YES Institute’s fourth Annual Bowling with a Purpose Tournament and Fundraiser was a success!
“You know…every break in between waiting for my turn to bowl, I looked around… I saw smiles, I saw familiar faces and new ones too. I saw a safe space where everyone was just having a good time. I saw strangers cheering on the people next to them, people sharing food & simply being themselves. To me, this is community and that is why YES and the people who work here are so needed. I’m still smiling!” – Milagros, Volunteer and Parent Speaker
Being in community where friends, families, and coworkers can authentically be who they are, where they open up their hearts to one another, and share their struggles, and joys is what YES Institute’s mission and vision aims to create. This intergenerational family friendly event brought together folks who have been actively involved with YES Institute since its inception as well as those who are newly learning about our work and wanting to support our youth and families.
“We had two new Youth Advisory Leadership Council (YALC ) members who attended our bowling event. They joined YALC looking to connect with youth their age, someone who genuinely understands what they’re going through.” – Nikolas, Youth Empowerment Coordinator
Nikolas noted that our youth leaders from YALC grew in their confidence during the two hour tournament. Sebastian, one of our new members and a high school student, was nervous to bowl and shared that he wasn’t particularly good at bowling. Nikolas and his teammates encouraged Sebastian to bowl for fun, without worrying about placing in the tournament and that’s exactly what he did. Sebastian became the fourth runner up in the tournament leaving happy and excited to see how well he did.
Mia, another new YALC Member, was simply grateful to be in a place where she can be an expression of her full authentic self. Mia’s school does not have a Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and when she learned of YALC, She was thrilled to be able to connect with youth her age traversing their own journeys of gender and orientation. Mia’s parents bowled alongside her. They got to meet other parents who had also supported their child’s journey of gender and orientation.
“The YES Institute always manages to create a fun, safe and caring environment and bowling was no exception! We left the bowling alley with our hearts full with love from our community and looking forward to the next event!” – Melissa, LMHC, Community Partner
Community partners, longtime donors, board members, and new supporters shared their joy in being able to connect with one another.
“Had a great time bowling and seeing everyone! A caring community culture is so important and what we need every once in a while.” – Yvonne, Volunteer
While selling raffle tickets, Nikolas noted that folks lined up wanting to purchase tickets simply to support the mission and vision of YES Institute. It seemed that nearly every person present was grateful for the bowling tournament, and more importantly, for the community YES Institute provides.
If you are inspired by our work, we invite you to become a contributor. You can do so here, – GIVE – or call the office and speak with Tim or Visnia at 305-663-7195.
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