. 

 Annex  New Relationship with the Annex
Annex
Avenues has developed an agreement with the Annex Teen Clinic to provide on-site nursing, health case management and medical director services.  Margot Presley, RN, has been hired by the Annex and started training at Avenues in mid-January.  She will be on-site 6 to 8 hours per week, doing one-on-one health assessments, consultations and referrals.  She will participate in the weekly case consultations with the case managers, program director and mental health therapist. 
PersonnelAvenues Personnel Updates

Capitol  
Peter Fischer, Director of Finance and Operations, was sworn in to the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 43A on January 8.  Peter has been assigned to several committees and we wish him luck as he steps into this new role at the Capitol.  He will continue working for Avenues and return to us full-time after the legislative session.  During session, we are fortunate to have Mary Bren with us part time.  Mary provides accounting services to nonprofits through her consulting business.

Avenues recently received a federal grant allowing us to expand our mental health program.  Our new, half-time Mental Health Therapist joined the Avenues team in the middle of January.  She is doing one-on-one therapy with youth, group sessions, and weekly case consultations with our case managers, program director and nurse.  Dr. Zayed Lamu, PHD, LPCC comes with several years of experience working with youth.  She holds a Doctorate in Psychology and is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.  Dr. Lamu has been a clinical therapist to marginalized youth and families at Face to Face, Kente Circle and Amicus, as well as a program manager at the Council on Crime and Justice / Children's Projects and Family and Children's Services.

Board Elects New Officers

Avenues' Board of Directors elected new officers for 2013.  Thanks to the following for their commitment:

President - Chuck Tombarge
Vice President - Kate Nilan
Treasurer - Kojo Baafi
Secretary - Godson Sowah

Watch the next issue for a full article about Avenues' hard-working Board.
 
BowlingBowling Tournament Supports GLBT Host Home Program

Bowling  
The Paul Bunyan Invitational bowling tournament selected Avenues and its GLBT Host Home Program to benefit from its 28th annual Twin Cities tournament.  Regional bowlers and leagues will come to Minneapolis to participate March 22-24.  Avenues will receive 25% of net proceeds from sales of raffle tickets for cash prizes.  Contact Mike Meyer to purchase tickets. 
 GLBT Avenues Host Home Programs

SHHP Logo Mpls HHP Logo  

 

Share Your Home! 

 

We are seeking hosts for these vital, community-based programs.  Hosting is a beautiful and effective way to share resources and support a youth experiencing homelessness.  Attend an upcoming informational session or just call us to find out more.  You will learn about the application and screening process for potential hosts and have an opportunity to hear from hosts who have shared their homes with youth. 

 

 

Please "Like" our program pages on Facebook!

 

GLBT Host Home Program 

Minneapolis Host Home Program 

Suburban Host Home Program 

 

 

Minneapolis Host Home Program Info Session 

 

Please help us get the word out about this new program in Minneapolis!  Young people need homes and we are actively recruiting hosts.

 

Tuesday, Feb 5, 6-8pm
Plymouth Congregational Church - Fireside Room
1900 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
 

 

Note: You don't need to wait for an information session to start the process of becoming a host.  Contact us to get started! 

 

ConnectConnect With Us

 

Avenues for Homeless Youth

1708 Oak Park Ave. N

Minneapolis, MN 55411

 

612.522.1690 phone

612.522.1633 fax

 

Want to help?

 

If you would like to make a donation or have any questions, contact Mike Meyer: mike@avenuesforyouth.org

 

Visit: www.avenuesforyouth.org   

 

Donate: Check Out Our Wish Lists! 

 

Facebook and Twitter

 

   facebook      Twitter  

HolidayHoliday Gifts Galore
Women on Track
Canadian Pacific's "Women on Track" load up Mike's car with gifts for the youth! 

The swell of holiday gifts delivered to Avenues for our youth in the shelter and host homes was truly inspiring.  Youth were delighted with the unique surprises in their gift bags, customized to their greatest needs, favorite colors and more.  Many individuals and organizations contributed.  We thank them all!

 

Canadian Pacific -- Brenda Rivera and Women on Track, Falcon Heights United Church of Christ, Janet Heezen, Greater Twin Cities United Way -- Caring Connection, Lee Larson, Cheryl Laurent, Renee Levesque and Rebecca Spartz, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, PFLAG Twin Cities, Southwest and Downtown Journals, Shari Snyder and her mother, Cindy White and family, Dan Willenbring and his team from Target Corporation 

 PianoMusic in the House!
Piano at Avenues

The Avenues house has been blessed with a beautiful new gift -- a full upright piano, generously donated by Charles Garrett and Jane & Mike Nilan.  The youth are loving it!  They figure out tunes they know, teach each other things they've learned, visit YouTube to hear and learn specific songs, and have asked for lessons and piano books.  We are interested in having volunteer piano teachers come to the house to give lessons to youth.  Please contact Mike if you are interested.

