We recently changed our mission statement here at the chapter to something simpler.
“To bring hope to every young person in our community.”
It doesn’t change our larger Youth For Christ mission; it just gets to the point faster.
We exist to help young people between the ages of 11 to 19. Every generation of people go through a lot of hard things during this season of their lives. But in 2020, things were even harder than usual. They experienced a global pandemic, election politics, tragic events in society, and rampant homelessness/drug addiction in our community.
Kitsap and North Mason have about 30,000 people in this age range. We hope to build relationships with 2000 of them each and every year.
We have some wonderful partner organizations in the area that include Coffee Oasis, Scarlet Road, Young Life, and many others. And the one thing we all know is that there are a lot more kids out there than we typically have people who are able to help. That’s why we work so hard to bring awareness to the community about the mission of YFC. Our nonprofit started here in 1982, and we realize there are still lots of people who have not heard of us yet.
What is our role in the community?
Once the schools closed, we focused our resources and efforts on our own drop-in centers in Bremerton and what will soon be in Poulsbo.
These drop-in centers are places where:
Young people can belong and connect with their friends after school
They can experience safe, fun, and positive activities
They can get help with academic needs
They have access to caring adult mentors
They have opportunities to participate in events and trips
The best part is that for them, nearly all of these things are completely FREE due to the generous support of our partners. For example, to bring this to life for one student for two full weeks, the cost is only $25. We have lots of people who have given amounts like this, and we have many people who have given sacrificially for many years. All of this is made possible due to these generous people.
What is an easy way to help?
Simply tell people about this place.
Students, parents, neighbors, teachers…anybody. We want to let them know there is a place like this in the community where teenagers can get their needs met.
For those of you who support us, let me just say “thank you”. We understand how many wonderful organizations are out there that you could support, so it really means a lot when you make the decision to support West Sound YFC.
Blessings,
Adam Smith
Development Director
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