August 11, 2011
Dear Friend,
You may have heard in the news recently that Friends for Youth experienced a burglary at our offices in Redwood City. As an important supporter of our agency, we want to inform you of the circumstances around this event and actions being taken.
First, the good news - the burglars have been caught and most of the items taken have apparently been recovered. We are grateful to the Redwood City Police Department for their quick action and responsiveness.
But here’s the irony. The burglars were four teenage boys. Two are 16 years old, one is 15, and one is 12. They were in no way associated with Friends for Youth (although perhaps they should be). They broke in at night using a crowbar when – thankfully – no one was in the office. They took an eclectic selection of items but those with the most value were three computers, cameras, and projectors. They also took lip balm, rubber bracelets and gum! Also ironically, the youth were surprisingly neat and respectful and did not disturb any papers or do any further damage.
We want to reassure you that all the confidential data regarding our mentors and mentees is housed on a secure server that was not touched, and there was no sensitive data on the computers that were taken. However, this incidence has underscored the need for further security and we are in the process of evaluating new data storage measures.
As you can imagine, an event like this is very unsettling to our staff whose passion is in helping youth exactly like these. The sense of violation coupled with frustration that these are the kind of youth we are trying to help is difficult to process.
We have offered counseling to our staff and are making sure we communicate and get together frequently. Our landlord has been very cooperative in reinforcing security with deadbolts and other deterrents.
As you know, Friends for Youth has served at-risk youth in our local community for 32 years. We have never had an experience like this before. Through this whole ordeal is the underlying wish we could help these youth and the many more like them who are at a crucial turning point in their lives. We have served over 1,800 youth – but sadly not these four. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to help them in the future.
Please feel free to call with any questions and thank you as always for your support.
Sincerely,
Becky Cooper
Executive Director
650-368-4464
Petere Miner
Board Chair
Now 27, Jeff recently dropped into the Friends for Youth offices on his way to a college seminar. He sat down with this staff member to reflect on his mentoring experience. “Before I was matched I wasn’t into [mentoring]; I thought I was too cool,” he said. “Now I think it was one of the best things my parents could have done for me. Once I met Bob for the first time I saw he was really cool and I wanted to hang out with him every week.”
Bob and Jeff had a fantastic Friendship. During their year they went snowskiing and waterskiing. They went to baseball games and they went hiking. Through these activities Jeff learned some important skills. Reflecting on the Friendship, Jeff said “Bob taught me some basic, important lings. Like, he taught me how to shake hands. And when I said something inappropriate, he’d tell me why it was inappropriate, and he’d show me how I should act.”
Indeed, much of what Bob exposed Jeff to had a lasting impact. “He took me to a gym for the first time and showed me how to work out,” Jeff said. “Now I work at a gym.”
Jeff is now also working at getting his college diploma. He is set to graduate from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont this fall, with a degree in Human Services. In addition to school, he works full time at Powerhouse Gym in Redwood City to support his education.
He also volunteers. When it was time for Jeff to do some community service for a college class, the first place he went was Friends for Youth. Jeff dropped in a few days each week for more than a month, completing any and every task asked of him. After he'd completed the required number of service hours for his class, he continued to help out, even speaking about his experiences at various mentor recruitment events.
When asked what his career goals are, Jeff is unhesitant in his response. “My ideal job would be juvenile probation officer or police officer. I always felt like I wanted a job where I could work with people—something that was community-oriented.”
Note: Jeff’s former Senior Friend Bob now lives in Placerville, CA. The two Friends keep in touch via Facebook.
Friends for Youth would like to thank all the congregations who recently allowed us to pass out our flyers to their communities, including Tapestry Church, Peninsula Covenant Church, and St. Peters' Episcopal. Recently Friends for Youth has reached out to a variety of local congregations, in an effort to inform more people of the wide variety of mentoring opportunities. If you are part of a congregation and think you could help distribute Friends for Youth fliers, please contact Jonathan@friendsforyouth.org
By James Fredericksen
