The YWAP Hope Trust - TIME

Today is Day 1 of The YWAP Hope Trust - A Study In Giving and Receiving. 

"Time passes much too quickly..."
That's a line from the song "Beginnings" written by Robert Lamm and performed by the group "Chicago."

TIME

Please give some time to yourself. The leaves are falling and it's a time for letting some old habits fall away. Take the time to give yourself a deeply reflective soul examination. Have you accomplished what you have set out to do? Do you feel a peace walking on your current life path? What is the purpose of your life?

Are you helping others climb the mountains of life?

It may seem strange that the Director of a non profit would urge you to take time for yourself. Most letters that I see from non profits are solicitations for some type of donation. Yes, our organization does depend on the compassionate giving of donations. Youth With A Purpose believes that "All Children Are Gifted." The best gifts are given by a healthy giver. If you were to give to yourself the gift of knowing how much you are loved, that love will spill over unto the children we serve. It doesn't matter if you give to YWAP.  Anytime you do something that creates more opportunities for our children,  you create a more compassionate world. We are all one body and when one part of the body receives, the whole body receives. We freely give love that we have freely been given. Take the time to discover the love that resides within you. 

They hold flowers that grew from seeds that were given to the ground.

The Heart Farmer spent his life sowing seeds that helped hearts grow. He would find the ground of broken hearts and then let go of the seed into the brokenness. He couldn't control the sun and the rain, he just believed that the Son would reign in love and the hearts would grow. Take the time and discover how you can be a Heart Farmer. In the process, your heart will grow and a larger heart has a greater capacity to share love.

Take the time to heal yourself and you can help a young person fly. There is no limit to how high a healed heart can fly.

The difference between 

destructive and creative 

is found in your perspective.

Take the time to plant seeds of positivity in your soul and you will reap thoughts of creativity in your mind. Be creative in giving to yourself.

 

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

 

THE YWAP HOPE TRUST

THE YWAP HOPE TRUST

Most people love to give. To receive is a form of love. Youth With A Purpose  is an organization that loves to give that which it has received.

This morning we received a large quantity of food from the Food Bank of WNY. We will give the food to young people in the form of hot meals and snacks 5 days a week.

We are receiving 5-7,000 dollars from several churches that will help renovate our kitchen so that we can give better service to 100's of young people who visit us every week.

We have received clothing from several people that allows us to give swagger to young people who rarely receive new clothing. New clothing can help you feel better about yourself and your appearance and you begin to swagger with confidence.

We have received so much love from Urban Christian Ministries over the past 10 years that it would be impossible to mention all of that love here. They help us to give young people a glimpse of the kind of love that will never leave them or forsake them.

Whoever thought that a young person could receive love filled life change by shoveling horse manure? https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1340354236 Saving Wild Horses helps young people connect with the love of God by giving them peace, serenity and inner healing through a horse farm.

Sometimes we receive physical labor. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000020746745 My Fathers House Youth Group came out to give their talents through painting, cleaning and scrubbing in our Youth Center.

Many people want to give but do not know where to give. We want to present you with an opportunity to do that. Starting tomorrow (11-12-11) we will publish a daily edition of "The YWAP Hope Trust" that will help you receive an opportunity to partner with us as we give and receive seeds of love. Please give it to your friends and ask them to join the Youth With A Purpose movement - ALL CHILDREN ARE CREATED EQUAL.

Saving Wild Horses is spreading love in children's hearts.The King's Court. Urban Christian Ministries is changing the world one youth at a time.My Father's House Youth Group. Can you believe that a group of young people volunteered their time to clean and scrub and paint a building for other young people to use? Yes! Yes! Yes!

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

I Looked at a Human Being with Hardened Eyes

I looked at a human being with hardened eyes this week. My eyes were only an extension of an unyielding heart. The lady came in looking for food as she usually does. She takes whatever we give her and sometimes she sells it. I've told her that I can't keep helping her if she sells what we give her. But I'm no different. I have an expectation for her behavior in exchange for food. I have been freely given love and now I should freely give.

I have seen her at 3am strung out on heroin. She asked me to take her to the drive thru at McDonald s. She wanted a sandwich and some milk. The milk was for her stomach to settle the nauseousness caused by the heroin. She said she didn't want to keep doing what she was doing but couldn't stop herself. She's heard me talk about God and she listens. We prayed and she reclined the passenger seat and almost fell asleep. They gave us the food and milk and then she went home.

