April 16-18, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lindsey Birkel
Children’s Home
309-687-7423
lbirkel@chail.org

Peoria Children’s Home receives $2,000 YSA grant funded by State Farm Companies Foundation

(Peoria, IL-January 26, 2004) – Children’s Home, Peoria, Ill., is one of 50 U.S. Lead Agencies receiving a Youth Service America (YSA) grant funded by the State Farm Companies Foundation to help coordinate activities for National Youth Service Day (NYSD) in April.

John Stone, State Farm Field Executive, presented the $2,000 YSA community service grant on behalf of the State Farm Companies Foundation to Farrell Davies of Children’s Home on January 26, 2004 at a news conference.

The grant will be used by Children’s Home to plan a regional celebration engaging 500 youth volunteers in community service activities for a special NYSD event involving Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties to recruit the next generation of volunteers and to educate the public about the role of youth as community leaders. The theme of this year’s event is “Healthy Kids for a Healthy Community. Youth from around the area will join together and plan a campaign focused on the importance of making healthy choices and leading a healthy lifestyle. This year’s National Youth Service Day will culminate with a day of fitness and fun at the Peoria RiverPlex and will feature a fitness challenge.

National Youth Service Day, April 16-18, is coordinated by Youth Service America, in partnership with the National Youth Leadership Council and PARADE magazine. The State Farm Companies Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of National Youth Service Day 2004.

Youth Service America is a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people in America. Founded in 1986, YSA’s mission is to strengthen the effectiveness, sustainability and scale of the youth service and service-learning fields. YSA is joined by a consortium that includes more than 85 of the nation’s largest nonprofit and youth development organizations.

State Farm supports service-learning as a teaching methodology because it strengthens student achievement by helping connect academics with real-world experience. This teaching approach prepares students to be more active citizens, better educated consumers and more qualified to enter the work force.