We want to thank each and every one of you who supported us on #GivingTuesday. Your photos, Tweets, Facebook fundraisers, emails, and donations helped us raise money to provide more homes, more resources, more food, and more support for the many homeless youth throughout the U.S.

If you didn’t get a chance to donate on Giving Tuesday, it’s not too late! Click here to get your Giving Tuesday donation in.

Anna was born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. by her parents when she was six years old. They were living in the low-income side of town. Anna was struggling in school. She started getting into drugs and her parents kicked her out of the house.

“At that point I realized I needed to enter treatment for my addiction, and while at the facility I heard about StandUp For Kids. A mentor there told me StandUp was a great place that could help me get on my feet. I entered the mentoring program in November of 2017 and I told them I was here illegally and had no-where to go. No one would hire me, but they found ways to help me. They sent me to immigration lawyers, and made sure that I knew what my options were,” Anna said.

Today, Anna is one-year sober. She’s learning leadership skills and her work papers were granted. She says she’s looking forward to giving back once she’s fully on her own.

Read more about Anna’s story on our blog. To help us create more bright futures for homeless youth, donate now or learn more about how you can get involved.

 

In honor of Thanksgiving, we asked our staff members and volunteers to share why they are thankful for StandUp For Kids and what it means to them. Here’s what they said:

“StandUp For Kids is important because it provides youth with emotional support and physical resources, often filling needs that need to be met before youth can even begin to think about their futures. StandUp For Kids, in a way reminds youth they CAN have bright futures.” – Kyndall, National Office

“We’re building relationships with youth and creating a presence in their lives, often before they seek services. Often we’re the first, or only adults these kids feel safe turning to and I’m so proud of all our volunteers for stepping up to help protect and serve our communities in such a selfless way.” – Kyle, Tacoma-Pierce County

Read more of what our team had to say on our blog.