YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Essex County, NJ – Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. New Jersey Lead Director Curtis Moore is a former program participant turned employee.

“I am not just the director; I was also a participant,” Moore said. “There were a lot of things I did that I could have done differently when I was growing up.”

One of seven children, Moore was 12 years-old when he started getting into trouble following his parent’s divorce and after his father returned to live in Louisiana where the family is originally from. He was involved in gangs, drug dealing, stealing cars, and in-and-out of residential homes and the youth justice system. Moore was referred to YAP® in 1997. 

“He had a rough teenage road,” said Michael Thomas, who was a corrections officer at the youth detention facility where Moore was located. “He had a great sense of leadership, and he always knew what was happening around him. He was an influencer.”

Moore was in the YAP® Essex County Youth Justice Program for three months, but at age 19 he was sent to prison for manslaughter and served 13 years.

“I didn’t see myself doing anything or living past 18 or 19,” Moore said. “Seven days before my 19th birthday, I was facing 30 years for murder. The judge said to me, ‘I don’t see a monster that the state is saying you are.’ I never forgot that Black man in my life who really spoke life into me and said, ‘I see you, I hear you.’”

YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, education, mental health, and other public systems to deliver its community-based services as a safer, more-effective alternative to placing youth in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential treatment facilities. YAP® also partners with public safety and school systems to apply principles of its evidence-based individual and family “wraparound services” approach to reduce violence.

YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver wraparound support to program participants and their parents, guardians and other family members. The evidence-based YAPWRAP® services model helps young people see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their families with individualized resources and support.

“My mother said, ‘if this is the lifestyle that you plan on living, you will either be dead or in jail,’” Moore said.

While locked up, Moore was visited by his family and Thomas, who told him that the wrong choices have consequences. In incarceration, Moore received his high school diploma and associate’s degree. After he was released from prison, he earned his bachelor’s degree in social work from New Jersey’s Kean University.

“After he completed his sentence, he came home and was involved in church, and I started mentoring him again,” added Thomas, who is also a YAP Advocate. “He wanted to help kids and do what he could, so he became  involved with YAP.”

Moore said he was asked to share his story and was a motivational speaker to YAP® program participants before officially being hired in 2017 as a part-time Advocate. He soon moved up the ladder by becoming a program coordinator, assistant director, program director and lead director over New Jersey’s youth justice and outreach programs.

“My very first participant was a really difficult 17-year-old when I started working with him,” Moore recalled, adding he still keeps in contact with the youth who has since moved to Alabama. “He didn’t want to engage or do anything. This was so long ago, before some of the systems we have in place now. The company was doing intakes on paper then.”

To-date, Moore believes he has assisted approximately 100 youths, including former program participant Mufee who was in the program in 2015.

“Growing up I didn’t really know any better and I was doing what these young guys do nowadays like being in the streets and doing bad things,” Mufee said. “I was put in the YAP program and that is how I met Mr. Moore.”

Mufee and Moore took him places, allowed him to work with his mobile car wash to help him make money, and encouraged him to stay out of the streets.

“Once I turned 18, I was done with all that bad stuff, and I’ve never been to jail a day in my life,” Mufee said. “I actually moved away from New Jersey, and life is actually going good for me.”

Now 25, Mufee has a 3-year-old daughter, has relocated to Pennsylvania and is seeking employment.

“[Moore] really made me the man I am today,” he added. “He’s a very good mentor.”

Moore has written several books on community engagement and his experiences. He has authored “I Am a Survivor,” “Tears of Soldier,” “The Advocate,” “From Pain to Power,” and “FIRE.” Additionally, he serves on the Essex County Gun Violence Advisory Board and has been asked to speak about the effects of gun violence throughout the state of New Jersey.

“I am really happy with how things worked out for [Moore],” said Thomas, who has worked for YAP® for 22 years. “It’s really about these kids; it’s not about us. [Moore] is one of a thousand that I’ve seen who have impacted these kids’ lives and helped them to make a positive change.”

For Moore, his “why” is because he was a former YAP® participant.

“I am an advocate at heart, not just for kids but for community,” Moore added. “YAP is a community-based driven organization that is motivated by boots on the ground’s services. This work is my passion. I love what I do and people see it. There are so many Curtis’s who don’t make it out.”

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

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Davenport, IA — A special Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. luncheon recognized the accomplishments of formerly justice-involved Quad Cities youth and those once identified as being at the greatest risk for violence engagement. 

The event, which took place Saturday, May 16, at The Lincoln Resource Center, was an opportunity for YAP®’s government, philanthropic, and community partners to engage with young people who have benefited from their support of the nonprofit’s work.

