Dear Friends,
Summer is here and we are filled with excitement for all of the young people who are heading off each week to camp.
In this summer eNews edition, you'll
meet three graduates of our Youth Leadership Pathway
who are embarking on new experiences with YES this summer, and starting college in the fall. As well,
we introduce you to Dawn
– a long-time Adult Leadership Pathway participant, mother, and wellness champion for Richmond –
through her own words and reflections
.
It’s also time to mark your calendars for our
Rock in the Redwoods benefit concert on September 7th
. Come join us for a 20th anniversary celebration and a fantastic night under the stars!
Tickets are
on sale now
: get a jump on our early-bird prices today!
We know that
nature provides solace, joy, adventure, and opportunities
for self-discovery. At YES, we believe
everyone
deserves access to these profound, formative experiences
. Here at the half-way point of our summer camp season, I am grateful for our donors and camp partners. Thanks to you, our Summer Campfire Campaign and Fire it Up event were wonderfully successful, ensuring that hundreds of Richmond youth will explore the great outdoors alongside role models and new friends.
Sincerely,
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Eric Aaholm, Executive Director
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Reflections on 20 Years of YES
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Dawn, beloved parent, caregiver, and YES participant
During our spring Family Camp, Dawn sat down with Blanca, YES's program director, to talk about her love forRichmond and her journey with YES.
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Dawn:
Twenty years ago, there was a lot of stuff going on in Richmond. I never gave up on Richmond. Even though I lost a lot of family members to the violence, this is my hometown... Richmond, California: I love it.
In 1999, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment. I was living with my five kids and my mother. We had some good times on 2nd street. Then we moved to 6th and Pennsylvania. The kids were going to Peres Elementary, and that’s when I became involved with YES, in 2008.
Blanca
: Has your life changed because of your involvement with YES?
Dawn:
Yes, it has changed a lot. I got more involved in the community. I got more involved with my kids, with their schooling and showing them different things in Richmond.
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Being part of YES has changed me a lot because before, I wasn’t communicating with anybody, just dealing with my own family, my own race, not being a part of nothing. And just being in that box. I think I got myself out of that box. Things are a lot better than what they was. You all got me out of my comfort zone. Got me to talk, to get out and be part of the community. To get to know other families.
What’s different for me now is that as far as my girls, they didn’t get caught up... And right now, the focus is on my grandkids: doing positive things with them, showing them that there is positive things that are going on in Richmond. We just have to get out and be with positive people, get out in the community and be part of this...
Through everything I was going through, I feel like you never judge me. You always say good things, encourage me and push me. You told me I could do it, and I like that. Before, I never would do this. I like coming out here [to Family Camp], I like doing this stuff with the kids. All these parks, I didn’t even know about them and they were here, in my own back yard.
Blanca
: What’s your vision for YES and for Richmond, 20 years from now?
Dawn
: My dream for my community: I would like peace, clean streets, all my neighbors, we all getting along, kids playing, just flowers, plants, everyone getting along, come outside - hey how you doing? A nice community, parks for kids to play in the neighborhood, not having to run if you hear gunshots. Looking out for one another, looking out for the kids. That’s what I want.
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Have you browsed our "20 Years of YES" website?
Check it out!
It's full of pictures and milestones from across our 20 years of building community, empowering leaders, and getting outside.
Have you watched our 20th Anniversary Video?
Take a look!
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Meet Our 2019
Three Bridges Scholarship Awardees
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The Three Bridges Nature Scholarship gets its name from beloved, late YES Board Member, Richard Boyd, who loved crossing all ‘Three Bridges’ when he took his many mentees on adventures around the Bay. Every year, three YES graduating seniors from the Camp-to-Community program are awarded $1,500 each for academic and professional goals.
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"As a leader, there are times when people will not immediately understand you. Maybe they might get confused on the instructions given or the point of an activity. Some might not even hear you the first time, but I try not to let this discourage me. If someone doesn’t understand what the objective is, instead of being frustrated, I help them out the best way I can."
- Jocelyn
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"YES is the type of place that will teach you where your values are. It taught me that my values were the environment, helping others, and living my life to its fullest...
t
his community became a group of people that was able to connect with me in a way that I wouldn't be able to make connections in school, and I was able to create a community for myself that I felt safe in."
- Angie
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"Every day I come into the YES office it is filled to the brim with positivity and outstanding vibes because of the love everyone has in this office and how we treat each other like family. When I was growing up in the YES family it made me more of a positive individual... in life, I find that in the darkest of times, positivity will be the light that surpasses the gloom. "
- Aswun
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Jocelyn just got back from backpacking in Yosemite, and will be a freshman at Contra Costa College this fall. After spending the summer as a camp counselor through YES, Angie will start college at Humboldt State in September. Aswun is spending three weeks on the Channel Islands with our partners at The Encampment program, after which he'll be diving into classes at Berkeley City College.
Cheers to these amazing teens!
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Join us for Rock in the Redwoods
a Benefit Concert & 20th Anniversary Celebration
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Tickets are on sale now for YES's sixth annual Rock in the Redwoods benefit concert! Join us on September 7th at Coventry Grove, a private amphitheater with views to the bay and a redwood grove, right here in our East Bay hills.
General Admission tickets are on sale at the early-bird price of $65 through July 28th!
Prices go up on 7/29.
VIP tickets are $125
and include early admission, a private bar until 7pm, and a champagne reception with the band. VIP tickets will sell out fast - get yours today!
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You'll enjoy a delicious paella dinner, dancing under the stars with local band Little Marvin and the Gardeners, no-host bars, fabulous desserts, and a presentation by YES participants and staff. We'll move you, groove you, and give you an unforgettable evening!
Click here
to learn about becoming an event sponsor.
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"I learned a lot about forests, and animals, and leg muscles."
- Richmond Rangers and Summer Camp participant
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YES Nature to Neighborhoods |(510) 232-3032 | www.yesfamilies.org
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