“I was sleeping on everybody’s couch night to night for two weeks. I decided to go home cause I really wanted to go back to school, even though my Mom tried to choke me the last time she was drinking. When I got there my Mom had taken off for Florida with my little brother. Her boyfriend said I couldn’t stay there anymore.” –Jolie, Age 15 |
As an active and educated advocate against youth homelessness, I am on a mission to not only bring awareness to this issue but bring an end to it. To do that, I need your help.
Hope 4 Youth is Anoka County’s first and only drop-in center for homeless youth. At their current location, youth are able to eat a hot meal each night, clean laundry, bathe in hot showers, apply for jobs, create resumes, take items from the food shelf, and more. But, at 7:00 PM each night, the doors close and youth are back on the streets to fend for safety and shelter. As a mentor at Hope 4 Youth, I have the privilege to hang out, build relationships, and encourage the youth on a weekly basis. I am also there when the doors lock at 7 PM. I am there when youth beg not to leave. I am there when youth grab their tents and blankets and head outside to sleep for the night. My heart has been broken as I have witnessed and encountered the disturbing reality these youth face.
Hope 4 Youth needs to secure a site to begin operating Rooms 4 Youth, a shelter for youth experiencing homelessness. In order to do so, $1 million dollars needs to be raised by January 1, 2015. It is known that a team has a greater impact than one. Because of this, I am pleading to you to help the future generation. This holiday season, join me as Miss Coon Rapids in gifting these youth with the best gift they could ever have... housing. My goal is to raise $7,500 towards this housing project that will ensure youth sleep in warm beds just like you and me. I pledge that if I do not reach this goal, by January 1, 2015, I will join the leadership of Hope 4 Youth in sleeping outside in tents in the woods of Coon Rapids with homeless youth.
My challenge to you is to donate $50 to Hope 4 Youth on behalf of Miss Coon Rapids. Please make the check out to ‘Hope 4 Youth’ and mail to:
Katlyn Ziegler
Miss Coon Rapids Scholarship Program
10456 Partridge St NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
Thank you so much for your commitment and dedication to serving the community. Because of your generosity, my platform is OUR platform, and we will have a lasting effect on this community.