United Way of Greater Cincinnati - LIVE UNITED

Youth Engaged in Service (YES)

YES is comprised of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky high school students, YES encourages young people to volunteer and organizations to better involve youth.

As a member of YES you will:

• Participate in planning meetings
• Complete monthly community service projects
• Recruit friends to participate
• Meet new friends from the region
• Make a difference in the community

Get involved and spread the word!

• Fill out an application to join YES
• Visit us on Facebook to get updates on upcoming projects and see photos and results from past projects
• Download and share the YES flyer with your friends

Upcoming Projects

River Sweep
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Schmidt Field- 2944 Humbert St, Cincinnati, OH 45226
9a.m.- approximately 11 (time may vary depending on amount of litter)

River Sweep is a riverbank cleanup that extends the entire length of the Ohio River and beyond. More than 3,000 miles of shoreline will be combed for trash and debris. This is the largest environmental event of its kind and encompasses six states.

Day of Action
Build Literacy Kits
June 21, 2012
Fifth Third Convening Center at United Way

Join our work to help reach one of our Bold Goals around education: At least 85% of children prepared for kindergarten. Literacy kits focus on increasing rhyming and alphabet skills; the most challenging areas when looking at kindergarten readiness in literacy. The kits will encourage shared reading among parents and children, so that they are able to expand on the story and develop critical thinking skills.

Volunteers will create fun props to go along with pre-selected books and package them up to send to local preschoolers on their way to kindergarten.

To sign up for one, or both of these projects e-mail Nickol Mora at nickol.mora@uwgc.org

Recent Projects

April Service Project	March Service Project
A little cold and rain won't stop our volunteers from rolling up their sleeves. On April 21, YES members participated in the Great American Cleanup hosted by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. Together, they climbed 355 steps between OTR and Mt. Auburn that once ran along the incline route. They removed graffiti and picke dup more than a dozen bags with trash and recycling. The total value contributed through time was more than $400. Click here to view more photos from this project	March provided several opportunities for YES members to volunteer. With projects at Stepping Stones Center, a paint day at Gorman Heritage Farm, and United Way's Financial Fitness Day, there was great variety. Volunteers acted as camp counselors for the day, painted anything and everything around the farm, and greeted, registered, and hosted more than 100 individuals attending Financial Fitness Day. The total value contributed through time was more than $700.

Past 2010 Projects

November 2011

On Saturday, November 19, YES volunteers learned what it takes to be a self-sufficient and sustainable community through green initiatives.

At Imago, volunteers helped with habitat restoration and cleared trails. Through their service they learned the importance of this community’s efforts to salvage, re-purpose, and rehab to improve their homes and neighborhood.

Imago is a 16- acre habitat preserve in Price Hil, a section called Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage. It is a grassroots community-based, urban ecological education organization committed to living in harmony with the Earth and its people.

The value contributed to this project through time was more than $800. View more photos.

October 2011

There’s nothing like a gorgeous day out on the farm to launch a new year of volunteer projects. On October 15, YES volunteers lent a hand at Gorman Heritage Farm for their Family Costume Party. Volunteers assisted with the party tent where they read books and played games with the children. They also served up some snacks along the way, worked the hayride, served as farmhands and greeted visitors with a friendly smile.

Gorman Heritage Farm is a 120-acre working farm and outdoor education center, which invites its visitors to explore and learn the history, methods and values of a working family farm in a natural setting.

Volunteers contributed more than $2,100 through volunteer time and materials.View more photos

June 2011

On a rainy Saturday morning, YES volunteers were putting on their LIVE UNITED T-shirts for the 2011 River Sweep.

River Sweep is an annual cleanup along 3,000 miles of the Ohio River  beginning  in Pittsburgh, Pa. and continuing to Cairo, Ill. Approximately 100 volunteers attended the Schmidt Field location and picked up several pounds of trash−joining nearly 700 sites on the day's efforts. The final collection numbers are yet to be confirmed.  Most litter included plastics and glass; although, we did come across a baseball plate, shoes and a large metal sign.

