Dauphin County, Pa. – Attendees will enjoy food and family fun in celebration of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®) Inc. at its 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Food Truck Brunch. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Harrisburg, Pa. headquarters of the national nonprofit that gives communities across the U.S. community-based, family-centered alternatives to incarcerating or placing youth in trouble or in crisis in residential facilities.
YAP® partners with public systems to provide community-based rehabilitative, restorative, behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and other services that give communities alternatives to placing young people in group care and correctional facilities. Neighborhood-based YAP® Advocates and behavioral health professionals are trained to deliver individual and family support guided by principles of the nonprofit’s unique wraparound services model. The evidence-based YAPWRAP® model helps young people see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their families with individualized resources and support.
“We’re inviting program participants, families, friends, employees, supporters and our neighbors to join us in commemoration of our organization’s 1975 founding where it all started in Pennsylvania,” said YAP® President/CEO Gary Ivory. “Tom Jeffers started this organization and we have built upon his legacy, delivering and advocating for safe, effective, and less costly community-based alternatives to residential care and incarceration.”
The event includes a conversation with YAP® Board Member William Wachob who will share his memories of YAP®’s early years. A YAP® board member since 2017, Wachob was one of the agency’s first employees. Former YAP® Philadelphia program participant and Board Member Ellana Watson will share her story about receiving services from the nonprofit after she was arrested on assault charges as a youth.
“I credit much of who I am today—driven, passionate, and dedicated to service—to the foundation this program provided. It gave me the tools to lead, the confidence to take on challenges, and the courage to seek opportunities that once felt out of reach,” Watson said. “It inspired me to continue making an impact in my community and beyond. YAP® did more than provide opportunities, it transformed me. It opened doors, expanded my worldview, and instilled in me the belief that my voice matters.”
Hosted by Elise Person, the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Food Truck Brunch will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the nonprofit’s headquarters at 3899 N. Front St., where attendees will enjoy family activities, learn about the nonprofit’s history and impact, and enjoy tasty breakfast and lunch choices from truck vendors including Blue Bear BBQ and Mumma’s Eats & Treats.
The event will follow, the50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen 5k, which takes place at 8 a.m. at Riverfront Walk – a path connecting to City Island. Registration for the 5k is $35; $40 on race day, and, while supplies last, will include a commemorative YAP® T-shirt.
What: YAP® Making Change Happen Food Truck Brunch
Time/Date: Food Truck Brunch: 10:30am – 12:30pm– YAP® Headquarters, 3899 N. Front
Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
5K Walk & Run: 8:00am – 10:00am - Riverfront Walk, Path Connecting to City Island City Island-Riverfront Park, Harrisburg, PA 17101
1/2 Mile Kids Fun Run: 8:30am
Visit yapinc.org/50th for more information.
About YAP®
YAP® partners with youth justice, child welfare, education, developmental disabilities, behavioral health, and other youth and family services systems in communities in 32 states and Washington D.C. YAP®’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements. John Jay College of Criminal Justice research found 86 % of YAP’®s youth justice participants remain arrest-free, and six – 12 months after completing the program nearly 90% of youth served still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement. Across the U.S., YAP® is also working with public safety systems, applying principles of its unique “no reject, no eject” YAPWrap® individual and family services model to reduce neighborhood violence.
The nonprofit’s 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen sponsors include Alera Group, Baker Tilly, Fulton Bank, GM Financial and McConkey Insurance and Benefits.
Learn more about YAP® and its 50th anniversary events at www.YAPInc.org.