YES  Nature to Neighborhoods 
 
Welcome to the final episode of our S'More Campaign. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we are more than half way to our $75,000 goal! The final days of December are the "giving-est" days of the year. Please consider joining us with a year-end donation: help us reach our goal, and make a difference in the lives of the families we serve.

Every donation made through December 31st will be matched 1:1, and every donation will support transformational experiences in the outdoors for YES youth and adults! 

This week we introduce you to "Principal A-V", who heads Verde Elementary School in North Richmond. In addition to serving several hundred Verde students and families over the past decade, YES leads the North Richmond Network, a group of Verde partners, parents, and school and community leaders dedicated to improving school climate and neighborhood conditions. The group participated in the interviewing and hiring of Principal A-V, and together we are working to make Verde a school where all students thrive.

From all of us at YES to you and yours -  Happy New Year, and thank you for being a part of our community and our work.

Warmly,

                                                           
Eric Aaholm, Executive Director

Missed out on past S'More Episodes? Click to look back at Episodes One,  Two, and Three.
Principal A-V: A P assion to Lead
Eric Acosta-Verprauskus has been deeply dedicated to the West Contra Costa County School District for nine years, where he began his teaching career with a "passion to lead students to joyful achievement." 

Now in his third year as principal of Verde Elementary, Principal A-V has helped lead a transformation of the school's culture alongside teachers, staff, and community partners. 
  
Principal A-V describes Verde as a school with " tremendous potential and very real challenges. " He says, " YES and the North Richmond Network ...  have played a critical role in keeping Verde's work grounded in serving the North Richmond community, and have helped us acquire resources vital to our continued success."   When we asked what  inspires him to come to school every day, he shared:  

" Membership in a high functioning school provides me a feeling of utter exhilaration. I adore our students and the innocence and love they bring to our school daily.  My staff is full of heroes... We have reached a tipping point where leadership from staff, students, and community members now leads our revolution with a self-sustaining energy. To be here is to be part of a movement tempered in all the right things - social justice, equity, and empathetic education."
 



Verde students at YES Family Camp
Fall 2016


 


More Ways to Support YES!

Consider a holiday donation in honor of a special person in your life. A special gift letter will be sent to your honoree in acknowledgement.
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"Through this collaboration we are creating a safer neighborhood and school for the community as a whole. We're seeing a difference in the form of more beautiful spaces cultivated by community members, healthier food options, and better student outcomes."
- North Richmond Network Partner

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