River Sweep is sponsored by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) and has been taking place for 22 years. Participants were thanked with a T-shirt and prizes, including tickets to Cincinnati Museum Center, restaurant coupons and games. The value contributed through time and materials was more than $1,600. View more photos

May 2011

After endless days of rain, the sun finally shone just in time to get some volunteering time in. On a gorgeous Saturday morning YES volunteers, accompanied by their parents and guardians for the first time, spent three hours landscaping two areas at Camp Joy. They dug ditches, cleared weeds, set down tarp and spread landscaping rock. Not only does it make the area more aesthetically pleasing, but it minimizes weeding and allows staff to better dedicate their time to campers and guests.

Camp Joy provides unique, hands-on, outdoor experiences for underserved youth and families. The goals of these programs are to create a safe place to enhance relationships with those in similar situations, learn new skills, and enhance self-esteem.

The value contributed through time and materials was more than $700. View more photos

March 2011

In order for agencies to continue their impactful work, they rely on the support of contributions; whether it be time or financial donations. On Sunday, March 20, YES members volunteered at an auction that would help raise proceeds for New Life Furniture to do just that. YES volunteers help set up and organize the auction items before the event, and assisted with food service and hospitality during the auction.

New Life Furniture is a non-profit that provides gently used furniture to people in need. They not only providefamilies and individuals with essential items, but also provide delivery service. This eliminates the barrier of the receiving family having to find a way to go get the furniture items and bring them back to their home themselves.The value contirbuted to this project through time was $625. In addition, the event raised almost $8,000. View more photos

February 2011

More than one year after the earthquake that left an estimated 200,000 dead in Haiti, survivors are still trying to recover. Millions have been left homeless and individuals and families are still struggling to find safe shelter and food. In an effort to provide a basic need, YES members joined hundreds of individuals at A Child's Hope International for the Haiti Million Meal Marathon on February 26. Our group packed 17 boxes of meals for a total of 3,672 servings of food. At the end of the day, we helped bring the total of meals to 312,096. A Child's Hope International makes it its mission to motivate and mobilize the church and the community to serve the orphans of the world, the children in foster care, and all hungry and vulnerable children. In addition to the meals packaged, we contributed $625 worth of time. View more photos

December 2010

This holiday season YES volunteered with Brighton Center for their annual Every Child Succeeds holiday party. Every Child Succeeds is making a difference for families in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky through home visits that help first-time parents create a nurturing, healthy environment for their children. On December 14, 2010, YES volunteers prepared a delicious lasagna meal for 190 individuals! Activities included cookie decorating, coloring and a very special visit by Santa.  All the children received their very own book to continue to expand their learning and imagination through literacy. The value contributed to this project through time and materials was more than $1,200. View more photos

November 2010

Perfect weather greeted YES volunteers for a day of raking on November 20, 2010. The group raked yards for two senior homeowners in Madeira and Amberley Village who are assisted by Sycamore Senior Center. Sycamore has a mission to allow older adults to live their lives with independence and dignity for as long as possible in their own homes. Center programs include education, health screenings, exercise and wellness programs, travel, social activities, computer training, hot lunches and volunteer opportunities. The value contributed to this project through time and materials was more than $1,200.

October 2010

There's nothing like coming home to a warm meal, but sometimes situations happen that take us away from our daily routines. On October 19, 2010, YES members volunteered their time to assist the staff at Hope Lodge in some household chores, and provided a spaghetti dinner for the residents. Hope Lodge is a cost-free, temporary "home away from home" for cancer patients and their caregivers at a time when they need it most. In three hours, volunteers prepared the dinner, vacuumed, dusted, sorted pantry donations, assembled care packages and even had time to tour the facility. The value contributed to this project in time and materials was more than $1,000.

View more photos

See more photos from past projects on our YES Projects Archive

Can't attend any of the events above? Visit United Way's The Volunteer Connection Web site or download our Volunteer & Go Guide to find more upcoming volunteer opportunities.

For more information or to sign up for a service project, e-mail nickol.mora@uwgc.org or call United Way 211 (dial 2-1-1).