Davenport YAP® Advocate David Hines led a panel discussion with former program participants, J’Ciana, Fletcher, and Brennan. The young people also received achievement awards for reaching milestones established in their individualized service plans. Brennan, 15, who served as the event’s featured speaker, said he hesitated to share his story, but that based on how much Hines, who served as his YAP® Advocate, did for him, “I couldn’t say ‘no,’” he said.

“I was 13 when I started making the kinds of decisions that got me locked up,” Brennan said. “At the time, I was a desperate, scared and very hungry boy.”

He told the audience he and his younger brother spent their childhood bouncing from relative to relative, whom he described as having “their own adult problems.”

“So as an adolescent, I had a lot of things to worry about. Things like where am I going to sleep? Where am I going to eat? What do I have to do to survive? Will I be safe?” And so yes, I did what most of you believe you’d never do. I stole food and sometimes money. And I ended up locked up.”

YAP® is a 50-year-old national nonprofit in 31 states and Washington, D.C. that brought its unique family-based, accountability-focused services to Davenport in 2023. The nonprofit partners with youth justice, child welfare, education, mental health, and other public systems to deliver its community-based services as a safer, more-effective alternative to placing youth in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential treatment facilities. YAP® also partners with public safety and school systems to apply principles of its evidence-based individual and family “wraparound services” approach to reduce violence.YAP® Iowa Program Director Michael A. Cole said Quad Cities youth are referred to the nonprofit by county and state youth justice systems and Davenport public schools. 

 “Sustaining and expanding its Quad Cities reach requires government referral partnerships, philanthropic and corporate funding, and continued community collaborations,” Cole said.

Brennan said he had to remain at the detention facility when he completed his time there because he had nowhere to go. He said things began to change in a positive direction when YAP® Advocate David Hines showed up.

“David worked with the social workers to find an adult in my family, willing to take me in. And then when my cousin Jeremy stepped up, David showed up for him, too,” Brennan said. “So today, I’m happy to say that I’m part of a family. I am seeing my strengths. And I’m getting even stronger. I know I’m a smart, mouthy kid who is going places. And thanks to David and Jeremy and YAP® and the foundation I’m building from everything I’ve been through, there’s no stopping me.”

Backed by donor funding, 71 Davenport youth and their parents/guardians have benefitted from YAP®’s intensive youth and family wraparound services.

“Today is a tribute to Quad Cities residents who as youths faced complex challenges and are now working to turn their lives around,” said YAP® Chief Program Officer David Williams. “Your presence here this afternoon means you are committed to being a part of a community that strengthens lives and makes communities safer.”

The nonprofit’s community-based Advocates and mental health professionals are trained to help young people identify and nurture their strengths. Staff simultaneously connect the youth and their parents or guardians with individualized educational, economic, and emotional needs tools to firm their family foundation. Davenport program participants benefit from the nonprofit’s YAP Pursuing Excellence® model, which combines YAP® wraparound services with specialized psychotherapy for adolescents exposed to chronic stress (SPARCS), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy.

“Our services are family-led and accountability-focused,” Williams said.

Community leaders and partners who support YAP’s work who were recognized at the event include:

• Tracy Singleton, Lincoln Resource Center Executive Director Rev. Rogers Kirk, Jr., President and CEO of Together Making a Better Community — TMBC
• Shirleen Martin, representing Davenport NAACP Metrocom Branch President Michael Guster
• Kennon Neal and Jason Otten with Unity Point Center for Alcohol and Drug Services
• Rodney Tatum and Machelle Pemberton, YAP’s Davenport Peace, Juvenile Court School liaisons
• Matt McDowell, who provided mentorship opportunities for young people including asking them to read to summer camp participants here at the Lincoln Resource Center
• Avery Pearl, Assistant Director at the Lincoln Resource Center
• Cherie Henningsen and Nina Laughlin, Unity Point Robert Young Mental Health

Cole and his team also recognized Yolanda Jefferson at Blck Pearl Catering; Kayla Babers with KB Photography; and Morgan Payne with 1814 Event Services.

Among the luncheon attendees were Grinnell College’s VP for Community Engagement and Strategic Planning Monica Chavez-Silva. Monica, who recently joined YAP’s national board of directors. National YAP leaders joining the Quad Cities community leaders included, YAP Chief Program Officer Dave Williams, Chief Operations Officer Joanne Troutman, Vice President of Philanthropy Greg Hollback, Regional Vice President Jamaal Crawford; and Regional Director E’Ron Leveston. In addition to Cole and Hines, YAP Iowa staffers at the event included Alicia Berry Morgan, LaToya Lewis, and Shanda Burrage.

About Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc.: Founded by Tom Jeffers in 1975, YAP collaborates with community and public systems backed by philanthropic funders to deliver four signature programs: Youth and Family Empowerment, Bringing Systems Change, Global Capacity Building, and Investing in Economic Mobility. 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 the youth still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement. Learn more about YAP and how you can support the national nonprofit’s work at YAPInc.org. 

