The holiday season can be a tough time for the people served by Valley Youth House, as the sparkle of celebration is muted by the need to meet life’s essential demands.
The Lehigh Valley nonprofit social service agency provides a host of programs — housing, emergency shelter, counseling, trauma therapy — to at-risk young people and families.
Those needs carry on unabated during these weeks of festivity and gift-giving, activities often beyond the means of clients. Eager to offer a bit of brightness, the agency conducts an annual Holiday Gift Drive, raising money to provide gifts to young people and families served by its programs.
The drive “is important to the youth we serve because it makes them feel happy and thought of during the holidays. A majority of our youth would not receive gifts if it wasn’t for the generosity of our community supporters,” said Vykki Renno, a Valley Youth House office manager.
The agency suggests donations on four levels: $50 to sponsor one youth; $100 to sponsor two; $250 to sponsor a family; or $500 to sponsor a program.
Those are only suggestions. Donations of any amount are welcome, at any time of year.
In addition to the website, donations can be made by texting “GIFTS25” to 41444.
Gifts are given to clients who formerly experienced homelessness or housing insecurity, or are currently enrolled in foster care and now live in an agency shelter, group home or apartment. Clients in counseling and therapeutic services also receive them.
Valley Youth House started in 1973 as a single-home shelter in Bethlehem offering housing and counseling. It has expanded to serve thousands of clients in 14 Pennsylvania counties. It operates more than 300 residential centers.
More information: www.valleyyouthhouse.org
