Young Life fundraiser at Inn Beach Club begins new chapter in organization
The beautiful sunset capped off the night of fun and faith as the new chapter of Young Life held its major fundraiser of the year at the Gasparilla Inn Beach Club Monday, Jan. 31.
The event was the first major event for the Englewood Chapter of Young Life, a Christian ministry focusing on middle school and high school youth. It was last October when the group split off from the Charlotte Harbor chapter to form an independent group for the youth from Englewood, Boca Grande and surrounding areas.
“It was a wonderful gathering together toward one mission,” said Sarah Suwak, area leader for Young Life. She said that their mission is to introduce teens to Jesus and help them grow in their faith.
Becoming an independent chapter of a world-wide organization takes a lot. It takes commitment, planning, determination and money. Sarah has been helping to bring all these elements together for the group.
The Englewood chapter focuses on students at Lemon Bay High School, Sky Academy and L.A. Ainger Middle School. Sarah says there are more than 1,000 students just in those three schools, but eventually she expects their reach will incorporate even more youth from the area.
The independence of the Englewood/Boca Grande chapter had been discussed and planned for years, but the time was right last year, and the fundraising started in earnest to make the plans a reality. Sarah was hired to be the Area Leader in 2020.
The group has an office near Dearborn Street, in Englewood. Sarah has a part-time assistant, and is hopeful she can add another part-time person this year.
“The local chapter is fully responsible for its own budget,” Sarah said. “This year that budget is set at $149,000.” Monday’s fundraiser at The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club serves as the largest funding event of the year.
Nevertheless, there was already a significant amount in the bank, so it was hoped the January 31 fundraiser would raise the $87,000 needed to cover the balance. They made a significant dent in that goal, raising more than half of it at the Beach Club fundraiser.
Young Life is a nondenominational evangelical ministry that seeks to draw young people to Jesus Christ by using what it calls the “four Cs” – contact work, club, camp and campaigners.
The contact work is done by trained adults who seek out interested youth where they are. This means they go to schools, participate in school sporting events and other activities, and befriend students who are interested in their message.
As the contact stage continues, Young Life establishes what are called “clubs,” where like-minded students can gather and have fun, as well as ask questions. Sarah said these resemble parties, more than study sessions. There is no formal teaching, but information and ideas are shared in a casual, friendly atmosphere.
From the clubs come young people who are not only interested in knowing more, themselves, but want to start sharing what they have experienced with others. These youth are the “campaigners.” They meet with the staff and other adults more often and help spread the “good news.”
The final aspect of Young Life is the camps. These are actual camps, surrounded by woods and streams, in most cases. The young people can go to these camps during breaks from school, and can meet other students from around the country. Sarah said it is a fun adventure for students and helps build skills, listen to speakers, have new outdoor experiences and more.
The Young Life web page (younglife.org) explains the movement this way:
“Because kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, Young Life leaders show they care by going where kids are, meeting them as they are, and believing in who they can be. Within Young Life we call the persistent going out into the world of kids ‘contact work,’ but kids just call it friendship.”
Sarah agrees this is a good description of the work her group is doing. She is encouraged by the support she has seen from the community.
“We still need more adult volunteers to work and share with the youth,” she said.
Of course, they can always use financial support, but she is grateful for all the assistance the community has given over the years. This financial support has come from individuals, organizations, churches and businesses.
