Corporate volunteers play key role in mock interviews
Y.O.U. would like to thank the volunteers from Arby's, ArcelorMittal, Best Buy, City of Cleveland Recreation Department, Cleveland Airport, Continental Airlines, Fed-Ex, GrafTech International, TJ Maxx, and WKNR. February is Mock Interview Month at Y.O.U., and more than 400 youth have the opportunity to participate.


Eric Newsom of TJ Maxx (above, on the left) and Elliot Fishman of GrafTech International (at right, on the right) are two of the employers who volunteered to help students prepare for potential job interviews by citiquing their performance in these mock interviews.




Breakfast synergy continues to grow

Left: Cleveland City Councilman Jay Westbrook, Y.O.U. President Carol Rivchun, Y.O.U. Board Chair Neville Arjani of Findley Davies, Inc., and Lou LaJoe of FirstMerit Bank. 
Below: Kyle Huss, Kristin Hicks and Danielle Hutter of Findley Davies, Inc. spoke on their participation in Youth Career Olympics.  



On Friday, January 29th, 30 people gathered to learn about Y.O.U.'s Juvenile Mentoring Program at Lincoln West HS and how companies like Findley Davies, Inc. can volunteer at Y.O.U.'s Youth Career Olympics as coaches, judges, and even participants. Three area universities, CSU, John Carroll and CWRU, Councilman Jay Westbrook, Ward 16, representatives of the office of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and employees of 2 non-profits and 6 private-sector companies were present. 

Everyone spoke about their passion for Cleveland's youth and the region's economic survival. Pat Heilbron, Project Director of the Treu-Mart Youth Development Fellowship Program at CWRU, commended Y.O.U. on its commitment to excellence in programming and staff development. In the end, everyone agreed that by working in partnership, public and private, for-profit and not-for-profit, we could help Cleveland's youth succeed.

At left: Ron Reisinger, Dollar Bank, Chris Nance, Brunner's office, Terri Kovach, United Way of Greater Cleveland, and Pat Heilbron.



Join us for the next Breakfast with Y.O.U.
Friday, March 19th
8:00 - 9:00 AM
Y.O.U. Offices, 1361 Euclid Avenue
Space is limited -- reserve early!

Spend 1 hour with us over breakfast and learn about Y.O.U.'s exciting new program, Urban Youth Works, a partnership with Towards Employment and John Carroll University, that focuses on customer service and entrepreneurship. We are also pleased to welcome our special guests for the event, Steve Wing, Director of Workforce Initiatives, and Rob Weil, RLC Manager, both of CVS, one of our retail partners.

RSVP via email to Marge Zellmer by March 17 or by phone at 216.566.5445, ext. 231.

Y.O.U. students attend Dominion's Strong Men & Women Luncheon

Students from Lincoln West and Shaw High Schools had the opportunity to attend the 9th Annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership Luncheon presented by Dominion East Ohio. This year, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were honored in absentia. The students said they were proud to be in a room with such important people. Ted Ginn, Sr., Executive Director of The Ginn Academy, was the keynote speaker, and the students were also inspired by the speech of Councilman Joe Cimperman, Ward 3. 

The students took advantage of a photo opportunity with Fox8 personality Wayne Dawson. Pictured above are: Michelle Moore of Scranton Road Ministries, a Y.O.U. partner at Lincoln West; Dawson; Candice Linder, Jeremy Bushelon, and Naomi Hunt, all Lincoln west students; and Connie Fletcher, Y.O.U. Career Coach.

All of the youth attending the luncheon felt motivated to become leaders among their peers and accomplish great things. Our thanks to Dominion East Ohio for including Y.O.U. in this event that honors the accomplishments of selected African-Americans as part of Black History Month.

Can you help us raise $5,000 in 5 weeks to reach our Annual Campaign goal? 
Click here to go to our website to make an online donation or mail a check to: Youth Opportunities Unlimited, 1361 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Every dollar will help add value to our programs. It's not too late to make a difference!