{"id":11818,"date":"2016-02-22T15:41:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T20:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=11818"},"modified":"2016-02-22T15:41:06","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T20:41:06","slug":"valley-youth-house-and-mercy-school-for-special-learning-partner-together-to-help-homeless-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=11818","title":{"rendered":"Valley Youth House and Mercy School for Special Learning Partner Together to Help Homeless Youth"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Allentown, PA (2\/22\/16<\/span><\/span>) \u2013 Valley Youth House\u2019s The Synergy Project received 50 bags of supplies on Ash Wednesday<\/span><\/span> from Mercy School for Special Learning in honor of Catholic Schools Week, which was held the first week in February.\u00a0 Mercy School for Special Learning students, staff, families, and friends donated two wagons full of supplies for The Synergy Project, a program of Valley Youth House.<\/p>\n

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The Synergy Project is a street outreach program of Valley Youth House (VYH) designed to assist runaway, homeless, nomadic, and street youth in Allentown age 21 and under.\u00a0 The program offers survival supplies, peer support, informal counseling, information and referral service and assistance to help youth off of the streets, if desired.\u00a0 The Synergy Project also will soon offer a mobile drop-in center for youth to shower, receive a hot meal, and find relief from the outdoors.Each year, The Synergy Project helps hundreds of youth and Valley Youth House is grateful to have the support of organizations, like Mercy School for Special Learning, in this endeavor.\u00a0 The Mercy School for Special Learning\u2019s donation consisted of critical items for homeless youth, including food, clothing, hygiene products, and other supplies.<\/p>\n

Based in Allentown, Mercy School For Special Learning is the Lehigh Valley\u2019s only private, nonresidential school for children and adults with for developmental and\/or intellectual disabilities.\u00a0 Advancement Director, Tom Harper, says that students were excited to take part in the donation collection and that the experience will help them realize how important efforts like The Synergy Project \u2013 and their own philanthropic endeavors \u2013 are to supporting people in need throughout the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunity engagement is an important part of the overall educational experience at Mercy,\u201d he says. \u201cStudents here learn at an early age that it\u2019s important to help those who are less fortunate. By helping people in need through The Synergy Project, our students are able to see firsthand how their generosity and philanthropy have a significant impact in the community.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Emily Conners, a Development Officer at Valley Youth House says of the donation, \u201cWe are so grateful to Mercy School for Special Learning for thinking of VYH and of all the homeless youth that are in need this winter and all year long.\u00a0\u00a0 Their donation will be able to assist so many homeless youth in our community.\u00a0 It has also been a wonderful experience of nonprofits partnering together to make our community a safer, healthier place for all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Austin Braun, a student at Mercy School for Special Learning, hands supplies to The Synergy Project Coordinator, Sean Searfass, to put in his Jeep.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Students, Jolie Sessoms, Austin Braun, Tylee Esbensen, Jordan Bamba and Roman Moscato, with the donated supplies for Valley Youth House’s The Synergy Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About Valley Youth House<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Valley Youth House (www.ValleyYouthHouse.org<\/u><\/a>) does more than just provide homes for Pennsylvania\u2019s vulnerable, abused and homeless youth. We partner with thousands of individuals each year to build a solid foundation for young people and their families. With dedicated street outreach, housing, counseling, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services, we empower resilient young people in establishing promising futures.<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact:<\/em><\/div>\n