tahoe youth and family services

As the COVID-19 pandemic made its way across the globe, a shapeless and silent pandemic, borne of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty also began to take hold. While taking care of oneself has been focused on our physical health and hygiene, it has left the mental health and emotional states for many, in limbo and for others, pushed them into crisis.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What started out as a charity that shared the magic of the holidays with local children has now become a lifeline of support that immediately provides South Lake Tahoe families with financial assistance when they are in crisis.

The 501c3 non-profit was founded in 1994 and has helped low-income families on a year-round basis with one-time crisis funding, but that role is now growing due to the current COVID-19 health and economic crisis. Tahoe Magic recently launched its new website TahoeMagic to show how those in need can be assisted.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Elana’s Pantry, today announced they were donating more than $2.8M to further strengthen emotional wellness programs in more than ten mountain communities where Vail Resorts operates. This is the second consecutive year their Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust has distributed behavioral health grants.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Arts Project will be the beneficiary of Azul Latin Kitchen's Tacos for TAP on Monday, December 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

There will be an "All You Can Eat Taco Bar," live music, a silent auction and a performance by the Marcia Sarosik Dancers. All of this for just $15 for each adult and $5 for kids under 12.

Tickets will be sold at the door.

Azul Latin Kitchen is located at the intersection of Heavenly Village Way and Lake Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tahoe Youth & Family Services (TYFS) has announced a groundbreaking new Transitional Living, Rapid Re-housing, and Homeless Prevention Program for transitional aged youth (18-24 years old) that are currently homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless in South Lake Tahoe. This homeless prevention program is a one-time block grant funded by the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) and will be available to our community over the next two years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A gathering of the Google Nest team at MontBleu this week not only provided staff with a great team building retreat in Lake Tahoe, but it also provided 150 local youth with brand new bikes.

Hundreds of the Google Nest employees took part in building and giving away the bikes that were presented to youth from the McKinney-Vento homeless program at Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD), the Family Resource Center, Tahoe Youth and Family Services and Live Violence Free.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Tuesday, April 2, 325 6th graders from South Tahoe Middle School, Zephyr Cove Elementary School and home-schooled youth, will spend the day at Lake Tahoe Community College going through the 16th annual Drug Store Project.

Since 2004, middle school students in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) have gone through the Drug Store Project (DSP), a day-long comprehensive drug prevention program designed to educate youth about the dangers of substance use and abuse.

Tahoe Youth and Family Services has been serving the South Lake Tahoe community since 1971 and in Douglas County since 2008.

They are opening their doors to the public and inviting the community in for two Nights of Giving, December 19 and 20. On the 19th, their South Lake Tahoe office at 1021 Fremont Avenue will be open from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on the 20th, their Douglas County office at 1512 Hwy 395 N. Suite 3 in Gardnerville will be open from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Through generous contributions made to the Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) club during their annual wine tasting events, the club has been able to give back to the local community over $1,040,822 in scholarships, awards and grants.

In an ever more vitriolic, self-centered and money hungry culture, the magnificent moments appear to be farther and fewer between. However, in Tahoe, a constant bright spot has been found over the past several years with Ms. Lisa Maloff’s numerous charitable donations. Illustrated by the exhaustive list below, it is overwhelming to envision the impact she has had on our little community. And, while most would argue that the money has all the power to change everything, I disagree.

The community of South Lake Tahoe lost a beloved member when Jean Gurney passed away on April 24, 2018. Like Lake Tahoe, Jean made people feel relaxed, elevated, and happy.

Jean was born on May 31, 1945 in Longview, Texas, to Viola and Frank Gurney. She spent her formative years in Massachusetts with her parents and sister Ann, and graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 1963.

Location

The community is invited to join the Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) club for an evening of live music, great food, drinks and friends at the 29th annual Elegant Evening will be held at Harrah's Tahoe on Saturday, April 21, 2018.

The evening's festivities start with a 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. cocktail party and social time, moving to a seated dinner from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and dancing all night with Trey Stone until 10:30 p.m.