Join the Movement on June 11

By Kleo Bello

Kleo Bello is from Albania and is a 2026 Global Fellow of Youth Advocate Programs, (YAP®) in Cook County, Ill., through the Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) program. YAP® has been participating in Outdoor Office Day since 2021.

As cities continue to grow and people spend more time indoors, a global movement is encouraging workers to reconnect with nature. Outdoor Office Day, founded by Ioana Biris in the Netherlands, promotes the idea of taking work outside, even if only for one day each year.

“It is time to have the conversation about how we work and what we need to feel inspired, productive and connected,” said Biris, who is also a social psychologist and co-owner of Nature Desks. “Both the frantic pace of the modern world and the recent figures about the increasing number of hours we spend in front of our screens or sitting, should make us all rethink the relationship we have with work.”

The initiative was created from a simple but powerful idea that people should work closer to nature. According to the concept behind Outdoor Office Day, modern lifestyles keep individuals surrounded by screens, offices, and urban environments for most of their daily lives. Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this number is expected to increase in the future. Because of this, the founder of this movement believes that reconnecting with outdoor spaces is becoming increasingly important.

The movement has inspired many organizations across different sectors to embrace the concept. Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., has been among the organizations participating in Outdoor Office Day, using the occasion to bring work outdoors and promote healthier, more engaging work environments. Outdoor Office Day is a lovely collaboration between the YAP®’s Safety and Wellness Committee, which shares pertinent information internally with employees, and the YAP® Global Community that includes sister organizations in Ireland, Australia, Sierra Leone and Guatemala.

A national nonprofit, YAP® partners with public systems to provide individual and family wraparound and mental health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in residential care/treatment and corrections facilities. YAP®’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements.

Founded in 2019, Outdoor Office Day encourages companies, students, and workers to step outside traditional office structures and experience a different working atmosphere. The movement highlights how open-air environments can positively influence workplace culture, employee engagement, creativity, and overall well-being.

Research connected to nature and wellness also supports many of these ideas. Spending time outdoors has been associated with reduced stress levels, better focus, improved sleep quality, stronger social interaction, and enhanced creativity. The founder also argues that even small changes such as holding meetings outside, working in parks, or creating greener workspaces, can have a meaningful impact on mental health and productivity.

Outdoor Office Day will take place this year on June 11, when organizations and individuals around the world are encouraged to step outside their usual workplaces and reconnect with nature. YAP®’s continued involvement demonstrates how organizations dedicated to youth development and community engagement recognize the value of outdoor environments in supporting collaboration, creativity, and overall well-being. Through its participation, YAP® reinforces the idea that productive and meaningful work can happen beyond the walls of a traditional office.

“YAP Ireland often has rain but they get out their umbrellas for a walking meeting,” said YAP®’s Vice President of International Development Diana Matteson. “Whether its outdoor spaces at local libraries, porches, back yards, next to ponds with ducks and near chicken coops, community gardens, botanic gardens, public parks, on rooftops, taking over a parking space to make an outdoor office for a day, the YAP community never lacks for innovation and creative approaches whether its Outdoor Office Day or how we work with young people, families, and communities.”

The concept is not about completely replacing offices but about rethinking how work environments affect people. Organizers emphasize that workplaces should become more flexible, human-centered, and connected to wellness. Outdoor Office Day ultimately sends a simple message; sometimes productivity does not come from staying inside longer, but from stepping outside and allowing nature to become part of everyday life.

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org. Click the link to learn more about Outdoor Office Day.

Kleo Bello is a dedicated journalist and advocate for social change from a small town in Albania. With a background in journalism, he has a deep passion for using media and storytelling to raise awareness about pressing societal issues, particularly domestic violence and poverty. Kleo’s work as an investigative journalist for the TV program Without Trace has allowed him to shed light on child labor challenges and those driving positive change in his community. His commitment extends beyond journalism, as he is also actively involved in a non-profit organization focusing on youth engagement and environmental protection, exemplified by his role in organizing the Vjosa N’Fest festival to raise awareness for the Vjosa River.

Kankakee, Illinois — A successful Kankakee, Ill. business owner and family man, LaVail’s life is far from what he experienced as a child.

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, neglect, abuse, and physical and emotional pain were the norm for him and his two sisters and eight brothers, one of them his twin brother.

“My mom was 16 when she had my twin and me. She was abused by her auntie and grandma, and she was abusive to us.”

LaVail said he was frequently exposed to violence at home and sexual abuse when he was staying nights with a relative. He said chaos was the norm.

“We were whipped with cords, irons, you name it,” he said. “We went to school like that and that’s how we got taken away.”

LaVail said when he was 11, his mother went to jail and after a short stay with a family member, he went into the foster care system. Initially, he and his twin brother were together with a Chicago family, but eventually, all of his brothers and sisters were were in different foster or group homes throughout the state. He said through Lutheran Family Services, he stayed in contact with his siblings.