The youth also were gifted a Nintendo Wii gaming system recently.  New donors Tom & Jean Kouba saw the Wii on our Avenues House Wish List and delivered it two weeks ago with several games.  The Wii and piano have made for great entertainment and learning opportunities. 
 AriseAbundance of Towels
Shrey's Towels

This picture of towels in one of our closets proves that it is possible for our community's smallest members to have great impact.  A dedicated supporter of Avenues and third grader from Savage, Minnesota recently delivered hundreds of towel sets for the third year in a row.

In lieu of receiving birthday gifts, this generous young man asks that his friends and family members instead purchase towels for the youth at Avenues.  What started small now involves his entire school and area businesses.  A full set of new towels is a welcome gift for every youth who enters Avenues!

SupportersThank You, Recent Supporters!

 

Organizations

 

Archimea Interior Design Services, Inc., Canadian Pacific (Brenda Rivera and Women on Track), Charlson Foundation, Cooper High School, Excelsior United Methodist Church, Federal FYSB Transitional Living Program, First Congregational Church of Minnesota, GRACO, Load-Bearing, Inc. (Becky Clawson), Lowertown Lofts (St. Paul), Nelson, Tietz & Hoye, Inc., Otto Bremer Foundation, PFLAG Twin Cities, Luther I. Replogle Foundation, Target Foundation, Adam Van't Hof Memorial Fund, VocalPoint Chorus, Wells Foundation, Woodlake Lutheran Church  

  

Avenues General Donors 

 

Aleta Adams, Kathy Ahlers, Amy Josefa Ariel, Kevin Arnold, Carol Aschbacher, Eileen Austin, Lance Avine, Frank Babka, Richard Ballien, Michelle & Neville Basman, Marlys Barry, Michael Bergman, George & Janice Beske, Conee Biggs & Carol Meeter, Debra Bishop, David & Yvonne Blanchard, Joseph Blanchard, Paul Blom & Bob White, Steven Bloom, Eve Borenstein & Candace Falk, Charles Boyle Sr., Robert J. Brandt & Rich Seaver, Robert B. & Lesa Brandt, Rebekah & Jason Brandvold, Thomas Brazil, Thomas Brockway, Charlotte Brooker & Gene Mammenga, Angela Brown, Ronald Brunk, Thomas Burger & Mark Iezek, Michael & Kirsten Cackoski, Barbara Case & Sheri Anne Lutz, Lauralisa Clements, John Cody, Sarah Combellick-Bidney, Nan & Glenn Corliss, Russell Cowles & Josine Peters

 

Diane Dahlen, Lona Dallessandro & Sarah Schwartz, Breanna Dedrickson, Veronica Descotte, Donald & Gloria Doescher, Shawn Dunn, Jean Marie Ebrahimi, Peter & Martha Eckerline, Laura Eiklenborg, Karen Ellery, Ronald Engh, Elise Estrada, Richard Evans, John & Jeanine Farrell, Colleen Fisher, Toni & Larry Forsland, Lisa Forslund, Peter Gabrail, Charles Garrett, Beverly Geber, Shawn Gensch, Anne Golden, Nedra Granquist, Thomas Greenwalt, Lois Hall, M.D. & Anja Curiskis, Daniel Haller, Gregory Hansen, Rachelle Haroldson, William Harwell, Marie & Joseph Hauser, Kelly Hazel, Emily Helgerson, Maria Henly, Rachel Hestilow, Kristin Hibbard, Cathy Hickman, Kathryn Hofstad, Paul Hogrefe, Wendy Horowitz & Julian Bowers, Sandra Jahn, Blair Jasper, Lindy Jensen, Deborah Johnson, Dr. Kenneth & Jean Johnson, Catey Jordan

 

Emily Kampa, Janet Kampt, Brenda Kayzar, Joan Kennedy, Mary Joy & William Kinney, Kevin Kirsch, Shelley Kline (in honor or Deb Loon), Kevin & Stacie Klitz, Douglas Knowlton, Judith Krow & David Macmillian, Patricia Kurt & George Weyer, Deanna Lackaff, Anna Lamb, Steven Landberg, Maury & Julie Landsman, John Larsen & Mike Stewart, Dominic Lauzier, Shoua Lee, Natalie Levin, Michael Lewis, Gregg Lind, Carol Lock, Rolland & Ella Loon, Deborah & Jon Loon Stumbras, Jacqueline Loosli, Mark Mahon, Lauren Martens, Jennifer Martin & Beth Zemsky, Lee Mauk, Jeremy & Amy-Ann Mayberg, Donna McNamara, Matt Mehring (in honor of Monte & Ruth Mehring, Mitch & Jane Mehring, Mason & Lori Mehring) Laurie Mikkonen, Boriana Mintcheva-Strzok, Randy Miranda, Douglas Mitchell, Dania Miwa, Noah Miwa, Thomas J. Moran (in honor of Hope McCraken), Keith Morioka, Carin Mrotz

 