I have seen her when she was excited that she had gone a few days without her schizophrenic medicine. I'm not a doctor but something inside tells me that might not be her problem. Maybe she needs someone to esteem her so she feels valued. I think she uses this as an excuse to continue living in her cell of addiction.

I have seen her when she was bruised from domestic violence at the hands of a boyfriend. He is finally gone and she said she misses him. I told her that it is time to start a new life. I guess the pain of a beating is better than the suffering of loneliness.

I have seen her when she was so happy as she received the test results that revealed that she did not have AIDS. We talked about abstinence. Maybe it's worth the risk of disease to let someone hold you for a short while.

My patience and stamina were wearing thin this week. I suppose I can lean on that crutch of an excuse and I did but I'm going to stop now. This is not a treatise on self pity but rather a self examination regarding the seams of my soul. It seems like I have leaked some of the grace that I have been freely given. I'm not supposed to leak, I'm supposed to be pouring it out lavishly but I'm just trickling. I prefer to stay on the mountain top but that's not God's way. His truth is revealed in the valleys. I want love in my eyes regardless of the tediousness of the task that He has given me.

Sometimes in the midst of wanting to help so much we neglect our time with God. That's how I got to be where I am right now. One of my weaknesses is asking for help. Right now I'm only asking help in the form of prayer. Would you please pray that God sends workers for the harvest. I know that lady needs more than I have been giving her. I heard these words before and I still hear them now. Do you hear these words? "Whom shall I send?"


Love will take us up and down mountains and through the valleys if we focus on the love of God.

This is a Bright Spot Report because the lady is coming to us for help. Even though what we give her is less than perfect, we do show love. 

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4

Climbing the Mountains of Life

From the streets of Buffalo to the shores of Lake Placid to the top of Whiteface Mountain, YWAP helps young people Climb the Mountains of Life.

There were 5 young people stuffed into the back of a mini van with all of their high adventure gear. The 2  fearless leaders (who had never tipped a canoe before) sat in the front seats. Behind our van was a trailer with 3 canoes. In front of us lay approximately 350 miles of driving, 3.5 miles of paddling and 3 miles of climbing (and a few miles of looking for firewood!) Excitement was in the air (along with a few other smells.)

Some of the young guys were born in America and some were born in Africa. All of them were about to be reborn into a new experience. None of them had ever been in a canoe before much less trekked up a mountain. They were all folks from the flatland of Buffalo eager for some adventure. When we arrived at the dock, they said they had to change clothes. When I told them that all you needed were shorts and life jackets, they said "No! We need our survivor gear!" They went into the restroom and came out looking like they were ready for some eccentric TV show about survivors in the badlands!
 

The Survivor Crew on the Lake Placid Dock
getting ready to cast off.

Whiteface Mountain from Lake Placid.

After a pretty easy canoe ride accompanied by beautiful weather, our survivor flotilla arrived at Whiteface Landing. Here we pitched tents and went over safety procedures. We did not need Bear Canisters for this section of the Adirondacks so we could easily store our food in tubs. Campfires were allowed and we looked forward to dancing flames under the stars. After a team meeting we gathered firewood.

Daryl Boss from Xertion Youth leads the young Survivor Crew in a lesson about how to climb the mountains of life.

Daryl and I slept under the stars while the survivor crew snored unceasingly in the safety of their tent. In the morning after breakfast and prayer, we headed up the mountain. The trail was a relatively easy walk in the woods for the first several miles until we started to climb up onto the rock face. The views of Lake Placid and the surrounding areas were gorgeous. The top of Whiteface was crowded as there is a tourist road for non survivor type folks.

Buffalo doesn't look like this!

Almost on the summit.                

The happy Survivor Crew are now official Peak Baggers!

Daryl and I went out fishing while the guys stayed in shore to explore. We did not catch anything and somehow manged to capsize our canoe. I did take a picture of my fishing pole in front of the canoe and I told the Survivor Crew that it was a UFO! When we got back to shore they told us that they had seen a bear. I saw a UFO and they saw a bear and that made for some very entertaining campfire stories.