“We had family visits once or twice a month,” he said.

LaVail said by age 15, he was with nine or ten foster families before ending up in a group home in Kankakee, 60 miles south of the city.

A few months later, he and some of his friends found themselves in trouble.

“We saw a running car and no driver,” he said. “We took stuff out and ended up going to jail.”

Charged with burglary, Lavail spent the next 18 months in a youth detention facility in St. Charles. When it was time for him to leave the facility, he had nowhere to call home.

“One of my aunts let me stay on her couch, but said it could only be for a short time,” he recalled.

That’s when Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. came into his life. Supported by philanthropy, the 50-year-old national nonprofit partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems to deliver community-based services as an alternative to incarcerating or placing youth in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential care/treatment facilities. Celebrating 20 years in Chicago, YAP®’s individual and family wraparound services adhere to principles of its unique evidence-based, unconditional caring approach. Central to the model is the nonprofit’s “no-reject, no-eject” policy.

When LaVail was in St. Charles, YAP® opened a Chicago office and partnered with Lutheran Family Services to deliver individual and family wraparound services to child welfare and youth justice-involved youth. Services included connecting kids like LaVail with kinship guardians.

YAP®’s evidence-based family-and accountability-centered services adhere to unique unconditional caring guiding principles that include a “no reject, no eject” policy. The nonprofit’s community-based employee Advocates and mental health professionals connect program participants and their parents or guardians with individualized economic, educational, and emotional needs services to help them thrive and firm their family foundation.

“When I came home, a man from the YAP® office told me about the program,” LaVail said, adding that he was skeptical at first. “Then one day, ‘Big Homie’ came. This big dude gets out of this little SUV. I ran out back, took off,” he added.

Big Homie is what LaVail affectionately called Antoine McNutt, one of YAP®’s first Chicago Advocates who delivered services to hundreds of young people before his death in 2022. LaVail said McNutt was relentless.

“He came by every day. And when I saw him roll up, I ran out back, took off, every time,” LaVail said. “Then one day when I ran out the back, he was standing right there.”

LaVail said he was terrified.

“I told him, ‘I ain’t going back to jail.,’ He said ‘I ain’t taking you to jail. I’m from YAP,’” LaVail recalled. “He told me, ‘I’m here to help,’ and then said, ‘You look hungry.’”

Not long after that they were at a nearby sandwich shop where they ate and LaVail spoke to the manager about getting him a job.

“He immediately showed me that I could trust him,” LaVail said.

Over the next few days, McNutt took him clothes shopping and eventually worked with his case worker to provide the support his aunt needed to become his guardian. In the coming months, McNutt helped LaVail and his twin brother, who was also in Kankakee, find jobs in Chicago closer to their other siblings. Through YAP’s Economic Mobility program, he also provided them with bus passes to get back and forth.

“Big Homie was thorough. He didn’t let up on you,” Lavail said. “When he saw I was hanging out with someone he didn’t feel good about, he’d tell me and would let that person know that when they were ready, he’d be there for them, too.”

LaVail remembers McNutt taking him and his twin brother to Bible study and church and encouraging them to take GED prep classes at Kennedy King College. He said along the way, McNutt found a way for them to complete classes and test to earn their high school diploma.

A pivotal moment for LaVail was when McNutt got him a part-time job sweeping and cleaning up at a Chicago barbershop.

“It was at 83^rd and Colfax. That’s when I decided I wanted to cut hair,” he said. “After some time, I talked to the barber and told him and Big Homie I want to cut hair. That same week, McNutt signed me up at Larry’s Barber College.”

Lavail said getting his life on the straight and narrow involved some obstacles and backsliding. Still McNutt never wavered.

“I had one foot in and one foot out, still smoking weed and drinking,” LaVail said. “Big Homie would send a lawyer, but he didn’t play. He was like a father, really.”

Eventually, the days in church led to LaVail committing to making positive change in his life – with no turning back.

“I got saved, turned my life over to God,” he said.

In 2017, LaVail started his own barber business, leasing a space in a Kankekee shop from an established barber who knew that people were standing in line outside Lavail’s apartment in the projects to get haircuts.

After two years, he opened three shops of his own and started a family. He is determined to give his two boys and two girls the childhood he didn’t have. He often shares stories and lessons with them from his past.

“To this day, I tell my kids stories about Big Homie,” he said.

As part of centering family values, LaVail reconnected and has reconstructed his relationship with his mother. He moved her to Kankakee not far from his home, providing an opportunity for her to be near him and her grandchildren.

Learn more about YAP and how you can support the organization’s work at www.yapinc.org.

Northern Maryland – When J’Von became a program participant with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. in Northern Maryland he was looking for structure, accountability, and positive support to help get his future back on the right path.

