It has been said that luck is where hard work meets opportunity. Thus, according to the saying, neither hard work nor opportunity alone is enough to produce positive results. For youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems that do not mind putting in some hard work, we provide the opportunity. In doing so, we help to ensure that their hard work does not go un-rewarded but rather helps lead to positive change.
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Last year, Sharnice became involved in the juvenile justice system after losing not only her grandmother, the backbone of her family, but also her father and then her stepfather to violence. At the age of sixteen, her life could easily have spiraled out of control in the
face of such a tremendous loss. But Sharnice took advantage of the opportunities available to her and worked hard to change her life.
face of such a tremendous loss. But Sharnice took advantage of the opportunities available to her and worked hard to change her life.
City Youth Now provided her with one of those opportunities. Through our internship program, she was employed by Precita Center, where she helped younger children. Sharnice went on to graduate from high school with an astounding 3.9 GPA at the end of her senior year in high school and plans to pursue a college in Criminal Justice.
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There are plenty of San Francisco youth like Sharnice, who are in the juvenile justice system or the foster care system and are willing to work hard to change their lives. Many work hard and continue to struggle because, despite their hard work, opportunities remain elusive. It is where their hard work comes together with positive opportunities that good things happen.
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City Youth Now strives to provide these kinds of opportunities for every San Francisco child in crisis, but when the budgets of everyagency in the state are already stretched thin, these kinds of programs are often the first to suffer. Some see them as unnecessary, or as handouts to those who do not deserve them. The truth is that they are opportunities, and they are provided to those who need them the most, smart kids who are willing to work hard for them.
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In order for us to keep providing these kinds of opportunities, we need your help. For a donation in the amount of $75, you could provide the opportunity for a child to get their GED. For someone who never had the chance to finish high school, but wants to work hard and go on to college, this is a tremendous opportunity. For about $50, you can provide the opportunity for a child to register for the SAT, an opportunity that a bright, hardworking child might not otherwise ever receive. A donation of $40 could help provide a student with the school supplies they need to learn, helping to ensure the opportunities that come with education remain available to them. Click here to make a quick and easy donation in any amount: http://www.cityyouthnow.org/get-involved/donate-now
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For youth willing to work hard with a little support and direction, what many people take for granted are can actually serve as a huge opportunity. And without opportunities like these, all the hard work someone is willing to put in may leave them without any “luck,” if there is no opportunity to meet it. Donate today and help us continue providing these opportunities so that their hard work does not go un-rewarded, but rather comes together with opportunity to make good things happen for San Francisco youth in crisis.
