NONPROFIT
BY ZARA FLORES
2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Samantha Saenz (left) and Julie Hollar run the San Marcos Youth Service Bureau.
San Marcos Youth Service Bureau 518 S. Guadalupe St., San Marcos 512-396-5437 http://ysb.org/index.htm Facebook: San Marcos Youth Service Bureau Hours: Mon.-Thur. after school-6:30 p.m. (during school year), Mon.-Thur. 12-5:15 p.m. (summer), closed Fri.-Sun. GET INVOLVED The two-person team is supported by an array of interns and volunteers that help create positive in uences to at-risk youth. VOLUNTEER FREE TIME TO: DONATE • be a mentor and provide support; • be a tutor; and • share other skills or interests. Those interested in donating to the nonpro t can go to the website or Facebook page to donate via PayPal.
Members of the San Marcos Youth Service Bureau cut, sand and stain wood in preparation to build a treehouse. (Photos by Zara Flores/Community Impact Newspaper)
San Marcos Youth Service Bureau Local nonpro t aims to ll gaps in at-risk children’s lives T he second oor of the Southside Community Center serves as a safe space with learning opportunities for children practice real-world skills such as applying for jobs at San Marcos businesses or being savvy shoppers at thrift stores downtown, which both women said is an important component to the character education portion of the program. “Showing them around San Marcos and
and teenagers at the San Marcos Youth Service Bureau. The nonpro t is run solely o grant funding and donations from the community by program director Julie Hollar, program assistant Samantha Saenz, and volunteers and interns with the goal of teaching kids useful life skills. “Sometimes, it is just a matter of building their self con dence, telling them they are great kids, watching them blossom,” Hollar said. “It’s a good program for the little kids that come in because they are mentored by the older kids.” The free after-school and summer program is for children ages 11-17 who are considered at-risk for dropping out of school. On an average day, the kids will come to the center after school or in the summer and work on homework, receive a snack, play games, create art projects and more. Hollar and Saenz also take the children to
other areas also gets them more comfortable with their city and the resources that they have [available to them],” Saenz said. “There’s more out there, and they might be experiencing some tough times right now, but so long as they keep pushing forward, they have something to look forward to because they’ve already seen it and experienced it with us.” Learning gaps are addressed as some do not know how to properly socialize with others or clean up after themselves due to lacking a role model, Hollar said.“They just need to learn that they can be part of the community and that they can contribute to the community and that there are things that they can strive to do in the future,” Hollar said.
N
• TEMPORARY ROLL-OFF DUMPSTERS • 10, 20, AND 30 CUBIC YARD SIZES • SAME-DAY AND NEXT-DAY DELIVERY • CITY OF SAN MARCOS LICENSED • BBB A+ RATING
NOW SERVING SAN MARCOS, NEW BRAUNFELS AND SURROUNDING AREAS! 512.719.4172 | WWW.CAPTAINHOOOKAUSTIN.COM
25
SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION • AUGUST 2022
Powered by FlippingBook