Page 10 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2014

Chapter Snapshots
ARIZONA CHAPTER SuPPORTS HOmELESS YOuTH
TUCSON DECORATIVE PAINTERS GUILD
Do you remember your very first apartment? Reach back to the farthest corners of your mind; the memory is there! You left your family home, ready and excited to be on your own. Your parents gave you their used cookware, silverware, and some linens from the closet to help you settle into your new place. You very likely had everything you needed to start off on the right foot. Unfortunately, not every teen and young adult starts off this way. Many, in fact, are forced to enter the world on their own far sooner than they are prepared to and often end up homeless. Homeless youth may have no means of support, and no one to offer help.
Three years ago, SDP chapter Tucson Decorative Painters Guild became aware of a nonprofit organization called Youth On Their Own (YOTO), whose goal it is to offer support to homeless teens. TDPG knew immediately that this was a worthy cause and has made the group a beneficiary of its community service efforts ever since.
“We keep the kids in mind all year long, when we are shopping or cleaning out our cupboards,” says chapter member Barbara Kile. In its Mini Mall, YOTO offers teens food, clothing, hygiene items, and much more.
In addition to collecting items for the group during each of its monthly meetings, TDPG also supports the teens by hosting food drives. The chapter’s largest and perhaps most appreciated act of support came during the 2013 Christmas season, when members were able to surprise the teens with $200 worth of gift cards to a local grocery store.
YOTO and its supporters work hard to make high school graduation a reality for homeless teens by providing financial assistance, basic human needs, and positive guidance. They are able to generously help over eight hundred Tucson area homeless teens. The ultimate goal for each young person helped by the organization is to become a positive and productive member of the community.
Any SDP chapter searching for its next community service project is encouraged to research and locate similar local organizations. You can start by perusing YOTO’s website for ideas. Visit YOTO at www.yoto.org.
8 The Decorative Painter
• ISSUE NO. 2, 2014
dEcOratIvEpaINtErS.Org