January
Sleepover at the Fresh Youth Initiatives building.
Sleepover Agenda 2008

February
Get Ready for the 11th Annual Sleeping Bag-a-Thon: February 2009:
Contact Jerry: (212) 781-1113 ext. 243 or jroman@freshyouth.org
Download Registration Form (.pdf) Look at our 2008 Flyer (.pdf)
Our 10th Annual Sleeping Bag-a-Thon was held Saturday, February 2, 2008. FYI's Sleeping Bag-a-Thon is an annual event where we invite members of the community of Washington Heights and other organizations to spend the day working on one of our staple projects: making sleeping bags from scratch for the homeless. It is very important for FYI to host this type of event along side young people as it brings the community together, serves as a youth development tool by offering FYI veterans an opportunity to play a leadership role, and helps keep the FYI spirit alive.

View the pictures from Sleeping Bag-a-Thon February 8, 2008

2007 Results: Thanks to 162 volunteer participants, we were able to make headway on over 30 sleeping bags, 50 mittens and 50 pillows. FYI's youth particpants will finish the job and start handing out the sleeping bags with the "I Care Kits" inside them ASAP.
Shout outs for making this event so successful go to FYI staff members Jeremiah Roman and Nadya Encarnacion for leading the event, our host at PS 128 Principal Rosa Arredondo, FYI Board Member David Payamps for dee-jaying and keeping the beats going all day long, and to Keith Nobert for the great photography.
We also want to thank Building With Books, Harlem Children's Zone, Bishop Laughlin High School, LiveBeGrow, Phipps Community Development, and SalesForce.com for sending volunteers as a group. And a final shout goes out to DNB Nor Bank for both providing funds to sponsor the event, and sending a group of volunteers.
Manhattan Times Community group provides resources for the homeless. Andrew Rubinson, director of FYI, said, "Most service projects are outside, so this is a perfect event for the middle of the winter...The Sleeping Bag-a-Thon is also a way to talk about the important social issues of homelessness."

Read Article 2007 (pdf)
Read Article 2008 (pdf)

Trip USA
Each year during winter or spring break, FYI takes a group of 18 participants. To one of the major incentives of the year which is Trip USA. In previous years FYI has gone to Miami, FL., San Francisco, CA., Ann Arbor, MI., Berea, KY. What these participants do to go to this incentive trip is doing community service. And the top 18, or so, with the most community service hours have the privilege to go on this exciting trip. During this trip we go site seeing and do community service and have lots of fun. Trip USA 2006 was spent in Indiana. We thank the Dekko Foundation (especially Kimberly Schroeder!) and all their Youth Pods for hosting us in such a lovely and fun way. View pictures from Trip USA 2008

March
Read Across America: TBA 2008
Read Across America is a project of the National Education Association. Every year, on March 2nd (the birthday of the late great Dr. Seuss) children and adults all over the nation celebrate the importance and fun of reading. For the past five years, FYI has hosted an afternoon of literacy reach activities.

Activities include reading to elementary school aged children, distributing books to children and adults in our community and creating writing activities that are then shared with our neighbors. Get involved by donating new or in excellent condition books

April
Youth Leader Gettaway

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day: TBA 2008
In addition to promoting community involvement, one of our goals is to provide a range of growth experiences for these enthusiastic youth, both inside and outside the neighborhood.
One such experience is the annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, organized by the Ms. Foundation for Women. On this day, thousands of young men and women explore future career possibilities by attending the worksite of a parent or other adult mentor.
If you are a professional man or woman and would like to consider becoming a host for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day 2008, please contact us: (212) 781-1113 or joann@freshyouth.org.
Hosting involves introducing a young man or woman to your job, having him/her shadow you for the day, providing lunch, and inviting him/her to help you with your work. Because arranging transportation for just one youth may be difficult, it would be helpful if you could ask a co-worker to see if they could join you in hosting two or more FYI participants.
Check to see if your company has something already planned, many companies plan special group activities on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
Host Fact Sheet and Registration Form (.pdf)

May
6th Annual Spring Clean Up - Service Saturday: TBA 2008
For the past five years, during the first part of May, FYI has held a Spring Clean Up. This event, open to participants of our organization, concentrates on activities that benefit our immediate neighborhood. Clean ups of our local parks, removing graffiti from our mailboxes and working in our community garden are examples of the kinds of projects we do on this day. After a morning of volunteering, we have a picnic lunch complete with a three-legged race and ants. Get involved by donating supplies.

