A decade of dedication and improvement means a bright future ahead
January 18th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
As we head into our eleventh year of programming, we look back on the past ten. When we started with only one center in 2001, we were serving about 30 at-risk students in all of Tennessee. With only a staff of three, we knew that our foundation and mission would grow, and it did. Those YLLC students we served in 2001 are now in high school, and YLLC has over 15 staff members serving over 300 students at six centers in several cities.
“We are building a rich heritage that is full of milestones, both as an organization and in the lives of YLLC students and families,” says Lindsay Daly, Youth Life’s program director.
With our outreach and perseverance, we have gained the support of sponsors including Miller & Martin, PLLC, Pepsi, Dollar General, United Way, Catepillar Insurance, Bridgestone Americas, HCA/Tri-Star, Skanska, Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC, Lipscomb S.A.L.T., The Bun Company, Ingram, Urban Youth Initiative, First Tennessee bank, Community Health Systems, Inc., Metro Arts, Lee Company, and more. We have partnered with N.A.Z.A., Martha O’Bryan, St. Luke’s Community House, Life Church Memphis, Lipscomb S.A.L.T., Belmont University’s service learning department, Edgehill Community Center, My Own Backyard, SLAM, and more.
Over the years, we have increased our board members, developed an internship program, held annual events, made connections with various churches and schools, and received media attention. In the past year alone, we have quadrupled Twitter followers, tripled Facebook fans, quadrupled our general e-blast outreach, expanded our e-blasts with targeted audiences, started using a cohesive, clean, communicative brand, added a personable, story-telling approach with various YLLC highlights, utilized a short-code texting system, written updated, weekly blog pieces, and launched a branded, improved website. Generous gifts, like that of Mr. Gerald Grubb, have allowed us to take a tremendous stride in closing the achievement gap for the at-risk youth we serve.
Our statistics have shown that students are continuing to improve with our programming. How do you wish to see our impact over these next ten years? Write a comment below to share with us where you hope to see our students, their families, our agency, and our mission by 2021.
