Charlie and Winston Smith choose their bowls.

What follows is a note from our Executive Director, Mark Redmond.

Thank you to all who joined us at the Empty Bowl Dinner on October 12th.

I was awestruck by the compassion and caring you showed for our youth. I am so grateful that our young people can rely on you to offer a hand when the going gets tough.

As René said that night, “Spectrum is about creating that sense of family. It is about creating a sense of community and knowing that we are loved and supported. And that there are youth and staff and, also, wonderful people like you out here who are supporting us every day. And I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you are doing.”

Thanks to you, we raised $68,400 that night—$15,000 from the giving board alone! And because of the generosity of all who donated food and services to the event, almost all of the money raised will go directly to helping our youth build their own success.

Thank you for being a part of such a great night.

With gratitude,

Mark Redmond

Empty Bowl volunteers and Spectrum staff at the end of the night.

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Thank you to all who came to our Empty Bowl Dinner on October 20th!

Our Executive Director, Mark Redmond, wanted to share this note with you about the evening:

The stories you heard that night, the quotes from our youth that you saw on the tables, they all underscore how tough the teenage and young adult years can be, especially when you start out with the deck stacked against you.

But I was so inspired to look around the room that night and see all of you showing up for our youth and letting them know you have their backs.

All told, we raised $57,000 that night thanks to YOU, $14,365 from the giving board alone, and because so much of the food and services were donated, almost all of that will go straight to helping our youth transform their lives.

From all of us, thank you for being a part of such a great night.

With gratitude,

Mark Redmond
Executive Director

P.S., you can see photos of the event on our Facebook page!

From left to right, celebrity soup servers Miss Vermont Rylee Field; TJ Donovan, Chittenden County State’s Attorney; Beth Sightler, Executive Director, Champlain Community Services; Craig Mitchell, DJ/Producer; Katharine Montstream, Artist; Rusty DeWees, Actor.

The post What a night! appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Callahan at the Empty Bowl Dinner

We are so grateful to Callahan Freeman, of Williston, VT who spent this past school year completing her 8^th Grade Challenge by helping our youth. From September through June, Callahan volunteered in our office, collected donations, helped out at the Empty Bowl Dinner, cooked meals for our Drop-In Center, and participated in the Student Sleep Out.

Callahan collected donations of art supplies and winter coats throughout the fall semester. Her idea to collect donations brought her whole community together. As she put it, “Most youth coming into [Drop-In] don’t have much. They usually can’t afford warm clothes. That’s why I asked my community to donate clothing.”

Callahan’s amazing coat drive for our youth!

Callahan said she learned a lot by collecting donations: “I was shocked by how many donations I received!” she told us. “I thought about all the people I was giving the coats to .  . . they were so thankful for everything. It feels really good to give back to my community and people in need.”

At the Empty Bowl Dinner, Callahan volunteered by setting up an arts and crafts table, and she also got a chance to hear from Kim, a young person who lived in our shelter and who told her story at the Empty Bowl. “[Kim] said that before Spectrum, she had nothing. Spectrum gave her the right things she need to succeed in her future. . . She thanked many people for helping her through her journey. It makes volunteering at Spectrum feel like I can help many people.” And that is exactly what Callahan did.

Twice, she cooked dinner for the youth who access our Drop-In Center. What was on the menu? Baked ziti, salad, chili, cornbread, and dessert. Callahan said, “I could see people’s faces light up when they saw the meals. Those looks made me happy. I had put effort into the meals, and seeing their faces made volunteering ten times better.”

Thanks for the delicious dinner, Callahan!

In March, Callahan recruited her classmates to participate with her in the Spectrum Sleep Out. In solidarity with our youth, Callahan raised funds and slept outside overnight with her team, the Williston Wildcats. You can be part of next year’s Sleep Out! Mark your calendars for March 23^rd, 2017, and email events@spectrumvt.org if you want to participate.

Reflecting on the past year working with our youth, Callahan said, “It is very inspiring to learn about kids and teens near my age, that live in my community, and how they work through their struggles. I have learned by doing little things to help, I can make a big difference for someone’s life in need.”

Callahan has made a big difference for our youth, and she learned a lot, too. In her words, “It felt good inside to change people’s lives.” Thank you, Callahan!

You can help our youth, too, by signing up for our volunteer list or by donating items on our wish list. When you donate today, you are making sure our youth get help to turn their lives around. Thank you!

The post Behind the scenes: One year as a volunteer appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Looking back on the evening of the Empty Bowl Dinner, we were blown away by the outpouring of generosity, compassion, and, truthfully, love that flowed through the room. It was incredibly moving.

Together we raised over $57,000, and with so much of the food and services donated, almost all will go straight to helping our clients.

Thanks to all who attended, young men and women in our community who are facing some extraordinary challenges can walk through our doors and get the help they need.

Kim, a former Spectrum client who spoke that night, said, “My future has never looked so bright.”

You can see more photos of the event on our Facebook page.

Whether you volunteered, came as a guest, or sponsored the event, you are shining a light for all of us who do this work. We are so grateful.

The post A moving night at Empty Bowl 2015 appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Over 250 people came out to the Elley-Long Center and we reached a net total of more than $28,000!  We have some great pictures you can see on a Facebook album and wonderful media coverage from FOX44 and the Burlington Free Press.

I think Khara Janssen, one of our staff in the Youth Development Program, said it best after reading notes from some clients to the audience:

“These thank yous may be addressed to me but I am just the messenger… They are really meant for all of you here tonight and anyone who has ever donated their money, time or services to Spectrum. We could not do what we do for our youth without all of you!”

Thank you to all of you who played a part in making our Empty Bowl Dinner so successful and for supporting youth and families in Vermont!

The post We Could Not Do Our Work Without You! appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.