A UFO flying in front of our canoe!

 The guys asked about God. We talked about creation, evolution and execution. We talked about the Roman form of execution called crucifixion. They wanted to know about the end of the world. Nobody knows when that will happen but we should be ready every minute. The deep woods is a great place for deep conversations.

 The trip back across Lake Placid was not easy. We met a rain storm head on and one of the canoes capsized. A boat came over to lend a hand and one of the guys said a lady thought he was a dolphin. Yeah, that's what a Survivor Crew member would think. He wasn't listening when we told him that there were no dolphins in Lake Placid. The Survivor Crew agreed that they had had enough of canoes but they do want to climb another mountain. They will climb many mountains n their lives.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at:
http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

The Stanley G. Falk School - Changing the World One Child at a Time

I don't know what the Mission Statement for the Stanley G, Falk School says. I will not try to to look it up until I'm done writing this story. Please read this story and then go find their Mission Statement and see if they match. I'm willing to wager a tree's worth of falling leaves that they will match up. I know it's not much of a bet but I'm not a betting man anyway. The Mission Statement of an organization should be apparent in the actions of all of the people within the organization.

The Falk School sits at a crossroads in a child's life.

My first interaction with someone from the Falk School was a phone call. Lori Hammond called me while waiting to have her car serviced by a mechanic. Lori is one of the Principal's at Falk. She had read some of my comments in the Buffalo News and felt a connection regarding students. After she told me all of the good things that were happening at Falk, I was amazed that she thought that I had anything to offer. I only say that because our organization at Youth With A Purpose teaches Relationship Mentoring and Lori's description of her school sounded like a fertile relationship garden. We agreed to meet and tour her schools. That was in June and the summer flew by until I received my next phone call.

In early August while volunteering at Kingdom Bound, my phone jumped (maybe I dropped it) out of my pocket and was missing for a few days. When I finally  retrieved my messages, I found that another Principal from The Falk School had called. Lori had given my name to Martha Sanfilippo and she asked if I would please return her call. Our conversation was filled with positive words regarding children and opportunities.  

Giving children the best opportunities to become responsible, accountable  and contributing members of society seemed to be the hallmark of my conversations with folks from Falk.


Martha and I met in her office on August 22. When I arrived, the secretary smiled and greeted me warmly. That's how all first impressions should start. It was a very emotional morning for me. We had taken a young lady to the train station and tearfully said goodbye. Her family was moving after her Father had been murdered on Memorial Day weekend. She worked in our kitchen and she was like family to the rest of us at YWAP.  She was the third member of our kitchen staff who experienced the murder of a family member. At one point of my conversation with Martha, I teared up as I talked about the stage of the grieving process that we entered that morning. Martha said that we could reschedule our meeting if this morning was not a good time for me personally. That, my friends, is an action that displays empathetic compassion that says;

"What you are feeling is more important than my agenda."

My tears dried up and we talked about the purpose for our meeting. Our common purpose seemed to be to find new ways, in as many ways, on all of our days to create a path for young people to find their own purpose in life. She told me many success stories and just simply enjoyed talking about what her purpose was. It was a great conversation about creating opportunities for children. It seems like the staff at the Falk School are involved in almost every aspect of the child's life. That is Relationship Mentoring at it's finest. We talked about opening day for all of the Falk Teachers. I was asked to address the more than 250 Administrators and Teachers on Opening Day 2011 at The Stanley G. Falk School.

I love being involved with Teachers and Students. We are always one or the other. On some days, the Teachers become the Students as the children teach us new things. The world looks different through their eyes. I have been blessed to meet many Teachers and Students who have many stories to share. When I walked into the Falk School on Cambridge Street, I think everybody was wearing a smile. The energy that seems to be injected by thoughts of a new school year causes ear to ear grins. Martha introduced me to many people and gave me a tour of the building. The opening speaker was Teri Byrne who is the Assistant Superintendent of the Falk Schools. She took the audience on a historical journey that began in 1986 with a fraction of the Teachers that were assembled in the room in front of her. With a great deal of passion, Teri reviewed many of the accomplishments at Falk.  Many academic as well as athletic programs were added. She spoke of the words of a former student who was now in his senior year at Canisius College. He was so grateful to all of his Teachers at Falk for helping him to achieve success. During her power point presentation, I remember something about helping the students to become employable. That is huge in a poor city like Buffalo, NY.

