Agenda - Council Work Session - 11/24/2009

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... . YOUTH nRST COMMuNITy . OF PRoMISE ~,":;'~J.~ Youth First Community of Promise is a local community initiative established out of a working group of the Northwest Anoka County Community Consortium. This collaborative entity includes the cities of Andover, Anoka, Ramsey, Anoka County and Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Anoka County Gayle Alexander Laura Landes (Secretary) Dick Lang . Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 Sean Beggin Jeff Clusiau Diane Henning (Chair) Vickie Spindler City of Andover Jim Barber Jim Dickinson City of Anoka William Erhart Jason Huebner Jeff Weaver City of Ramsey Michelle Anderson Chandra Kreyer (Vice-Chair) Bob Ramsey Jim Steffen (Treasurer) October 22} 2009 Dear Friend(s) of Youth First} In 1993, The Northwest Anoka County Community Consortium (NWACCC) was established} which is a collaborative partnership between Andover} Anoka, Ramsey, Anoka County and Anoka- Hennepin School District #11. This consortium has overseen the programming of Youth First Community of Promise, a successful community effort to ensure that youth are more likely to succeed academically, socially} and contribute to their community, regardless of ethnic or economic boundaries. At the recent Taste of Community event at Greenhaven Golf Course and Conference Center, we heard from three young men whose lives have literally been changed by the programming of Youth First and they are representative of many others. If you would like to see more of the work of Youth First, please go to www.vouthlst.net. Although the Taste of Community fundraising effort was a success, and we are thankful for those who participated, there nevertheless remains a significant, critical need for funding as soon as possible. We have reached a crossroads we have never experienced before. Without a reSDonse from the community. the Youth First DroRramminR may be at least temDorarilv closed down in the near future. You should be aware that many efforts have been made by the board and the staff to overcome this funding shortage in the past two years, such as: . We were able to receive 501(c) (3) status from the IRS, thinking that this would remove a barrier for some who would consider making a personal donation. . Many grants have been applied for with little revenue generated. . We have been pursuing collaborative funding mechanisms with District #11 and those discussions are ongoing. · We are approaching our faith communities this fall and some are planning special offerings or other fund raising events. Others have faithfully funded on-going programming for many years. · Our City partners have consistently made efforts to find ways to assist with increased funding needs. · For the past two years at the annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, we have m.ade the plea for "grass roots" financial support~-- Despite all of these efforts and more, we are at the point of negative cash flow. Bv sendinR YOU this letter. we want to make YOU aware of this dire need and Rive YOU an oDDortunity to helD. Thank you for your past support and please consider making a tax deductible donation by sending a check to Youth First Community of Promise at 6701 Hwy 10 Ramsey, MN 55303. If you have questions about this, please call Heidi Geiss at (763) 421~8530. We will be having a Board Meeting on Nov 5th and we will be discussing the current cash position arid the possibility of closure. Please help us avoid this. Sincerely, Diane Henning, on behalf of the Youth First and Northwest Anoka County Community Consortium Board of Directors 6701 Hwy 10 NW Ramsey, Minnesota 55303 BUS (763) 421-8530 FAX (763) 421-8960 www.youth1st.net