DIRECTOR'S LETTER
Dear Friend of Mission Possible,
Each day, as the teens enter Mission Possible Teen Center, I am reminded exactly why I work here. Every youth needs a friendly, positive, and consistent adult in their lives. I forget sometimes, being at the Center everyday, just how important we are to these youth. Most come to play pool, attend programming, get homework help, play Guitar Hero, hang out with their friends, and to have snacks and dinner. For whatever their reason, they choose to come to us instead of going elsewhere. They make the healthy choice to come to a space where they are respected, loved, given opportunity, and exposed to positive adults, clear expectations, and new experiences. This gives us an incredible opportunity to reach the youths in our community.
As such, I learn something new everyday from these teens. They teach me to keep an open mind and to be humble and grateful for everything I have. At the end of the night, I can put on my warm jacket and gloves, get into my car, stop on the way home for gas, and then debate whether or not I should go to the grocery store to pick up food for dinner or perhaps even eat out. I am not worrying about whether there will be heat in my house, or if I will have to baby-sit my siblings instead of doing my homework, or if at the age of 14, anyone will even be home when I get there.
In fact, during the 2010/2011 school year, Mission Possible serviced 475 unduplicated youths and provided 4,450 healthy meals. We are a small, grass-roots organization with a total of two full time and four part-time employees. We rely heavily on volunteers and have worked with over 70 individuals including partnerships with local colleges. That said, volunteers clocked in 3,100 hours of service last year!
Without Mission Possible as a resource, so many teens would be missing a crucial support they might not receive anywhere else. Please help us continue our work and support our 475 youth by donating to Mission Possible Teen Center. Thank you from the teens, the staff, and Board of Directors at Mission Possible Teen Center.
Sincerely,
Donna Dwyer, M.Ed., CAS, MBA
Executive Director
Childhood Hunger: Hungry for food. Hungry for resources. Hungry for change.