“Through my involvement with YAP, I have been given the opportunity to develop better habits, take responsibility for my actions, and stay focused on my goals,” J’Von wrote. “The guidance, resources, and consistent support I have received have played a major role in helping me move in a positive direction.”

J’Von is a recipient of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education that supports his plans to study Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) at Lincoln Tech, a trade school. Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries are eligible to apply for and receive the nonprofit’s scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. The unique Endowment Fund also received generous donations from the YAP® Board of Directors and other contributors.

A national nonprofit, YAP® partners with public systems to provide individual and family wraparound and mental health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in residential care/treatment and corrections facilities. YAP® Advocates are trained to provide intensive mentoring that helps youth realize their strengths while connecting them and their parents with economic, emotional and educational resources to firm their foundation and help them succeed.

Since November 2025, 18-year-old J’Von has been involved with YAP® Northern Maryland’s Youth Justice Program, where he was connected with a community-based Advocate and other staff who helped guide him into making better decisions after he got into some trouble. J’Von’s former Advocate said he also started attending church, going to the gym regularly, and is actively seeking employment as he understands the benefits of becoming independent, making an effort and taking accountability.

“[YAP staff] have supported me emotionally, physically, and financially on a daily and weekly basis,” J’Von wrote in his Endowment essay. “The program has helped me grow into a more disciplined and motivated young man.”

J’Von also earned valuable skills through YAPWORX® the organization’s workforce development program, which is designed for young people who face employment barriers helping them to earn a paycheck as they acquire job training skills.

“As part of his involvement in YAPWORX, J’Von successfully fulfilled court-ordered requirements, including paying off his restitution,” YAP® Northern Maryland Administrative Manager Jasmine Sawyers wrote in her recommendation letter for J’Von. “He approached this responsibility with consistency, accountability, and a willingness to grow. Throughout the process, he remained receptive to guidance, met expectations, and demonstrated a strong commitment to making positive choices and moving forward.”

Sawyers described J’Von as a consistent and focused person with “strong character, accountability, and a clear commitment to his future.”

“J’Von is a respectful, patient, and cooperative young man who engages well with both staff and peers,” Sawyers wrote. “He contributes to a positive environment and carries himself with maturity. His work ethic is evident not only in how he shows up, but in how he follows through. He is intentional about building a better future for himself.”

J’Von said he is fully committed to excelling at Lincoln Tech.

“I intend to remain focused, dedicated, and disciplined in my coursework, and I am confident that I will succeed in my HVAC program,” he added. “I am highly motivated to pursue this field because it offers a stable, in-demand career that will allow me to build a better future for myself and family.”

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org. To make a contribution to the Endowment Fund, click here.

Monroe County, NY – Former Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. participant Sean says his Advocate had such an impact on his life that he still remembers her fondly five years later.  

“I saw her at least three times a week,” Sean said, recalling his time with YAP®. “She took me to a lot of places like the lake, beach and parks. Before YAP, I was really closed off, but my Advocate helped me a lot with that.”

In 2021, Sean was a program participant in YAP® Monroe County’s Child Welfare program when he was in the foster care system. YAP® Monroe County works with youth ages 12-18 who are either involved or at-risk of being in the youth justice or are in the child welfare system and provides them with an Advocate who supports them with development at home, in school, and their communities.

YAP® is a national nonprofit that collaborates with community and public systems backed by philanthropic funders to deliver four signature programs: Youth and Family Empowerment, Bringing Systems Change, Global Capacity Building, and Investing in Economic Mobility. YAP®’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements.

Sean, who was 16 while enrolled with YAP® and will be 22 years-old in October, now has his own apartment, along with being sober for almost two years. His story includes sexual assault, domestic violence and being sex trafficked. He suffers from severe Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

“I’ve been through it all,” he said. “I think it’s very important especially for kids who have the same background as mine, to learn what it’s like to turn their lives around, to enjoy life and learn life skills.”

Sean’s Advocate no longer works for YAP® and has relocated. To support YAP®’s policy and fund development efforts, Sean has joined the YAP® Alumni Ambassadors program. YAP Alumni Ambassadors is dedicated to former program participants and their parents/guardians or other family members who give back by speaking about how their YAP® experience empowered them to put their lives on a positive path.

“My Advocate definitely motivated me to look at bigger life goals outside of foster care,” Sean added. “I learned a lot from her in addition to what community resources are available to me and about communication skills.”

Through it all, Sean says that YAP® allowed him to be somewhat of a youth again through activities he was able to experience while in the program.

“I just want to advocate for others who may be going through something similar,” he said. “I want others to know they are not alone.”

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.

*YAP is using a different name of the former program participant to protect his identity.

Lackawanna County, PA — For the first time in a long time, Katelyn sees a bright future for her son, Ben.

