Stephanie Brown Webb has been awarded a ,250 scholarship from the Youth Advocate Programs’ Endowment Fund. Webb will use this scholarship to further her educational studies in Communication Design at Virginia Western Community College. She was introduced to Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) through her 14-year-old son’s involvement with the program.
The Youth Advocate Endowment Fund provides funds for service or educational opportunities for young people and families who have participated in Youth Advocate Programs. The Youth Advocate Program Endowment Fund is maintained with dollars raised by employees of YAP nationwide with the goal of supporting and enabling educational aspirations to be realized.
Youth Advocate Programs is one of the largest non-profit Youth and Family Support agencies working with high-risk youth and their families in the United States. YAP’s mission is to engage human service systems so that they rely less on institutional care, and to invest more in supporting families and neighborhoods.
Webb and her son worked with Roanoke City DSS and YAP to bring him home safely from a residential treatment center to reintegrate into the community. YAP develops and offers community-based alternatives for the highest risk children, young people, young adults and families. The Roanoke YAP staff that worked with Webb and her son were recruited from Roanoke City and ranged from community members with GED’s to Master’s degrees.
The staff worked to capitalize on the family’s strengths and resources and helped identify and engage the informal natural helpers in Roanoke, including the religious, education, and social services communities. Her son has been living with her for five months now and maintains a “B” average in public school.
To congratulate and recognize Webb, a reception was held to formally present her the scholarship on February 3rd with local staff and community members in attendance.
If you are interested in supporting YAP through working with young people and families or through financial contribution, please contact Program Director, Valerie Koeppel, M.Ed. at 342-1261 or [email protected]