YWAP and The Stanley G. Falk School - an opportunity partnership for children.

My address to all of these World Changers was simply a reflection of who they already are. I did tell stories about children, some sad stuff and some happy stuff. I tried to encourage them to go through the hurricanes of disappointment that accompany the life of a Teacher. I told them about my Grandmother who said: "There's better days ahead." If  I were to sum up the message that I tried to convey, it would be this;

"Being a Teacher is the most important job in the world. Teacher's are being asked to boldly go where no Teacher has ever gone before. Children today face more obstacles to opportunity than in any previous generation. You, as a Teacher, may be a child's final frontier. A Teacher may be the last person who has the ability to display an act of mercy, kindness, tenderness, and compassion. A Teacher may be the last person who can help a child feel valued in a society that continues to devalue our children. 
A Teacher is the most important job in the world." 

It seems like a Mission Statement for the Falk School would say something like the Youth With A Purpose Statement which is: "We believe that all children are gifted. We exist to identify, nurture, protect and empower young people to use their gifts to become the world changers that God meant them to be." 

I'm going to go look up the Falk School Mission Statement and print it here:
To inspire each student to become a life-long learner, capable of achieving personal goals to responsibly contribute to our ever-changing world. Our primary focus is on student learning with a commitment to high expectations for success. 

Yes, the Stanley G. Falk School is living out their mission,

in thought, word and deed, INDEED! Thank you to all of the Teachers and Staff at Falk who are creating Bright Spots for children!

 Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

KINGDOM BOUND 2011 THE BLESSED YET

The "Blessed Yet" might not be proper English but it certainly describes Kingdom Bound 2011. I don't know how many people were eventually touched as they walked through the gates of Darien Lake and into the 25th Anniversary Celebration of KB. I can't even keep score in a basketball game (I usually win) let alone give you a count on how many tens of thousands of souls came to soak up some Son. I do know that more young people from Youth With A Purpose Inc. were given the opportunity for a life changing experience than ever before.

You are about to go a little deeper into Kingdom Bound. They are involved in changing lives all year round. It's possible that your association with KB has been just for a few days in August every year. Yes, they are primarily known for one of the most impacting and powerful celebrations of ministry in the world. They also take the time to bless individual families. Before I tell you about some of those individual families, please take a good look at the picture below. The sky over Darien Lake gave a glimpse of what this event was all about.

The clouds formed a Cross in the sky over Kingdom Bound.

YWAP was asked to provide some labor for both the entire Festival and also the set up and take down. Daryl Boss from Xertion Youth was our Site Manager and a pleasure to work with. Most of you have never seen the enormous amount of manpower and effort that goes into the preparation and the closing of KB. We had a special crew of 10 young men from YWAP that were brought in to help set up and take down various parts of  the Worship Tent. Several other young men spent the week in a trailer and were on call 24-7 during the festival. These are young guys from the inner city of Buffalo who seldom receive an opportunity to serve, learn, and grow the way they did that week.

Young men from YWAP help set up the seats in the Worship Tent

On Send a Friend Day, YWAP brought a bus load of 40 young people out to be a part of the ministry. We were able to rent a bus thanks to a donation from some other kind folks. Funny thing, we have been busier this summer than ever before with the least amount of finances that we have ever had. Just in case you have never heard of Send a Friend, it's a program that provides an opportunity for young people who may be underprivileged or have special needs to attend KB. The YWAP home base is located in one of the poorest sections of Buffalo. We are also amongst the most racially diverse areas in the City which is a beautiful place for all of the world's cultures to meet. All of the Send a Friend participants were given a lunch, a shirt and flip flops. The YWAP Director walked back out to his van with a bag of smelly socks and sneakers because the kids all wanted to wear their new flip flops!

Youth With A Purpose dressed in Send a Friend shirts.

Among the children from YWAP, there were young people with no fathers. Some with fathers in jail. Some whose fathers had been murdered. Some had family members in jail or murdered. I will not go into the details but these young people collectively have experienced almost every horrendous act of depravity known to mankind. The kindness of the folks from KB did not stop with Send a Friend. Another family whose Father was murdered on Memorial Day weekend received a days pass for family members. The man was a great Husband, Father, Friend, Grandfather and employee. He was killed sitting on his front porch fixing his Granddaughter's little pink bike. The people at Kingdom Bound went beyond normal compassion and showered this family with mercy and grace. Their actions let this family know that they are valued and loved.

