Where has 2010 been going? I can’t believe it is almost February. It really feels just like yesterday that I wrote the “Changing Times” post, and now I already have a new job that I have been doing for three weeks now as the Children’s Minister at Taylor Mill United Methodist Church. I wanted to drop a note to let you know where my life was, where it is headed and to go into more detail about the Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation I eluded to earlier in my blog.
A lot of people have asked me over the last two years why I do what I do. Why I go and do ministry at NKU, why I write this blog, why I minister to kids in City Heights. Why do I do all of this without getting paid… My question is always, if I don’t do this, who will?
Did you know, that in 2007*, in our three NKY Counties of Boone, Campbell and Kenton, that over 6,000 kids were affected in a negative way by adults. Did you know that 1,731 kids were victims of neglect, 593 were victims of physical abuse, 211 were victims of sexual abuse. Over 3,000 kids were charged with offenses! And all these numbers are higher than previous years.
What are we as a community doing to make this better? What can we do? These questions are what keep me going. These questions are what keep the 10 Board of Directors for the Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation passionate about making a difference in this community.
Perhaps the hardest hit during this time of economic crunch are the young people, who often lack after school supervision and cannot afford extracurricular activities. This combination can create victims of peer pressure; a slippery slope often leading to drugs, violence, crime and even loneliness.
We are making a difference one young person at a time. Words cannot express the amount of gratitude I feel for all those that have helped and continued to help make what goals we had, become reality. The Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation is launching this Monday because of all of you. I may have orchestrated this, but you made my dreams, reality.
A letter is going out on Monday to over 2,000 individuals and businesses in Northern Kentucky to ask for donations to this wonderful cause. Together, as a community we must work at bringing our numbers of neglect, abuse and criminal activity lower than they ever have been before. Together, we must work to look after our young people; they are our responsibility.
For the full letter, to make a donation, to get involved or to sign up for the NKY Youth Foundation mailing list please visit: http://www.nkyyouth.org.
Here’s to the future,
Ryan Courtade
*For the full statistics package visit: http://www.nkyyouth.org/media/Statistics_Final.pdf
