The Family Place was chosen by the Young Men’s Service League University Park to receive this year’s “Ultimate Gift.” Inspired by Jim Stovall’s novel, the YMSL UP Chapter gave the gift of time to create a safe and “Fa-BOO-lous” Halloween for families receiving services at The Family Place. Through YMSL - University Park, 114 high school-aged young men and their mothers dedicated nearly 600 hours in support of The Family Place with the intention of creating a festive holiday for families during a time of uncertainty.
“The Family Place was honored to partner with the young men of University Park YMSL to create a joyous celebration for the families in our shelters. Holidays are often a challenging time for survivors of domestic violence and being able to host a fun event while providing a heartfelt learning opportunity for these young men was truly a moving experience for everyone involved,” said Mimi Sterling, CEO, The Family Place.
The young men and their moms are part of the University Park Chapter of the national organization, Young Men’s Service League (YMSL). This local chapter is comprised of 214 9-12th grade young men and their moms from the Dallas area, who work together to serve those in need in our community. This special project is YMSL - University Park’s choice for their annual Ultimate Gift campaign. The YMSL Ultimate Gift is a multi-day philanthropic event dedicated to one philanthropy partner per year. The goal is to do something transformational for the philanthropy, something that it may otherwise not have had the manpower or resources to do for itself.
“YMSL’s Ultimate Gift is not only a chance for our young men to do something meaningful for the residents of The Family Place, it’s a chance for them to change their own lives by learning more about domestic violence, signs to look for, and ways to help, at a critical time in their lives. Those are just a few of the reasons why we felt so passionate about selecting The Family Place as our partner,” said Jen Munoz, Ultimate Gift Chair, YMSL - University Park Chapter.
The Young Men’s Service League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit national organization. Members of YMSL are moms and their teenage sons who volunteer together to serve their local communities during his four years of high school. YMSL currently represents over 10,400 moms and 11,500 young men as part of 100 chapters across 16 states. YMSL offers moms service opportunities and time together with her son(s) to grow their relationship and to instill in him a heart of service to last a lifetime. Since its inception YMSL members have served over 2 million community service hours. In addition to service, as part of its four-year comprehensive program, YMSL teaches leadership and life skills to help develop our young men into capable, confident and compassionate leaders of tomorrow. www.YMSL.org
ABOUT THE FAMILY PLACE:
Started in 1978 as one of the first family violence shelters in Texas, The Family Place has become one of the largest family violence providers in the state. Today, The Family Place operates three emergency shelters, which provide 177 shelter beds each night for women, men, and children, and three counseling centers. In 2021, The Family Place served 9,466 clients providing 65,630 days of emergency shelter, 21,036 days of transitional housing, 22,717 hours of counseling to nonresidential clients, and 10,465 hours of counseling to batterers. All services are free and are provided in Spanish and English. The organization also operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, reachable seven days a week at 214-941-1991. For more information on The Family Place, please visit www.familyplace.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.