In this issue: Chef Lasse Sorensen teaches youth to cook; White Castle “rounds up” for Youth In Need; and Youth In Need Earns COA Re-Accreditation

Food Is Love

Earlier this month, Chef Lasse Sorensen, his Food Is Love team and Verizon staff provided dinners of Italian beef and chicken sandwiches and macaroni and cheese to youth in Youth In Need’s residential programs. Chef Lasse also taught approximately 10 youth how to make carbonara. In addition to meeting their basic needs, Youth In Need’s residential programs help youth reach educational and employment goals while they learn life skills (like cooking!) that are necessary for independent living.

In the show Food Is Love, viewers follow along as Danish American Chef Lasse explores local neighborhoods and spends time in the kitchens of some of our region’s most-celebrated restaurants and eateries, learning about the people and culture behind the food.

A huge thank you to Marc Lindauer, Associate Director of Network Operations at Verizon, for coordinating this opportunity and his team of engineers for being on hand to share their career journeys with the youth. At Verizon, they’re dedicated to bringing economic, environmental and social change to the communities they serve. This partnership represents the amazing work they’re doing in the St. Louis community, and we look forward to working together in the coming months!

Round Up for Youth In Need

White Castle is holding another “round up” for Youth In Need through the end of December! Dine at one of the participating locations below, and you’ll have a chance to “round up” your purchase to the nearest dollar for Youth In Need. The first three sessions, held earlier last year and again this spring, raised more than $60,000 for Youth In Need’s programs.

11120 New Halls Ferry Road | Florissant, 63033
13600 Manchester Road | St. Louis, 63131
4201 Veterans Memorial Parkway | St. Peters, 63376
2000 Highway 94 | St. Charles, 63303
12025 Dorsett Road | St. Louis, 63043
2212 Highway K | O’Fallon, 63368
1983 Wentzville Parkway | Wentzville, 63386
11979 Paul Mayer Avenue | Bridgeton, 63044

Youth In Need Earns COA Re-Accreditation

Youth In Need recently completed its rigorous re-accreditation process with the Council on Accreditation (COA), the national accreditation body that verifies organizations against standards of best practice. Accreditation standards cover administration and management as well as service delivery for runaway and homeless youth programs, counseling and foster care.

COA reviewers shared their feedback at an exit conference last month. They reviewed 620 standards and noted no areas of concern or noncompliance!

Here is just a sample of the positive notes from reviewers:

  • Staff are dedicated, caring, passionate, compassionate, warm and proud.
  • Financial reports, processes and board committees are “impeccable!”
  • The Development team “digs hard to find support for what you need.”
  • Residential facilities are “truly home-like, friendly, clean, comfortable and welcoming.”
  • The board is dedicated, aligned and diverse.
  • Human Resources’ records are “the ultimate in organization . . . most impeccable we’ve ever seen!”
  • The “depth and breadth of school-based counseling is unbelievable.”
  • Outreach services engage young people and are “absolutely amazing.”
  • Staff training, professional development and supervision are comprehensive.
  • The quality assurance structure is comprehensive, and data is used at all levels of the organization.
  • Youth In Need shows “profound respect for the personal dignity of clients and staff.”
  • Foster care staff are committed to making sure children have permanent families.

The preparation and review process, which occurs every four years, takes more than a year, beginning with a self-assessment, followed by a preliminary self-study and a full self-study, which requires a comprehensive review and update of policies and procedures, job descriptions and many other documents. COA also conducts a survey of Youth In Need’s clients, board members, employees and community partners. Concluding with a site visit, the process also includes interviews with staff and site tours.