Sharing Acts of Kindness

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TEAM YESS SHOUT OUTS

A team of volunteers from Turner Construction (pictured above) spent some time at YESS helping out earlier this month. The volunteers rolled up their sleeves and lent a hand fixing tables, cleaning and organizing the kitchen and art room, and tidying up some hallways.

YESS is honored to be the recipient of a Chrysalis Foundation 2020 Community Partner Grant. YESS is a proud partner with Chrysalis Foundation in the work they do to deliver safety, security, education, and economic empowerment to girls and women in greater Des Moines.

Thank you to Pride Sports League for sharing funds from its Winter Party with YESS! This is the second event in six months they've hosted with proceeds benefiting YESS and our work to protect children in our community.

A generous donor gifted the youth at YESS a unique experience of a truck rental through GameTruck mobile video gaming theater on a no school day in January. Experiences like this provide a sense of normalcy for the kids in our care, especially during the cold winter months when activities are more scarce. If you’d like to provide a special experience for the kids at YESS, contact Jana Daisy at daisyj@yessiowa.org.

YESS' Board of Directors was voted as one of the 2020 Top 25 Influential Boards by Business Record. The online survey of Business Record readers, conducted in the summer of 2019, asked the participants which boards they believed were the most influential in Central Iowa. Thank you to our committed Board Members who volunteer their time and talents to further YESS' mission of protecting children and empowering families!

YESS has been chosen as an eligible nonprofit to benefit from Target Circle!

To vote, you must enroll or be enrolled in Target Circle. You can vote every time you make a purchase at Target - online and in-store. To cast votes, you will log in to your Target account and follow the prompts and instructions to vote. Nonprofits will display in a list with YESS' name, logo, mission, and website link. In store, you can scan your Target Wallet barcode in the Target App at the time of purchase.

The allocation of the donation among the nonprofits will be based on the percentage of votes each nonprofit receives during the applicable voting period.

Vote for YESS with every purchase between now and March 31!

Let's Get Quackin'

The 2020 YESS Duck Derby , presented by Academy Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., is less than three months away, and we can't wait to see all of our friends lakeside at Jordan Creek Town Center on Saturday, May 2.

Funds raised through the YESS Duck Derby directly support the more than 1,500 children who turn to YESS for services and care every year, but we need YOU to make sure this year is another splashing success.

YESS has many quacktastic ways for you and your organization to get engaged, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities over the next few months. Email Bridget at portob@yessiowa.org to learn more!

Sharing Acts of Kindness

February is a busy month with many "themes" surrounding it. Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, Black History Month, and President's Day are all well known ones. One theme that has also made its way into the calendar is Acts of Kindness.

The individuals who volunteer their time working directly within YESS' emergency shelter and crisis nursery know that having compassion and showing kindness is essential. Many of the youth YESS serves have histories involving trauma, and a little bit of kindness goes a long ways.

YESS staff work to make holidays, even the smaller ones like Valentine's Day, a festive time for the youth staying in the shelter. The DSM Cookiers, a group of about 20 local cookie bakers and decorators, all pooled their resources and provided the supplies for our Valentine's Day party at the shelter. They donated everything from colored buttercream, sprinkles, and almost 100 cookies to help bring out the creative spirit of cookie decorating.

Volunteers from Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club spent their Valentine's Day evening working alongside the youth as they decorated their festive treats. After the cookie decorating, the volunteers spent time playing Valentine Bingo, creating sand art bottles, and putting together heart pillows.

If you are interested in learning more about our volunteer opportunities, please email Jana Daisy at daisyj@yessiowa.org.

Snack Time!

Did you know that YESS serves over 850 snacks to the youth in shelter each week? We are looking for small groups of volunteers to share approximately two hours of their afternoon to help prepare snacks for the shelter (master chef status not required). If you'd like to learn more about this fun opportunity, contact Jana Daisy at daisyj@yessiowa.org.

Team YESS is Hiring

When you join YESS, you aren't just taking a job. You're becoming part of a team; a team that is committed to making the community a better place by protecting children and empowering families.

Do you or someone you know want to make a difference in the community and help kids build brighter futures? We have many opportunities to join Team YESS!

918 SE 11th Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 | 515.282.9377 | YESSIowa.org