Members of Caring Hearts and Hands attending YOTO Spring Luncheon
Connie Vaughan
On Friday, March 6, Youth On Their Own () Pima County turned 40 years old and celebrated their success at their spring luncheon. Representatives from Caring Hearts and Hands of Quail Creek were in attendance to celebrate YOTO’s success. For the last 40 years YOTO has supported over 20,000 youth in their journeys toward high school graduation through eliminating barriers to education
and empowering housing–insecure youth in our community to stay in school. And with the help of their amazing YOTO Family which includes the Residents of Quail Creek and Caring Hearts and Hands of Quail Creek we have supported these Youth with our time and treasure, to make sure YOTO has funds for financial assistance, basic human needs, guidance and more.
And what a birthday party it was! YOTO invited alumni from each decade to share their story with us, the YOTO Family. There were stories of almost despair until YOTO stepped in, found housing, paid students stipends to stay in high school, provided groceries and other necessities along with the YOTO Food Pantry and even found scholarships for college. We heard how one young man was not sure he was even college material, YOTO encouraged him along the way and now he is an Attorney in the Pima County Attorney’s Office of Laura Conover. Another YOTO graduate spoke about working multiple jobs, skipping school for work to support his mother and himself. YOTO stepped in and gave him a stipend so he could work less and attend high school. He finished high school, graduated with honors from college and now is a district manager for AFLAC and has been able to purchase a home in Tucson. He never imagined living in a home that he owned. And there were more amazing stories of successful careers, raising a family and giving back to the community at large. All of us in attendance from Caring Hearts and Hands were impressed with these stories of success and felt pride that our Quail Creek residents have supported YOTO for over 15 years!
“The YOTO birthday spring luncheon was so emotional with the celebration of their birthday and having alumni students from the last four decades sharing their memories of how YOTO made the difference in their lives” Sue Ann Obremski, Caring Hearts and Hands president, commented at the close of the luncheon.
“We cannot thank you enough,resiidents of Quail Creek, for how you have shown YOTO Pima County that you are a caring and sharing community,” Bethany Neumann, director of development & communications for YOTO, stated to us attendees. “You all from Caring Hearts and Hands help us so much in making a difference for our students.”