Dear Friends of YSOP,
This fall, YSOP student volunteers are making a difference! YSOP volunteers are serving the greater New York City and Washington, DC regions by providing hundreds of volunteer hours to agencies serving the hungry and homeless communities. Here is a sample of some of the service programs our groups have participated on:  YSOP DC hosted two service days this fall. A group from Best Kids, Inc., an organization that mentors foster care children, engaged in service in honor of Make a Difference Day. Middle School students from the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland worked with YSOP and served with five local agencies.  In New York, the Congregational Church of New Canaan, CT sent two high school groups to YSOP to participate on two overnight programs, making this their fifth year serving with YSOP.  This winter, Drew University will return to YSOP for their fifth weeklong program. They will provide the necessary services to agencies serving the hungry and homeless after the winter holidays.
YSOP leads young people and adults in service projects year round. Participants range from individual and public schools, colleges and universities, groups of families, community organizations, and religious groups. There is still time to register for spring and summer programming. Log onto our website for more information or contact our offices with questions.
 Staff Spotlight
YSOP: New York City
 YSOP welcomes Emily Wheeler (right), who will serve as the AmeriCorps Fellow in New York. Emily is originally from Massachusetts and while in high school she participated in three YSOP weeklong workcamps in NY and DC with her youth group from the UCC Norwell, MA. Emily notes her new position has "allowed me to experience YSOP from a whole new angle than I did when I was a youth participant… I’m really looking forward to the rest of my time as a YSOP Fellow and I hope to continue to learn more about issues of homelessness and hunger in New York City and services that are available to residents to help alleviate these problems.”Lisa Gesson (left), recently transitioned to become the National Program Director, from her position as the NY Program Director. Lisa has been with YSOP since 2002 serving as a Workcamp Leader and then in 2006 directing our NY program. In addition to directing the NY program Lisa will supervise DC programming. YSOP: Washington, DC  Dimitry Beauchamp has decided to step down as YSOP’s Washington, DC Program Director to spend more time at home with her family. Dimitry will continue on the YSOP staff as a part time National Consultant, aiding the DC program and working on our website, communications, fund raising as well as expanding YSOP programs to other cities. YSOP appointed Sarah DeGrandpre as the new Washington DC Program Director. Sarah has a long history with YSOP serving for two years as a YSOP AmeriCorps Fellow, then as our Associate Program Director in DC, and recently as our Acting Program Director while Dimitry was on maternity leave.
Participating on an upcoming program?
Read about recent trends in homelessness from the National Coalition for the Homeless
 Research from the National Coalition for the Homeless shows African-Americans, men between the ages of 31 and 50, and people with disabilities are all at a higher risk of becoming homeless.  Suburban or rural areas have seen a 57% increase in the number of people using shelters in the past four years, while principal cities have seen a 17% decrease in this area. The number of homeless persons in families has increased by 20% in the past four years. What are YSOP participants doing to address these issues?  In New York, YSOP continues to work with agencies for people with mental illness. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, studies show that the majority of people who reside on the streets in New York live with mental illness or other severe health problems. Recently, YSOP has partnered with a site that works with individuals institutionalized by mental illness, so that our volunteers can learn more about these issues.
In the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, there has been a 38% increase of people literally homeless in Prince William County, VA, and a 6% increase in Montgomery County, MD in the past year. To address this need, YSOP volunteers are heading to the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland to work at food banks and furniture banks.
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