Pictured: Rowena O’Haver (left) and Jennifer Wilson (right) stand in front of a Ben’s Bells “be kind” mosaic mural after Jennifer received her Ben’s Bell Award. Jennifer Wilson, a sixth grade teacher at Ironwood Elementary School, teaches the importance of kindness and empathy to her students and leads by example each and every [...]
“I did not know it back then, but during those eight years that I lived without my family, I had my oxygen mask on and I focused on survival. And during those same eight years, I had to watch helplessly the pain and hurt that it caused my family to be apart.” - Elizabeth Camarillo [...]
Deja Foxx is a force to be reckoned with. At just 20 years old, this activist, organizer, Ivy League student, founder of GenZ Girl Gang, and an Influencer and Surrogate Strategist and youngest staffer on a presidential campaign has big plans to change the world for the better and become the future POTUS – and [...]
With schools closed and most businesses either reducing their hours or ceasing operations altogether, it’s safe to say that our entire community is feeling the effects of COVID-19. Our YOTO students are no exception. In addition to the challenges they are facing with school closures, YOTO kids are finding themselves out of work and in [...]
At every YOTO luncheon, we appeal to our YOTO Family to help us ease some of the burdens our youth face. We issue a special challenge to everyone in the audience – make a gift to YOTO before Friday, March 13 and steadfast YOTO supporters Buzz Petersen and Robbie Willingham will match it dollar-for-dollar up [...]
The ever-expanding YOTO Family is made up of students, staff, volunteers, school liaisons, donors, members of the local media and business communities, and more! Every single person who has supported YOTO has done their part to make it possible for youth experiencing homelessness to graduate high school and pursue their dreams! YOTO volunteer and retired [...]
Volunteer groups also play an integral part in YOTO’s operations. Typically, these are members of a school, club, religious organization, or company who would like to give a few hours of their time to help YOTO youth. These groups assemble packages, write inspirational notes to students, hold food or school supply drives, and more! This [...]
Volunteers have been the heart and soul of YOTO from the very beginning. Among other duties, YOTO volunteers staff our reception area, stock our Mini Mall, make weekly deliveries to schools, and prepare students’ stipend checks. In 2018-2019, volunteers collectively donated 9,338 hours of their time and saved YOTO over $230,000! This year, the award [...]
School liaisons are the foundation of YOTO’s program. They are YOTO’s points of contact at each school, advocating on behalf of the students they support. School liaisons identify students in need, collect monthly stipend forms, distribute basic needs items, and much more. They do all this in addition to their normal school responsibilities and [...]
YOTO was founded in 1986 by Ann Young, a guidance counselor at Amphi High School, when she noticed that talented and motivated students were dropping out of school due to unstable living situations. In an effort to help those students graduate, Ann appealed to other school counselors, teachers, volunteers, and community members, laying the [...]