 

Kingdom Bound is a lot more than the easy to see ministry and music, it's about building relationships and mending broken lives. It's about giving value to people who have a hard time respecting themselves. It's about making someone with a broken heart feel loved. It's about providing a safe haven for a day as a respite from living in a broken city. It has been written that "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news," The folks at Kingdom Bound put flip flops on the feet and those young people who then proclaimed peace and brought glad tidings of good things with them back to Buffalo, NY. KB helped to make beautiful feet on some kids who are trying to climb the mountains of life.Thank you to all of the kind people at Kingdom Bound, you truly provided a BRIGHT SPOT for Youth With A Purpose Inc.

If you would like to see more pictures from KB 2011 please go to the link below.


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.253839614643721.73084.111808805513470

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
   

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

Food Bank of WNY

  It would be easy to say that giving food to needy and hungry people creates a Bright Spot. When you read the Food Bank Mission Statement listed below, you will plainly see that it talks about food and hungry people.

 Our Mission 

 Obtain nutritious food and support from public and private sources 

and efficiently distribute these resources to the hungry 

in Western New York through our member agencies. 

The Food Bank of WNY does so much more than just feed hungry people. The Youth Center at Holy Cross Church has been receiving help from the Food Bank for 7 years. We have received a lot more than just food. They have helped us through grants that have enabled us to receive refrigerators and freezers. They have given us training on how to better serve the people who desperately need us. They have given us literally tons of food to feed people that come here from all over Buffalo to eat a hot meal. Now here is the most important thing that The Food Bank of WNY has done for Holy Cross and Youth With A Purpose; they have helped to keep children safe and alive in a dangerous City.




Both of these pictures are from our Annual Thanksgiving Celebration for the whole community. We have a small dining area but we try and accommodate as many people as possible. Each year at special events alone, we will serve over 150 people. During the week in the school year, we will serve between 35-60 children per day with a snack and a hot meal.

Many young people come to our Youth Center because we are a Relationship Center. We take the time to let young people know that they are valued and cared about. The streets of Buffalo are filled with gang recruiters so it is important to give our children a safe place where they can eat, learn and make friends.




So how does the Food Bank keep children from getting killed? In our kitchen at Holy Cross, we have only had 5 people work here in 7 years. Out of those 5 people, 3 of them have had family members who were murdered by a bullet to the head. Our address is 345 7th Street. The Buffalo News referred to 7th Street as "World War III" because of all the shooting that has taken place in the neighborhood. We have had children run into the Youth Center seeking safety as they were being chased by gang members. We have heard the sound of gunfire while we were meeting inside. The conversations at our dinner table sometimes revolve around discussions of violence that the young people have experienced. Unless you spend time on the streets of Buffalo, you would never know what our children are living through.

This is Silvia and Mama on the Stop The Violence Boat Ride. They both work in our kitchen at Holy Cross. Victims of violence and their families were given a night of dining and cruising in the Buffalo Harbor.  Mama's father was murdered on Memorial Day weekend  while he was fixing his granddaughters pink bike. Amongst our kitchen staff, a Mother lost her Son, a Sister lost her Brother, and a Daughter lost her Dad.

The banner below says that the Food Bank is fighting hunger one day at a time. That is true but we would like to add to that. The Food Bank of WNY is saving one life at a time by helping programs like Youth With A Purpose. We lost our major funding in September of 2010. We have struggled to keep providing services to the young people who so desperately need a respite from the violence in their neighborhood. We say thank you to all of the people at the Food Bank for creating a Bright Spot. You are going way beyond the call of your mission statement, you are giving young people a chance to change the world.
                                                 
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
           

"Find new ways, 

  in as many ways, 

    in more excellent ways, 

      on all of your days, 

        to show love." 

Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director

Youth With A Purpose

In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood

157 Locust Street

Buffalo, New York 14204

716-830-8240

"All Children Are Gifted" 

http://www.facebook.com/bob.kuebler

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-With-A-Purpose-Inc/111808805513470

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.