Over 1,400 youth and young adults live and sleep on the streets of our nation’s capital.
Please join us in our campaign to fight youth homelessness in the District at a magical and moving evening.
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ABOUT BENEFIT. Our Third Annual Sasha Bruce Youthwork Benefit to End Youth Homelessness, Sounds of a Bright Future, will take place on Monday, May 1, 2017 on the rooftop of 101 Constitution Avenue overlooking the Capitol. For the past three years, DC’s concerned and philanthropic leaders have gathered together to help fight youth homelessness. We are pleased to announce that the Chairs for Sounds of a Bright Future will be Morgan & Josh Genderson, Jamie & David Tolson, and Shelly & Joe Galli. Our Corporate Chair will be The Bernstein Companies. Mayor Muriel Bowser will serve as our Honorary Chair again this year. Each year, an award is presented to a person or company for their outstanding commitment to DC’s youth. Previous award recipients have included Ann Dibble Jordan and Judy Lansing Kovler. This year, an award will be presented to Shinola for its investment in American youth and its commitment to the work of Sasha Bruce.
PROGRAM. Guests will enjoy starlit cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres while taking in the sweeping views of the National Mall. Music will be provided by DJ and longtime Sasha Bruce supporter, Ben Chang. The evening’s emcee is Jonathan Capehart, the Washington Post Writer and MSNBC contributor. In 2016, Jonathan was a participant on ‘Celebrity Jeopardy’ and donated his $15,000 winnings to Sasha Bruce programs. We are also thrilled to announce a performance by Ryan Speedo Green, a rising star of the Metropolitan Opera and resident of the Vienna State Opera. Ryan’s incredible story from juvenile detention to word-class opera singer illustrates the power small acts of generosity have to change a person’s life. Finally, the evening would not be complete without hearing from a Sasha Bruce youth who is on her own journey from homelessness to a bright future.
FUNDRAISING. There are many ways to get involved in our 2017 Benefit to End Youth Homelessness. From becoming a Corporate or Individual Sponsor to being a Patron, Sponsor-in-Kind, or by joining our Benefit Committee. Sponsorship commitments and donations may be made online with a credit card, mailed with a check or emailed. In order to return the sponsorship form via mail or email, be sure to download the PDF on your device before completing and saving the form. For more information, please contact Zakiyah Williams by email at zwilliams@sashabruce.org.
SPREAD THE WORD. Please consider forwarding this page to friends and colleagues who may be interested to know more about Sasha Bruce and our 2017 Benefit. Like us on Facebook, publicize the event on Twitter using #HomesNotStreets. We need your support. Thank you.
ABOUT SASHA BRUCE YOUTHWORK. Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by current Executive Director Deborah Shore. Operating the only youth-specific shelter in the nation’s capital, SBY’s mission is to improve the lives of homeless and disconnected youth and their family members by providing safe homes, life skills and workforce and educational opportunities. Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) continues to lead the campaign to prevent youth homelessness in the Washington DC area. Sasha Bruce gets results. Every year, the staff and volunteers at Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) make an enormous difference in the lives of hundreds of young people with nowhere else to turn. In February of 2016, we launched a first-of-its-kind Youth Drop-in Center, which has enabled us to open our doors to 50 youth on a drop-in basis at the new site and satellite locations. The Drop-in Center is now an integral part of our continuum of care. A unique bridge to our shelters, it offers a safe place to rest, shower, and engage with education and employment opportunities as well as mental health services.
FAMILIES REUNITED AND STABILIZED. Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY) operates the only 24-hour emergency shelter for unaccompanied homeless youth in the nation’s capital. Last year, 130 teens who came to the Sasha Bruce House with nothing more than the clothes on their backs received life-saving shelter. Our dedicated staff reunited 87% of these young people with strengthened families. Our shelter in Prince Georges County, Promise Place, averages 10 youth each night. 88% of those clients reunited with families.
YOUTH AND FAMILIES SAFELY HOUSED. This past year, 74 homeless youth and young families were offered safe housing at our independent and transitional living programs. Though they had no income upon entry, 72% had a steady source of income upon graduation from our programs, and 80% secured permanent housing.
LIFE SKILLS ATTAINED. 959 youth received pregnancy prevention education, HIV testing and counseling, and comprehensive educational supports and civic engagement opportunities at three of our community venues and four high schools in the District.
BUILDING READY-TO-WORK WORKERS. Our workforce development program enrolls 40 youth in cohorts twice each year. When they come to us, all of our trainees are unemployed and have not completed high school. 73% of young people who enrolled last year earned a General Educational Development (GED) or a certification in the construction trades. 66% of enrollees were placed in a job by our dedicated staff.