Fundraising

Serve-a-Thon Service Project

Grey clouds intermittently greeted us with showers but nothing dampened the enthusiasm of the assembled volunteers.  At least 80 representatives from Y.E.S. and the Service Learning Center dug in – literally – to the projects for the day at the former Jefferson Elementary School site in Eureka.  We were helping the transformation into a community center.

Some worked on landscape maintenance, even transporting a huge mature rhododendron to a new location many yards away.  Many got down on their hands and knees to dig weeds out of sidewalk and school ground cracks.  Others cleaned interior rooms and hallways while a large group filtered through box after box of books relocated or donated to the new library space.  When weather permitted, teams even wielded paint to cover up unwelcome graffiti that colored some outside walls.

The spirit was evident and infectious while everyone enjoyed seeing the transformations taking place.  This Cesar Chavez Holiday service had made a tremendous impact on the community site and all were glad to be a part of the process.  After a chance for small groups to reflect on their experience, all were invited to play a spirited game of “Happy Tag”, a fitting game for this location.  The students didn’t want to stop; it was fun to just be kids again!

Digging up a mature rhododendron plant

Volunteers move rhododendron to its new site

Weeds are no match for our volunteers

Volunteers remove weeds from playground

Looking through boxes of books for the library

After Happy Tag; it was great even in the rain!

Supporting Y.E.S.

Y.E.S. Programs survive through the generosity of many individuals and businesses. We welcome and greatly appreciate your financial contributions at any time. If you would like to discuss how you could best assist us to continue our services to the community while building the leadership capacity of young people, please contact our Coordinator, Lorena Boswell (707) 826-4965, or lb45@humboldt.edu.

Cookbook Project

"A Taste of Humboldt" cookbook was made possible because local people believed in our goal: providing scholarships to those students who spend long hours in direct community service. Any profits from the sale of this book will be used to support student program directors of Youth Educational Services.

The Marjorie Fitzpatrick Cookbook Scholarship Fund

Why a cookbook project?

The organization and implementation of the many Y.E.S. programs are achieved only through the hard work of the numerous student directors who initiate and orchestrate each program. Being a student director takes a great deal of time from an already busy student schedule. All proceeds derived from the sales of "A Taste of Humboldt" form a scholarship fund that enables student directors to continue in their roles when faced with economic hardship. The Fund has been named in honor of a long standing Y.E.S. community advisor who served as a founding member of the group that developed the cookbook.

While the primary goal of the cookbook has been to support Y.E.S., the cookbook also supplies the reader with a great way to get to know some of the people that are Humboldt County. From the original Native American inhabitants of California's North Coast to its newest Southeast Asian immigrants, many peoples and cultures have left their handprints on Humboldt County. The Italians, Portuguese, Scandinavians, Swiss, Yugoslavs and Nova Scotians who left their home lands, as well as pioneers who moved westward, brought diversity and enrichment to their new communities. Their stories, along with maps and vintage photographs are collected here with hundreds of their recipes.