| Covenant House Launches “30 Days for 30 Nights" |
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| Thursday, 12 February 2009 15:50 |
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Contributions support CHNY’s provision of emergency shelter for homeless or runaway youths aged 18-21. CHNY sees this year’s effort as particularly critical, noting that the number of youth seeking emergency refuge has risen 27 percent compared to this time last year. “The situation has never been so desperate for CHNY and the population we serve,” said Jerome Kilbane, who was recently named Executive Director of CHNY. “We will stay open for our kids, but doing so means making difficult and painful decisions. We need help from the entire community to ensure a safe refuge for all who come to us during this difficult time and harsh cold spell.” For the first time, CHNY is allowing youth in its program to make fundraising calls to previous donors. They report that the strategy has been extremely effective, increasing the likelihood of a follow-up donation by more than 50%. The youth have also been successful in inviting potential donors to tour CHNY’s programs, something which has been found to increase the size of donations by another 25%. Prior to the economic crisis, there were close to 4,000 homeless youth in Manhattan, according to a survey released in March 2008 by The Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services. CHNY estimates that there were between 15,000 and 30,000 youth without a home Citywide. . Too old for child welfare and too young for services intended for homeless adults, these young people had few places to turn even then. Donations to “30 Days for 30 Nights” can be made online at www.covenanthouseny.org or sent by mail to Covenant House New York, Attention: Funding and Development Department, 460 West 41st Street, New York, NY 10036. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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