I Love Reno Spring 2016

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Together is Better
Working through the Community Foundation, Beth
collaborated with other donors and volunteers to make things
happen. Beth and her family were one of the first major
financial supporters of the Eddy House YOUth Resource
Center (The YOU). Beth guided Community Foundation
fundholders on tours of The YOU and talked about the
needs The YOU filled. Her example and enthusiasm for the
project inspired more grants from Community Foundation
fundholders. Located on East 6th Street, The YOU offers
showers, a computer lab, simple food and place to get off the
streets for a few hours. Service providers offering health,
job search, education and housing information are available.
There is a social worker on staff.
Beth and Mike take their community
commitment personally
The Schulers donated furniture from their home, and helped
move the staff into the Center. Beth donates her accounting
and fundraising development skills to this venture. She
volunteers countless hours at The YOU and has an office set
up in the building. Mike works on repairing and remodeling
the facility.
Beth exemplifies the spirit of community. She stands up for
those who need her, and she stands with the Community
Foundation, because she knows that it is by working together
in collaboration that our region becomes strong.
Mentor Match Website Goes Live
The Community Foundation initiative to help homeless
youth in Reno and Sparks identified that this population had
few trusted adults in their lives to learn from or talk with.
They lack examples of success, of problem solving, or future
planning. The Community Foundation learned that local
organizations that encourage and offer mentoring programs
are critically short of volunteer mentors, especially men. Boys
were being turned away because waiting lists were simply
too long to feasibly hope for a match.
After the Drop-In Center opened, Beth encouraged the the
Community Foundation Initiative staff to focus on increasing
volunteer mentor matches. Potential mentors are wary of
the time commitment, unaware that there are programs that
can fit their schedule. Staff at the Community Foundation
researched available mentor programs and were surprised
by the variety of guided mentorships available for volunteers.
Using the web dating introduction example the Community
Foundation has created
Looking for a mentor program?
You can find ways to help mentoring one-to-one after
school one to two hours a week. If you are nervous
about working by yourself, you can join group that
meets every other weekend for an activity. You can
even help a child by reading with them one-on-one
each week at school. Mentor programs featured on
the site help teens with potential to enter college,
children through faith-based programs and long
established programs such as Big Brothers Big
Sisters. There is even a method of contacting other
volunteer mentors for questions and support.
“Even when I failed, they didn’t give up on me—heck,
they reached out to me even when I wasn’t reaching
out to them. They’ve helped me learn about working,
get a job, create a resume and budget and keep going
with my life.” - Rosean
To learn more about the Community Foundation of
Western Nevada, please visit
or call 333-5499.
Omero and his Big Brother Ross are matched through Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.