With recent funding changes and an uncertain funding future ahead, Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) is raffling off a brand-new craftsmen chicken coop to raise funds for their programs.
With recent funding changes and an uncertain funding future ahead, Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) is raffling off a brand-new craftsmen chicken coop to raise funds for their programs.
THE DALLES — If you watched The Dalles Cherry Festival Parade this past weekend you may have seen a happy bright blue chicken coop being followed by three dancing chickens. What you may not know is that this chicken coop is helping to raise money for housing and shelter services for youth in crisis in our community.
With recent funding changes and an uncertain funding future ahead, Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) is raffling off a brand-new craftsmen chicken coop to raise funds for their programs. YES is a local nonprofit that operates the only youth crisis shelter in the Gorge, is open 24/7, and supports youth and young adults ages 10-24 years old experiencing homelessness or crisis.
For this fundraiser, YES board member Kateel Muhs and her husband Ben took on the task of building a chicken coop.
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“In recent years, youth housing and shelter services have been recognized as high priority and a supported cause in legislation, creating some funding to help YES to strengthen our services and keep up with the growing need that we have seen in our community,” said YES Executive Director Livia Christensen. “However, we have started to see some changes to our funding and with these uncertainties, our team is coming up with creative ways to raise unrestricted funds to support our programs to fill in the gaps and keep us operating 24/7/365.”
For this fundraiser, YES board member Kateel Muhs and her husband Ben took on the task of building a chicken coop. Another long time YES board member Doug Quisenberry helped to secure an anonymous donation to pay for the materials. That means the proceeds from raffle ticket sales can go right to where it is needed the most.
“We are lucky to have such dedicated board members and community members that see the importance of our work and have stepped up to help make this fundraiser possible,” said Mary Gabriel, associate director at YES. “When people are willing to give their time and resources like this, it not only helps us raise funds, but also spreads the word about our programs and what we do.”
Tickets for the chicken coop raffle are $25 each or five tickets for $100. They can be purchased online at www.yeshelter.org or in person at our YES office at 610 Court St. in The Dalles. Tickets will be available for purchase until Thursday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. Only 300 raffle tickets will be sold, and the winning ticket will be drawn on Friday, May 1. Get your tickets before they’re gone! The chicken coop can fit up to six chickens and is wired for power. YES will provide curbside delivery of the chicken coop within 40 miles of The Dalles. All of the proceeds from this fundraiser will support the work of YES.
YES offers emergency shelter and support to youth and young adults in crisis. Located right here in The Dalles and serving the entire Gorge region, YES provides a safe and stable environment for youth to regroup, heal, and reconnect with caring adults through two main programs — the YES House and the Transition House. The Transition House offers low-cost housing, life skills instruction, support, and advocacy to individuals 17-24 years old that are experiencing housing instability. YES also operates a number of projects that help build skills, connect youth to their community and foster a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Youth Empowerment Shelter is the only provider of shelter services specifically for homeless youth in our region. With your help, YES is making sure youth in our community have a safe place to go when they need it most. For more information or to support this cause, please visit our website at www.yeshelter.org.
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