“He’s 13-years old and has autism. He’s a big strong farm boy, but emotionally he’s a child. I was worried he was going to stay home on my sofa forever,” she said. “Now he’s more willing to meet people. He’s way more confident now. He has so much potential.”

Katelyn said the change began about a year ago when Ben began to receive behavioral health services at home from Bonnie Bower.

“We’ve gone through many therapists and workers over the years and it’s usually just, ‘Yes’ or ‘Uh huh.’ Or he’ll sit at the table and cry and carry on,” she said. “But Bonnie just gets right in there. She’s into his space and heart. She’s kind to him and doesn’t make him feel pressured. She’s understanding and can also be stern,” Katelyn added.

Bower is a Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®) Inc. mobile mental health professional delivering services to youth throughout Lackawanna County, often in rural communities. YAP is a donor-supported national nonprofit that partners with justice, child welfare, mental health, education, and public safety systems to deliver community-based services an alternative to youth incarceration and residential treatment. YAP’s mental health services are driven by principles of the nonprofit’s 50-year-old evidence-based youth justice model, which includes unconditional caring, and a no reject, no-eject policy.

YAP’s family-centered, accountability-focused model is what drew Bonnie to the donor-supported nonprofit 13 years ago. At the time, she was 70 years old.

“I didn’t go to college till I was 41. By then, I had been married, had worked in the food business, and had ended up single,” she said. “I went on to get my master’s and graduated in ‘94.”

With Bower’s education comes with a wealth of life experiences, including a divorce and raising two adult children, much of the time on her own. Now 83, she says she’s “a straight shooter” when it comes to working with kids and their parents and guardians.

“When I get a family, I sit them down and say straight out, I’m here to help you and we have a whole treatment team, and you need help or we wouldn’t be here,” Bower said. “I tell them there are going to be times when you’re not going to like me, I’m going to hit raw nerves, treatment is painful. There are going to be times when it’s not going to be easy,” she added.

True to the YAP service delivery model, Bower’s youth and family treatment plans focus on the strengths of program participants and their parents and guardians. She connects them to tools to nurture their gifts and talents and to firm their family foundation.

“The treatment plan might include a bubble bath for mom,” she said.

Bower also believes in balance for herself. She spends her free time traveling, with friends enjoying an occasional martini “stirred, not shaken and served in the right stemmed glass,” she said. Or she’s relaxing at home with Telsa, a large and clingy cat named after one of her favorite rock bands.

Bower’s background includes stints as a substitute teacher and a variety of social services positions including a Scranton, PA nonprofit serving children, adolescents, and adults with behavioral, emotional, or developmental challenges. One of her co-workers there was Denise Shandra, who now works for YAP as Bower’s Program Director.

“I have always respected Bonnie as a true social worker; with her program participants’ and their families’ total wellbeing as her utmost concern,” Shandra said. “She is fantastic at assuring all possible community resources are connected with the family. Bonnie is the definition of above and beyond.”

Bower also worked at an organization specializing in substance use disorders and for 11 years, she provided services at a locked facility for youth offenders.

“I loved that job. The kids I worked with there were from D.C., Baltimore, Philly. I worked with their families too.,” Bower said adding that she cared deeply for the individuals she served. “I didn’t take any nonsense from these kids, but I have a different style, and it works. Ninety-seven percent of those kids were trafficked. The girls I worked with were either snatched off the street or coerced. Some of their stories were horrendous.”

When Bower learned about YAP, especially its outcomes with young people who might have otherwise been in a corrections or residential care or treatment facility, she knew the national nonprofit was where she would do her best work. Her experiences taught her that the best way to serve young people is to empower them with tools to see and nurture their best qualities while also connecting their families with individualized support tools. The principles of the YAP model align with who Bower is and she is still as excited about the job as she was when she first started.

Eleven-year-old Joslyn said before working with Bower, she would throw desks when she was frustrated and would talk back when a teacher instructed her to do assignments she didn’t like.

“I feel like I tell her what I feel like is important. She actually listens and helps me do better things,” Joslyn said in describing her experience with Bower. “I feel like there’s a big difference; I’m following my parents’ rules, and I don’t get attitude that much. I feel like I’m going to do good in the future. I see myself playing soccer,” she added.

Joslyn said she had just brought home a permission slip to join her school’s 7^th grade soccer club next year.

“We talked about it,” her mother said. “And the answer is yes.”

Bower said she begins by building a relationship with the young person. She also listens to the young person’s parents and guardians and works hard to build a bond with them as well.

“If I hook onto something that I can relate to, that’s a good thing,” she said. “For example, with one kid I remember struggling to get the dad on board. Then one day, he told me about his wedding and said they played something from Ozzy Osbourne. That’s when I told him that I’m also into heavy metal and that I really like Alice In Chains. That was our connection.”

