DSVP is proud to announce the name change of one of its investees, Youth Village Foundation now known as Youth Village Resources of Dallas. The press release below describes the reason for the name change in more detail.
DSVP has assisted YVR for over two years on such activities as an organizational assessment, strategic plan and outcomes measurement. The name change better reflects the mission of YVR and DSVP will continue to provide assistance to one of its shining examples of Doing Good Better.
DALLAS ( September 20, 2010) – Youth Village Foundation, the organization that has helped countless juveniles in Dallas County turn away from lives of crime, is changing its name.
The nonprofit organization is now known as Youth Village Resources of Dallas, a name that better reflects the work it does to divert young people from further involvement with the juvenile justice center or progression to more serious offenses.
Founded in 2001, The Youth Village Foundation has worked to meet the needs of young residents at Dallas County Youth Village and Medlock Youth Treatment Center by providing career training programs that teach them responsibility and a trade when they are released.
But the name caused confusion for those who thought the foundation was set up to provide grants for juvenile programs rather than coordinate them, said Fred Henley, President and Chairman of the Youth Village Resources Board of Directors.
“It became difficult to raise funds as a foundation,” Henley explained. “We wanted the public to understand that we are providing the resources that are changing the lives of these young people.”
Working with county officials, the volunteers at Youth Village Resources provide training programs that Dallas County taxpayers cannot fund due to budget cuts. Some of the programs teach residents at Youth Village and Medlock responsibility for the first time in their lives.
One of the more successful has been a dog training program that allows the youths to care for abandoned dogs until they have been adopted or placed in foster homes.
Other programs provide hands-on training for future jobs. Youth Village Resources, working with volunteers from a wide variety of locations including El Centro College, University of Texas at Dallas and North Texas Food Bank, offers classes in culinary arts, horticulture, financial literacy, computer programs, career management and public speaking. There also are courses to help youngsters receive their GED diplomas and scholarship funds to attend college.
Juveniles sent to Youth Village or Medlock are non-violent offenders who are removed from their home environment for a period of four to nine months. The positive outcome for those who receive training at these facilities rather than being handled by the Texas Youth Commission, the juvenile corrections agency, has been significant.
The recidivism rate for juveniles incarcerated in Texas last year was approximately 40 percent compared to a 9 percent repeat offender rate for those who completed their stay at Youth Village.
With its new name, Youth Village Resources will be looking for grants and corporate donations that can help maintain the organization’s vital goal of teaching deserving youth about healthy activities and assist them in receiving vocational training and educational scholarships.
For more information about Youth Village Resources and how to make a donation or volunteer, go to the following website: http://www.youthvillagefoundation.org/
Media Contact:
Jerry D. Silhan
Executive Director
The Youth Village Resources
phone and fax: 214-382-2697
cell: 214-957-7057
jsilhan@youthvillagefoundation.org
