The Pike County Youth Coalition invites the public to attend its second annual community dinner on Friday, August 21st at 7:00 PM at the Dingman Township Firehouse. This year’s theme is “Renewal through Service: Celebrating Community Volunteerism.” The event will highlight local volunteer organizations and kick off Pike County’s new youth mentoring program. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for both students and those who sign up to be a mentor at www.pikeyouth.org/mentor.

The dinner will be catered by local youth culinary talent and feature live youth entertainment. Tickets can be purchased or reserved at http://pcycdinner.eventbrite.com. Those who attend are asked to contribute to a collection of school supplies for less fortunate children in our area. To contact the Pike County Youth Coalition, email pcyc@pikeyouth.org or call (570) 798-PCYC.

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Media Contact:

Kaitlin Paul, Communications Director: press@pikeyouth.org// (845) 741-2754

For Immediate Release: Youth Mentorship Service Project Launches

Local citizens have joined together to establish a youth mentorship program in Pike County, part of the “United We Serve” initiative that kicked off this week. The initiative is a national effort by President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer, particularly focusing on four key areas: education, healthcare, energy and community renewal.

United We Serve officially launched on June 22 and will last 12 weeks until September 11, which will be marked by a national day of service and remembrance. “This summer, I’m calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation,” the President said in a video message on the initiative’s Web site, www.serve.gov.

On June 9, the Pike County Youth Coalition (PCYC) convened a preliminary meeting of over a dozen non-profit, civic and government leaders to discuss the initiative and decide what type of volunteer project was needed in the County. PCYC’s Executive Director, Nick Troiano, was invited to be part of a group of service organization leaders that were briefed on the initiative by First Lady Michelle Obama in late May, giving the group ample lead time in planning.

“When we began this process, we did not know what type of project we were going to undertake,” Troiano said. “But we did recognize that if we were to make a significant impact on any issue our community faces, it will take a group effort,” he said.

Using the recently completed Wayne/Pike Needs Assessment as a foundation, the group decided that a mentorship program that paired responsible citizens with at-risk youth is both needed and would greatly benefit the County. “Youth Support” was identified as one of the top five priorities in the assessment.

“This project will meet a real need in our County, and I applaud the group for its efforts,” said Harry Forbes, Pike County Commissioner and a member of the project’s steering committee.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, young people who are mentored by a volunteer, even for just a few hours per week, will improve their performance in school, increase their self-confidence, and be less likely to consume drugs or alcohol.

"Anytime that we as citizens can keep our youth on the right track and involved in worthwhile activities, the less likely it is that they will take a wrong turn toward becoming unproductive citizens,” said State Representative John Siptroth, one of the project’s supporters. “I encourage community members to become involved,” he added.

The project’s steering committee is seeking ideas and input from the community, including those who want to help organize the program. They are encouraged to contact mentor@pikeyouth.org. More information, including a sign up form for young people looking for a mentor and volunteers who are interested in mentoring, is located at www.pikeyouth.org/mentor.

Our site is up at www.dvsbonline.com, and our first meeting will be tonight - BUT, some technical difficulties may prevent everything from working correctly. We really are up against the clock, and we'll try our best, but no promises can be made. If tonight is unsuccessful, please check back in July. Thank you for your patience.

The Pike County Youth Coalition will be convening a meeting on June 9 to discuss a national service initiative and how our community can be a part of it. The letter below is being sent to various service organizations and community leaders.

Pike County Summer Service Initiative

To Whom It May Concern:

I recently had the honor of joining the First Lady in Washington, DC for a meeting to discuss a new service initiative that will be launched next month by the Corporation for National and Community Service. I am excited to share what I have learned with you and to gather your feedback. Hopefully, you and/or your organization will be interested in becoming involved.

The Summer Service Initiative is designed to engage citizens across the country in high-impact, community-based service projects. It will be announced with a call to service by the President in early June and take place between June 22 and September 11. The focus will be on economic recovery, particularly around education, energy/environment, healthcare and community renewal. Its purpose is to bolster civic engagement and to establish public/private partnerships to develop sustainable service opportunities for all Americans.

At a time when we face tremendous challenges, Americans have demonstrated a desire to give back at levels unprecedented in decades. The initiative aims to funnel this energy into meeting growing social needs, town-by-town and city-by-city. The White House and federal agencies will be generating excitement about this national initiative and providing resources through www.serve.gov; it will be our task to locally develop one or more ways to engage the many citizens that are expected to become interested and look to contribute in their own backyard.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for community leaders, volunteers and organizations in Pike County to come together to work on a project this summer that focuses on specific issues within our own community, while engaging and expanding our local volunteer base. The recently completed Wayne/Pike Needs Assessment provides a great place to start in identifying one or more areas of focus for such a project.

You or a representative from your organization are cordially invited to attend a meeting on Tuesday, June 9 at the County Administration Building’s basement conference room to brainstorm and plan a project for the summer service initiative. The meeting will either be held at 9:00 AM or 7:00 PM, depending on when more people are able to attend. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience, indicating if either or both times are preferable. The invitation is open, so please feel free to forward this to any person or organization you believe might be interested.

It is my hope that we can create a consensus at this meeting about what kind of project we can jointly launch on June 22 and how we each can contribute to its success. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

Nick Troiano

Executive Director, PCYC

James Montemarano is 12 years-old and is in 6th grade. He told us about a project he is working on for class:

"I am writing about how kids should have a say in the school board because they are going to school not the parents. I asked a couple of the school board runners about their opinion and I think that students should have a say in their school. Having the kids do this is an experience and good help for the future."

James thinks students should have the right to vote in school board elections since they are directly affected by board policy (as he says, not their parents). He says that only students in 6th grade and up should be allowed to do so because "most younger kids do what their parents think."

Kudos, James! What an intriguing proposal. We'll keep you updated on the candidates' responses.