Our Community Action Heroes Award Ceremony was held on May 10, 2007. 2007 honorees were: Fern Hertzberg, Arc Ft. Washington Senior Center; Carol Strauss, Travel Four; and FYI's Graduating Seniors : Angela Abreu, Gena Heyward, Joffre Peralta, Rachel Alvarado, Ruben Perez, & Ziandry Peralta. Thank you for your support.
Our Community Action Heroes Award Ceremony # 2 was held on May 29 2008. 2008 honorees were Sarah Margridge, Tony Lopez, Sandra , and FYI's Graduating Seniors: Alexis Canela and Yampiero Polanco. Thank you for your support.

June
Community Presentations
After a long and busy program year, we take the time to recognize those young people and adults who make our work possible. Community Presentations is an awards ceremony, held this year at (TBA), where we give out plaques, certificates, gear, etc. to those who, "take responsibility for things that matter."
From 2008==> Alumni Reunion Pics!!!

July to August
Summer of Service Daycamp
Scatico Summer Retreat
Summer Youth Employment

During the summer months, FYI takes a break from events to run its community service summer day camp and to prepare for our fall events. Scatico Summer Retreat 2007 FYI's end-of-summer retreat to Camp Scatico celebrated another summer of serious fun. Twenty-nine participants and seven staff spent three nights having fun, reflecting on the summer's achievements, and preparing for the upcoming program year. As always, FYI is so lucky to have friends like David Fleishner & Diana Wallerstein (www.scatico.com) who have hosted FYI retreats for many years. View pictures from Camp Scatico 2007

September
The 14th Annual Serve-A-Thon was held on Saturday, October 4, 2008
The biggest community service event ever to take place in Washington Heights: Fresh Youth Initiatives' Serve-A-Thon is a celebration of volunteerism held every year in September to kick off our program year. The whole FYI family, including members of the Washington Heights/Inwood community and friends of the organization spend the morning doing various community service projects. In the afternoon, the celebration continues with music, games, food, raffles and more community building. Past Serve-a-Thons have included mural painting, gardening, park clean-ups, making sleeping bags for the homeless, painting the gym of a church, and packing and sending boxes of clothes and food to shelters.

See Serve-A-Thon 2008 Pictures!
The 13th Annual Serve-A-Thon was held on Saturday, September 29, 2007. See Serve-A-Thon 2007 Pictures!

October

November

RELAX with Fresh Youth Initiatives was on November 14, 2008
Fresh Youth Initiatives Board of Directors invited you to RELAX (Refresh, Energize, Libations, Atmosphere, Xcellent Vibe)on Friday, November 14, 2008 from 7PM-10PM at the Loft at AVEvenue: 15 West 28th Street/ Suite 10B. Good Food, Great People, Sangria, Margaritas, Cerveza, Tapas. Silent Auction items included Knicks and Rangers tickets, Daily Show taping and good restaurants.

2008 Turkey Drive: TBA
Thanks to you and your generosity, the FYI Helping Hands Food Pantry was able to gather & distribute over 200 Turkeys in 2007. Join the Helping Hands Food Pantry, NYC's only youth run food pantry, in partnership with Inwood Community Services November 2008 "Round-Up" Thanksgiving turkeys for needy families and senior citizens in OUR community. $15 will provide one family with a Thanksgiving turkey.

Any amount you donate will help up reach this goal. Download Turkey Round Up Donation Form

2007 Inwood Turkey Round-up: SUCCESS! Thanks to all our generous donors, the FYI Helping Hands Food Pantry was able to "Round-up" and distribute 205 turkeys!

Food Drive 2007
During the month of November, FYI participants focused their time and energy towards hunger relief. Throughout the month we were doing a lot of outreach to our local schools so that they could assist us in a month long can drive. Aside from the schools, we also received various can donations from the Hebrew Tabernacle School. We capped of the month long can drive with a Saturday food drive that took place on November 17th, 2007.
Gristedeis Supermarket, Fine Fare Supermarket, and Bravo Supermarket were gracious enough to allow us to hold food drives in front of their establishments. We collected over 500 cans of canned goods and over $100 in donations, which was used to purchase canned goods. All of the cans collected were sent over to our Helping Hands Food Pantry to be distributed to our clients. Many thanks for all the FYI participants who were a part of the food drive and to all those who helped by making can donations to us.

December
Festival of Lights will be held in December 2008. December is a month in which many of us celebrate or meditate about life in many different ways. The light of a candle appears to be present as a symbol in whatever way a tradition is kept in different parts of the world. In some cases for religious reasons, in other cases not. In every culture throughout history the light represents Strength and Faith.
See the Holiday Fiesta Pictures of 2007

Other Programs
Mentoring Program
Mentor Calendar