Guest blogger, Nicole Maroutsos is a music supervisor at PlayNetwork and a member of the Emerging Leaders Marketing Committee.

For 65 years, Friends of Youth has been dedicated to helping young people overcome difficult situations and get their lives back on track.  It is an amazing non-profit that is active in eighteen cities across the Puget Sound area and operates everything from youth shelters to young parent education to substance abuse counseling.  As two of United Way’s main focus areas are giving kids an equal chance and supporting youth, Friends of Youth was the perfect partner for a second Saturday volunteer event!

A group of thirteen Emerging Leaders spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon working at the main office of Friends of Youth in Kirkland.  We spent a few hours in the sunshine shaping up the garden beds around their office and overnight youth shelter.  It is important that those in the neighborhood view Friends of Youth in a positive light. They want to be seen as an asset to the community and for those in the area not to see the young people as troubled, but rather as people who are focused on improving their lives.  One small step in being perceived positively is to make sure their facilities are beautiful and make the neighborhood a lovelier place.

All the volunteers were so impressed by the services provided by Friends of Youth.  It’s truly an organization that makes a difference in the Puget Sound region, impacting over 5,500 youth and young adults.  Both United Way and Friends of Youth are committed to setting the stage for every child’s success and so it was the perfect place for a group of Emerging Leaders to lend a helping hand.

In your 20s or 30s and have a passion for giving back to your community? Join our Emerging Leaders program and sign up for our upcoming Second Saturday volunteering projects in May and June.