Save Our Youth

Last week, Sailing Camp set sail with a group of 15 students, one staff member, and two volunteers. The kids had one week to enjoy the California sun and learn to maintain and sail a boat.

Also, last Saturday night, a group of 21 made their way from SOY to Zion National Park in Utah. Arriving on Sunday, everyone set out to set up camp in the hot weather. Some of these students pitching up tents for the first time and others first time camping. Although, these students are not experienced hikers, our group had some of the best hiking experiences. Some of the hikes we took on were the Narrows (a hike through the Virgin River), The Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, Angel’s Landing, and The Navajo Loop (Bryce Canyon National Park). These hikes ranged in difficulty from easy to strenuous and the kids did great to tackle each and every one of them. Besides the minor, cuts, bumps, and bruises, the kids enjoyed every minute of the trip, and as a staff member I speak for the staff and volunteers that took part of these adventures-it was an unforgettable journey.

This summer has been jam packed with great activities and field trips! The most memorable experience for 9 of our girls was their journey to the summit of Mt. Whitney. All 9 girls made it to the top with the help of three of SOY’s staff members and one of our regular volunteers. After sweat, tears, and great will power, the whole group was able to climb to the top over a span of three days. Below are a few pictures of their adventure. If you’d like to see the rest, make your way to the gallery or Facebook page on the right hand side.

Another hike that some of the students took on while the others were at Mt. Whitney was the San Jacinto hike. After taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tram up the mountains to about 8,000 feet, we began our trek to the second highest point in Southern California that reaches about 10,500 feet in elevation. These pictures are available for viewing in the gallery as well. Or here: San Jacinto Hike

Aside from the physical and mental conquering of various hiking trails and summits, this summer has been full of cultural, artistic, educational, and fun activities. Some of these activities include: a visit to the Griffith Observatory, the SOY Dance team performing at the OC Fair, students participating on We Care Wednesdays brought by the the OC Fair (Food Drive and Book Drive), attending community concerts at the park, and enjoying our outdoor movie nights.

All these pictures are of course available to view in the gallery! More summer updates coming soon before the end of the summer!

July Calendar
August Calendar

Thank you to all who participated and/or donated to our 2nd Annual SOY Fiesta at Taco Rosa! We raised approximately $25,000 that goes directly to support our SOY Center. Thanks to all who purchased items in the silent auction or sponsored special SOY events without your help these programs would not be able to continue to exist. We especially want to thank our Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsors and those that sponsored our upcoming events.

Please see the list of these sponsors on this home page. And a special thanks to our board member and host of the Fiesta Ivan Calderon founder and owner of Taco Rosa.

It was great to see you there, please check out the Fiesta tab to see more photos of the event, we hope to see you next Spring for our 3rd Annual.

Music Recital- June 15

Donors:
Heather Hendrickson
Pauline Jones
Zan Jones

Sailing-OCC Base- Aug. 16-19

Donors:
Coleen Scherf-Ghara
Cesar Cappellini
David Harper

SOY Surf Camp- Aug. 23-26

Donors:
Bill Turpit
David Harper
Clay Epperson
Frazier Family

Summer Bonfire- Aug. 30

Donors:
Tom Reitz

Rea Basketball- Sep. 18

Donors:
Jean Forbath
Cesar Cappellini

Dance Recital- March 2011

Donors:
Heather Hendrickson
Frazier Family

Museum of Tolerance- April 2011

Donors:
Don Maher
Bill Turpit
Dave Brooks

OC Hiking- TBA

Donors:
Zan Jones
Suzanna Demarsico

Play with SOY Girls- TBA

Donors:
Anna Abbott
Ingrid Blowers
Don Maher