Katelyn said Bower connects with her son in a similar fashion.

“She asks me about him, what he’s interested in. Bonnie’s good at asking me what works for him and putting it into play,” she said, adding that she has success getting him to open up while doing the things he loves.

“They go out to the farm together and she watches him and talks to him while he shovels and cleans up,” she said. “He also loves to bake and cook with her. Lots of times she has a project she’ll bring over.”

Katelyn said Ben attends a special school but that he joined a competitive swim league with kids his age from the general population and she’s seeing glimmers of hope in his attempts for social interaction.

“He’s more willing to try. All day long he’s down there without Mom and Dad. Now he’s in the 13-18 group,” she said. “Your race is only three minutes, but he’s sitting with those big guys on the bleachers for six hours. He’s learning how to be more comfortable with being friendly with the older kids.”

Katelyn is encouraged by Ben’s willingness to work with Bower and is impressed watching him cooperate with her, even taking time to answer questions to assess his anxieties and other challenges.

“I’m trying to make his world as big as possible,” she said. “I’m hoping he’ll be able to connect with supported employment,” she said. “He wants to work he can do the work, and now I’m hopeful he’ll be able to connect with someone who can help him be successful out there.”

Bower stays in contact with the young people and families sometimes years after they complete services. She encouraged one grandmother to enroll in and complete college and continues to encourage when she doubts herself in her first weeks in a new job.

She was also there for a program participant whose mother left town to live with a new boyfriend only to return weeks later when things didn’t work out. The youth stopped going to school until Bower restarted services and found a therapist for the mom as well. He’s back in school and is focused on entering a trade school.

Bower believes encouragement is one of the keys to her success.

“Celebrating accomplishments is important. I’ll take cake and ice cream and do things like that. When you celebrate, children feel it’s a rite of passage,” she said.

As for Bower’s future, she is working to complete requirements to become a licensed behavioral consultant.

No doubt, there will be standing room only at her celebration party followed by time with friends and a martini, served in a stemmed glass, and of course, stirred, not shaken.

Learn more about YAP and how you can support the donor-funded nonprofit at www.yapinc.org.

By Patrick Young

YAP®’s Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development

One of the most important ways to reduce violence is to increase access to real, meaningful employment opportunities. When people can see a pathway forward, they move differently. They think differently. They choose differently.

“That was the heart of my message as a selected Peace Fellow with Wisdom Projects (formally, Wisdom Projects, Inc., an over 15-year-old 501(c)(3) community-led nonprofit organization in East Baltimore devoted to violence prevention) during the 2026 Peace Fellow Gathering on April 30 during National Reentry/National Second Chance Month. 

“Based in Baltimore, Md., Wisdom Projects has six programs for youth and families aged 5-85 including: 1. A STEM and Healing Arts Peacemaking afterschool program; 2. A Youth Peacemakers Workforce Development Program; 3. A Parent Peacemakers Workforce Development Program; 4. A Summer Peace Day Camp with the McKim Center; 5. Planet Protectors Laboratories for Environment Justice; and 6. Weekly Conflict Resolution Education and Services. These programs integrate community organizing, peace education, STEM, environmental justice, visual arts, and healing.

I had the opportunity to sit with youth and parent peacemakers and walk through what those pathways actually look like today. Not theory, not motivation alone, but real strategies for growth in a changing workforce.

We talked about new approaches to opportunity, how workforce development is evolving, and how preparation now has to include not just skills, but mindset, exposure, and access.

I shared how, through my work with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®) – a national nonprofit located that partners with child welfare, justice, mental health, and education systems to provide services that are a safer, more effective, and less costly alternative to youth incarceration and other out-of-home placement – we are building those pathways in real time.

Programs like YAPWORX® and YAP® Supported Work are made possible through partnerships with community employers and volunteers.

YAPWORX®
A modern workforce readiness model designed to prepare individuals for today’s economy, blending real-world skills, mindset development, and future-focused learning. The program provides job skills and a positive work habit curriculum designed for individuals who face barriers to employment.

YAP® Supported Work
Creating immediate, paid work experiences that allow participants to build confidence, gain exposure, and develop habits that lead to long-term employment. YAP® Supported Work matches program participants with employers, many of them small businesses in their neighborhoods, who give young people on-the-job work experiences.

These are not just programs. They are bridges.

Bridges from uncertainty to stability.

From survival to growth.

From potential to purpose.

What made the discussion so powerful was the timing. During National Second Chance Month, the conversation carried even more weight. We were not just talking about opportunity; we were talking about access to a second chance, and what it truly takes to make that chance count.

The young people leaned in. The parents asked real questions. The room felt honest, engaged, and ready.

That is what I appreciate most about Wisdom Projects. They are intentional. They are creating space for truth, for growth, and for transformation rooted in peace, healing, and justice.