Guests will enjoy selective tastings from Crystal Basin Cellars, Tahoe Blue Vodka, Lake Tahoe AleWorx and Double Bond Wine.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Since January 1, 2018 there have been 18 school shootings in the United States, 25 fatal school shootings since 1999's Columbine High School tragedy. With the deadly shooting February 14, 2018 at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, many communities are looking at their own schools and their safety procedures to help prevent a repeat of a tragic event.

What is commonplace at schools across the country are drills for "shelter in place" and for students to understand what to do, and not do, in case of an emergency.

Azul Latin Kitchen, located in the Heavenly Village, awarded a check for $6,000 to Tahoe Youth and Family Services during the board meeting on January 22.

The question I get asked the most when sharing that I’m a member of PATH (Partners Against the Trafficking of Humans) is: Is human trafficking happening here in South Lake Tahoe? The answer is yes, although solid numbers are hard to come by. Recently, it was reported in local media that 14 people were arrested and one 17 year old girl rescued from a trafficking ring in El Dorado County that included South Lake Tahoe, Placerville, and El Dorado Hills.

Christmas was made very special for 100 South Lake Tahoe children on Saturday, December 16, 2017 when philanthropist Lisa Maloff joined Tahoe Youth and Family Services (TYFS) in ringing in the holidays with a special celebration that won’t soon be forgotten.

Earlier this month, Mrs. Maloff made a generous donation of $75,000 to the agency that serves the youth and families South Lake Tahoe, Douglas County and Alpine County. Mrs. Maloff asked TYFS to hold a very special Christmas party so she could spread some holiday cheer and create magical memories for our local children.

The Tahoe Youth and Family Service's 2nd annual Night of Magic will be held at The Loft in the Heavenly Village on Wednesday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy appetizers before watching the talented magician Robert Hall at the Tahoe Youth and Family Services (TYFS) special show. There will also be a cash bar. Enjoy all for just $55. All proceeds go to help fund all of the programs TYFS provides to the community.

Only 100 tickets will be sold to this exclusive evening.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and South Tahoe Now will be running a series of stories on suicide prevention.

“For anyone who has lost a friend or loved one to suicide, this month can be especially hard,” said Laura Walny, manager with the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA). “We hope that by supporting one another and working together to raise awareness about suicide, we can ultimately save lives.”

Community support is needed to help the girls participating in "The Girl's Project," an empowerment group focusing on the needs of young women in the South Lake Tahoe area.

Tahoe Youth and Family Services started “The Girl’s Project” in 2010 with the vision to empower high risk young girls in our community to become more confident and influential women later in life. The Girl’s Project originally began in three of our local elementary schools, Tahoe Valley Elementary, Sierra House Elementary and Bijou Elementary and has now expanded and includes the South Tahoe Middle School.

On behalf of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH), I would like to thank our community for your support through the second winter of the South Lake Tahoe Warm Room project. Our organization received donations from over 200 different individuals and businesses and benefited from over 60 volunteers who provided over 1600 volunteer hours.

The Barton Foundation is giving $40,000 in grants to improve community health. Local non-profits, health organizations, schools, and public agencies are encouraged to apply for funding.

The Barton Health Grants provide funds for programs and organizations that positively impact the health of the South Tahoe community. In this grant cycle, projects and programs that address mental health, substance abuse, and access to healthcare services will be considered. These three issues were identified as the most pressing health needs in South Lake Tahoe’s 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. – Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless hosted over 100 people at the second South Lake Tahoe Warm Room Open House event on February 22, 2017. We were proud to honor City Councilwoman Wendy David for her participation in the establishment of the Warm Room. David was facilitator of the Lake Tahoe Collaborative when a committee was established to create a vision and a plan for the Warm Room. Her support through nonprofit collaboration and in her role at the City of South Lake Tahoe has been greatly appreciated by all at TCH who have had the honor to work with her.

Smart & Final Extra! held a grand opening on January 18, marking their return to South Lake Tahoe. The new store was built in the former home of Staples after they closed in June, 2016. There was a complete overhaul of the 24,000 square foot store from the foundation up.

The Barton Foundation has $50,000 to give away in grant funding to groups in the South Lake Tahoe area who work to improve community health.

During their annual grant cycles, Barton provides funds to programs and organizations, and this year they will award grants to those who address mental health, substance abuse, and access to healthcare services.