Jennifer Lea Nagel & Jane McBride, Stephen Nelson & Peter Vitale, Leigh Neuschwander, Jane & Mike Nilan, Kate Nilan & Chris Vaughn-Uding, Elizabeth Niles, Lisa Nguyen, Betty & Larry Oestenstad, Ezekiel Ojo, Deborah O'Keefe, Doris & Donald Pagelkopf, Juliana Pegues, Michael & Ella Pelican, Rochelle Pereira, Lisa Perry, Lora & Peter Pesheck, R. Seth Pfannenschmidt, Seema & Venu Pothini, Douglas & Lois Potter, Harvey & Barbara Ratner, Peter Raynor & Karen Rowehl, Mary Regan, Christine Rehm, Tracy Reid, Dawn Reilley, Emily Resseger, Susan & Gary Rettke, Kristine Riley, Jay Roble, Maery Rose, Todd M. Russell, Daniel Rybeck & Kate Searls (in honor of Deb Loon & Jon Stumbras), Connie Sagstetter & Michael Buskirk, Thomas Salt, Joy Sandler, Olive & Anne Sarkinen, Bill Satzer & Joyce Mitchell, Corey Sauer

 

Kristin Schaefer & Kristen Brown, Amanda Scherer, Mary Schneider & Matthew Fair Jones, Richard Schultz, Andrea Seeger-Friesen, Shelley Shreffler, Tonia & Michael Shupien, Elizabeth Sheehy, Kareem Smith, Robert Snyder, Deborah Soulen, Godson Sowah, Scott Steen, George Stevens, James & Ann Swenson, Jon Tate, Sally Thomas, Troy Thompson, Teresa Tierney, Chuck Tombarge & Lee Bizik, Thomas Trachsel, Nicole Tu, Mercedes Tuma-Hansen, Sharon Van Dyck & Richard Kelber, Barry Vornbrock, Robert Wagner, Dana Wagschal, Erin Wahl, Lisa Wasserman, Reggie Wendorf, Ann Whelan, Susan White, Danielle Whitney, Phyllis Wiener & Shayna Berkowitz, Heather Wilkie, Daniel Willenbring, Jeffrey Wilson, Elayne & Marvin Wolfenson, Mona Wong, Torrey Zahler, Edgar Zarate, Theresa Zaske, Tim Zehta  

 

GLBT Host Home Program Donors  

 

Margo Cohen, Brian C. Forney & Jack R. Thompson, Jeff Hnilicka, John Larsen Foundation, Owen Marciano & Henry, Margaret McKenna & Edith Karras, Peter Knudsen, Gregory Maddox, Mark & Teresa Manzella, Donna McNamara, Anna Min, Michael Muehlbach & Kim Johnson, Elizabeth Oppenheimer & N. Jeanne Burns, Roller Garden, Emperor Adam Schrombeck Feinstein-Berglin-Hart of the Imperial Court of Minnesota, Ashley Schuman, Patricia Svendsen, Kristin Thompson, Bonnie Wade, Tim Zehta

 

Minneapolis Host Home Program

 

The Feshbach Family Charitable Fund, First Congregational Church of Minnesota UCC, Foundation of the First Unitarian Society Pearson Social Concerns Fund

 

Suburban Host Home Program

 

Hats & Mittens Board of Directors

 

In-Kind Donations

             

Kurt Adolfson, Larry Barthel, Deb Bishop, Berva Bocklage, Canadian Pacific (Brenda Rivera and Women on Track), LaReina Dominick, Ron Engh, Falcon Heights United Church of Christ, Lan Freitag (Arise Project - 3M), Eric Gilseth, Ashley Hart (General Mills R&D), Janet Heezen, Sherry Heffernan, Gilda Houck-Markovits, Tom & Jean Kouba, R.J. Kragerud, Debra Lach, Nicole Lach, Marcia LaGrander, Laurie Lang, Lee Larson, Cheryl Laurent, Renee Levesque, Bryon Lindsey, Lowertown Lofts Residents, Jill Manske, Crystal McCauley, Minneapolis South Rotary Club, Jason Morrison, Oak Park Center, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, PFLAG Twin Cities, Ashley Piediscalzi, Shrey Pothini's Annual Birthday Towel Drive, Sarah Rippke, Joe Sehl, Mona Shilling, Glen Smith (Papa Murphy's Pizza- Robbinsdale), Shari Snyder, Second Harvest Heartland, Southwest and Downtown Journals Readers, Tensie Steek, Amanda Tallen (Aflac), Joan Vanderpool, Petrina Walter, Cindy White, Dan Willenbring, Janice Wilson

 

Volunteers

 

Avenues Board of Directors, Gary Baardsgaard, Larry Barthel,  Ron Engh, GLBT Host Home Program Advisory Council & Hosts, Rachelle Haroldson, Phyllis Kaiser, Minneapolis Host Home Program Leadership Team, Ashley Piediscalzi, Suburban Host Home Program Action Council & Hosts