I left encouraged and grateful.

Because if we are serious about reducing violence, we have to be just as serious about increasing opportunity.

And in rooms like this, you can see that the future is being built in real time.

I love Wisdom Projects.

Patrick Young serves as YAP®’s Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development. For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.

Harrisburg, Pa. – Thanks to the generosity of a national nonprofit’s employees and others, J received money to purchase books for college, Ashley got a new laptop, and Breanna and Jose received tuition assistance.

All four are recipients of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education, open to current and former program participants or their parents and guardians who have benefitted from services provided by Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries are eligible to apply for and receive the nonprofit’s scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. 

“YAP is proud to provide support to program participants and their family members who need help paying for college, technical education, books, or other supplies and a new laptop,” said Patty Rosati, YAP® Endowment Board President and Chief Impact Officer. “This work is extremely meaningful to me, and it is fulfilling to take some of the burden away for young people and adults who are chasing their dreams.”

A national nonprofit, YAP® partners with public systems to provide individual and family wraparound and mental health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in residential care/treatment and corrections facilities. YAP® Advocates are trained to provide intensive mentoring that helps youth realize their strengths while connecting them and their parents with economic, emotional and educational resources to firm their foundation and help them succeed.

Recent Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Awardees Include:

Ashley – Parent of a former YAP® Harris County, Texas Behavioral Health program participant

Ashley’s son was enrolled in YAP®’s Harris County, Texas program. Ashley is now enrolled at Houston Christian University.

“Through our involvement with YAP, we have received incredible support, especially from [Advocate] Benjamin Burum, who has been a tremendous help in addressing both school and behavioral challenges,” Ashley wrote in her Endowment essay. “Since beginning the program, I have truly seen a positive change in my son, and I pray that his growth continues. YAP has not only supported my son but has also strengthened our family as a whole.”

With the help of Burum, a YAP® Advocate and Qualified Mental Health Professional, Ashley said her son has made improvements in his behavior. With the help of YAP®’s Endowment Fund, Ashley plans to graduate from college and become a minister.

“Ms. Ashley shared that having a new laptop would significantly support her ability to complete her current online coursework and continue working toward her degree,” Burum wrote in his recommendation letter for Ashley. “Given her commitment to personal growth, her dedication to supporting her son, and her ongoing efforts to improve her family’s future, I believe she would be an excellent candidate to receive assistance through the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund.”

J – Parent of a former YAP® North Arkansas Behavioral Health Program Participant

J is the parent of a program participant who was enrolled in YAP® Arkansas’ Behavioral Health program and is a second time recipient of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund. She received her first scholarship from the Endowment Fund in May of 2025.

“One year ago, I was working three jobs, starting school, and in the process of a divorce,” J wrote in her Endowment essay. “Today, I am proud to say that since my last essay, the divorce was called off, I have been able to go from working three jobs to only needing to work one, I was saved and baptized, and despite all the negative aspects that have been thrown my way, I have been able to overcome all obstacles and still maintain a 3.9 GPA.”

J is currently enrolled in DeVry University and is on track to graduate in August. Since last year, she has found a better job with an increased salary and her children have been able to take part in extracurricular activities such as cheer and archery.

“I have drive, ambition, and am resilient to anything life throws at me,” J wrote. “Having the Endowment Fund awarded helped take some of the stress off me financially during this time. I am eternally grateful for all of the funding that has been previously provided.”

Breanna – Former YAP® Morris/Sussex County, NJ Behavioral Health Program Participant

Breanna is a former program participant of YAP Sussex County, NJ Behavioral Health program and is in her third semester at Sussex County Community College where she is majoring in Human Services in the hope of becoming a social worker. She was awarded a laptop from the Endowment Fund in 2025 and received tuition in the 2026 funding cycle.

“Youth Advocate Programs has helped me become the person I am today and push for my goals that I did not believe were achievable,” Breanna wrote her Endowment essay. “I am interested in the scholarship money toward my education to help me pay for my education.”

Jose – Former YAP® Clark County, Nev. Youth Justice Program Participant

Once homeless and living in a park, Jose credits YAP® and his Advocate for helping him change his life and mindset.

“My [YAP Advocate] encouraged me to think beyond my immediate circumstances and helped me build the confidence I needed to pursue a career,” Jose wrote in his Endowment essay. “With her support, I transitioned into a shelter and began focusing on my education.”

Today, Jose is a student at Northwest Vista College finishing his prerequisite coursework.

His goal is to enter a nursing program at San Antonio College to earn his associate degree in nursing.

“This scholarship would allow me to continue my education without interruption,” Jose wrote. “I am determined to finish my degree, and this support would be the bridge I need to stay in school and reach my goal of becoming a nurse.”

For more information about the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund, click here or about YAP, visit yapinc.org. To contribute to the Endowment Fund, click here.