You Make A Difference

With or without a pandemic, Avenues is here for youth. A gift of $84 provides one youth with a week of intensive support.

Thank you Champlin United Methodist Church, the Church of St. Gerard and Upper Room for creating hundreds of handmade masks for our youth and staff.

Sweet 5th graders of the Junior Girl Scout Troop #57788 donated cookies for youth at Avenues. Thank you for sweetening the youth's day!

The Pothini Family and Harriet Bishop Elementary school sprang into action to support youth at Avenues. After hearing that we needed hygiene products, they hosted a drop-and-go collection drive that collected over 600 bottles of supplies!

Teaching artists from COMPAS went above and beyond for youth at Avenues! Artists created individual art kits and projects to help keep youth entertained during the stay at home order.

Our friends at Thomson Reuters got creative during their virtual volunteer event for Avenues. They created dozens of beautiful, handmade cards of encouragement for our youth.

Dear Friends,

The COVID-19 world has taken a toll on us all, especially youth experiencing homelessness. I encourage you to take a moment to think about how this pandemic is affecting our youth by reading the article below. While we are grateful that all of our programs remain open, I want to recognize the significant impact this is having on young people and communities experiencing homelessness.

I also want to recognize the supporters and partners who stepped up during a critical time. Thank you to everyone who sewed a mask for an Avenues staff member. Thank you to the folks who created cards of encouragement. Thank you to the Savage community for collecting over 600 bottles of body wash. And thank you to the 5th grade Girl Scouts who were thinking about youth experiencing homelessness when they donated their cookies.

Finally, I'd like to thank each and every donor who had their donation matched this month. Thanks to you, we've raised over 75% of our $45,000 donation match. Together, we will get through this.

In good health,

Katherine Meerse, Executive Director

Breakfast In Bed: Building on Dreams

We're excited to announce that  Building on Dreams, our annual breakfast, is going virtual. Join us for  Breakfast In Bed  on Monday, June 8th from 8-9 a.m. in the comfort of your own home. All are welcome to attend!

For most of us, breakfast in bed is a luxury. What happens when you don't have a bed, or food for breakfast? Where do you go during the stay at home order when you don't have a home? During our Building on Dreams event, we'll explore the impact of having a home through a up close and personal virtual event.

Learn more about Building on Dreams and hosting a table here.

In our last fiscal year, Avenues supported over 300 youth. As a result, 78% of youth in our housing programs moved into stable housing. We could not have achieved this without you. Read about all of our fiscal year 2019 achievements in our annual report below.

"The Avenues To A Better Future"

This month Lavender Magazine highlighted Avenues' work in their wellness issue and announced their 25th anniversary plans benefiting Avenues. The magazine hopes to inspire 100 Pride at Home Parties, complete with party starter kits, so that community can celebrate Pride even though festivities have been canceled. The Pride at Home Parties will take place June 26-28th and the party kits will have pride decorations, swag, alcohol and ideas for the party that follow CDC and MDH recommendations.

Donations made at the parties will benefit Avenues. Gifts of $25 or more will enter the donor into a $500 Target gift card drawing. Learn more about the event on Lavender's Facebook Page here.