Ogden after-school center coming up short on donations as school year starts

OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — An Ogden after-school center for at-risk kids is hoping they won’t be starting the school year in the hole as donations are $30,000 behind pace going into their biggest fundraiser of the year. And you can help.

Youth Impact says they need the community’s help and that’s because every day after school, they pick up 150 students from 30 different schools across Ogden and Weber County. (If you’ve ever been to an Ogden Raptors game, chances are you’ve seen or driven past Youth Impact.)

According to the Ogden-based group, they bring students back to Youth Impact’s facilities, where the students receive dinner and tutoring and are able to do other activities. Part of the funding they need to do this comes from one of their biggest fundraisers of the year, Great Gatsby Night. This year’s event is coming up in a month, but sponsorships and ticket sales are coming in slower than ever before.

The annual Great Gatsby Night will be hosted at The Monarch on Sept. 20.

The event typically brings in about $75,000. As of now, the organization is worried. Normally sponsorships and early ticket sales would have them close to that goal already, but they still need to raise $30,000.

“There’s about four different after-school programs here in the area and we only scratch the surface of about 10 percent of the kids who need an afterschool program. There is a big waiting list everywhere you go,” Suzanne Miller of Youth Impact said to ABC4.com.

As for the activities they provide, it depends on the day.

“Daily activities at Youth Impact can vary, but any time we get a chance to take a field trip, they will,” their site states.” Our Hiking Club and Arts & Crafts will collaborate on projects like illustrating what they see on excursions.”

All 150 students in the program live at or below the poverty level.

The organization works to stop the poverty cycle by acting as a safe space for at-risk kids after school and helping them prepare to go to college or enter the workforce.
It exists thanks to volunteers, donations, and lots of fundraising.

And they say these programs are needed more than ever.

For more information on Youth Impact, the services they provide the community, or how you can help, visit https://www.youthimpactogden.org/

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