tahoe youth

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Barton Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Troy Matthews as its new Executive Director.

Matthews’ commitment to serving his community is exhibited through his involvement and leadership in multiple organizations including Tahoe Regional Young Professionals, the South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition, Progress for Tahoe, El Dorado County Housing Task Force, LTCC Theater Arts Task Force, Leadership Lake Tahoe, and serving on the Lake Tahoe Unified School District School Board.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tahoe Youth and Family Services announced today that Christopher Croft has officially resigned his position as Executive Director effective November 15, 2017. He has served the communities of South Lake Tahoe, Douglas County and Alpine County in this position since June 10, 2014.

In South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, September 16 after Sample the Sierra, a new community event will be held to benefit Tahoe Youth & Family Services.

Local Art After Dark at the Benko Art Gallery will feature live music, live art, dance performances, local food and drinks from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Tickets are $20 at the door and $10 for Sample the Sierra ticket holders and locals (will need to show wristband or local ID at the door. Locals include Tahoe basin and extends to Placerville and Carson/Reno).

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.”

The Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP) will be hosting the next installment in the Tahoe Town Hall series on August 30 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tahoe Beach Retreat Conference Center at 3411 Lake Tahoe Blvd. The event, Tahoe Town Hall: Addressing Homelessness, is free to the public, and will feature a panel of experts to discuss the homelessness issue in South Lake Tahoe.

Have a blast with lots of color being thrown about while raising money for Tahoe Youth and Family Services during their annual ColorBlast 5k Run on Saturday, August 19 during Carson Valley Medical Center’s Health Fest 2017.

Runners get covered from head to toe in several different colors as running/walking a 5k course. As participants pass each 1K marker, the color lets loose! All of the colors are safe and even edible as they are corn starch based.

In an average year, the United States will lose 44,000 people to suicide.

It is an unbearable and eye opening statistic, and the Suicide Prevention Network is trying to change that number by offering education and awareness in Douglas and El Dorado Counties, and surrounding communities.

Staff with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue) took the top prizes in the 2017 Tahoe Bike Challenge, while hundreds of Tahoe youth rode in increasingly large bike-to-school events.

Each year, for the first two weeks of June, hundreds of Tahoe residents and visitors participate in the Tahoe Bike Challenge. In teams or as individuals, participants join a friendly competition to see who can replace the most car trips with trips by bicycle.

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.

Azul Latin Kitchen in the Heavenly Village will be having a Cinco de Mayo party on Friday to raise funds for Tahoe Youth & Family Services. From drink specials to a dunking booth, the fun will be a unique way to celebrate the holiday South Lake Tahoe style.

From 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on May 5, the public can enjoy drink specials, a frozen t-shirt contest (see the video in this story), dunking booth, a silent auction and fun and surprises.

All funds raised go to support the agency which has provided counseling, mentoring and support programs to the community since 1971.

Two-thirds of teens who report abuse of prescription medicine are getting them from friends, family and acquaintances. The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition (DFC) wants to prevent this and keep drugs out of kid's hands by reminding residents to safeguard their home, so others don’t have access to your medicine.

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.

Barton Health grants were distributed to nine South Lake Tahoe organizations who address the most pressing health needs of the community: mental health, substance abuse and access to health care services.

During a recent luncheon, grants were handed out to Live Violence Free, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - El Dorado Chapter, SOS Outreach, South Tahoe Family Resource Center, Tahoe Art League, Tahoe Magic, Tahoe Turning Point, and Tahoe Youth & Family Services.

Due to highly addictive prescription drugs kept in the medicine cabinets or nightstands of many households, the South Lake Tahoe Drug Free Coalition (DFC) is giving away lock bags so people can keep their prescriptions safe from unauthorized use.

Oxycontin, Demerol, Valium, Ritalin, Adderall, Xanax, Percocet, and Codeine, are also some of the most prescribed and readily-available drugs. They are so readily available that 1 in every 4 teens in America say they have used or misused a prescription drug.

Starting in Fall 2016, Tahoe Youth & Family Services will begin contracting with Suicide Prevention Network of Douglas County to bring suicide prevention education and resources to residents of South Lake Tahoe.

The combined effort will provide community-wide awareness programs and mental health stigma reduction outreach. Suicide survivor grief support groups will also begin at the Tahoe Youth & Family Services’ counseling office at 1021 Fremont Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. Funding for the new program comes from an El Dorado County Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) grant.

To the South Shore community: My name is Troy Matthews and I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education in Trustee Area 4. My wife Rae and I honeymooned in South Tahoe and decided not to leave. We have fallen in love with this community and have taken active roles in many different local organizations. I work for Tahoe Youth & Family Services, one of the oldest local non-profit organizations in the region serving at-risk and underprivileged youth in South Lake Tahoe.

Food, drink and music are the theme at the inaugural BBQ, Beer and Beats Festival in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe has replaced their annual car raffle with a new way to support local projects, organizations and student scholarships at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. Enjoy BBQ, samples of beer, music featuring RedNeck Quartet, and tunes played by members of South Tahoe's Ukelele Club.

Tickets $45 advance purchase ($50 at door), $10 youth (ages 6-20), 5 and under free.

What started as a small group with a vision of empowering high-risk young girls in the South Lake Tahoe community has expanded into a much sought after program serving 124 girls, and growing every year.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services started “The Girl’s Project” in 2010 to partner with girls and help them become more confident and influential women later in life. The Girl’s Project has now expanded to Tahoe Valley Elementary, Sierra House Elementary, Bijou Elementary and South Tahoe Middle School.

Tahoe Youth and Family Services, who serve the communities of Alpine County, Douglas County and South Lake Tahoe, is holding their fourth ColorBlast Run fundraiser on August 20. This event is part of the Carson Valley Medical Center’s Health Fest 2016.

Seniors at South Tahoe High School must pick something to do for their senior project, a requirement of graduation, one that pushes them to do something different and unfamiliar. Some students learn to play a guitar, while others do stand up comedy. And some students like Ethan Strain, learn how to give back to their community and work with children.

The students must select an advisor for their project, someone who knows the chosen subject and can guide the student to a successful completion.

With almost 300 children in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District not having a permanent home, the Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra is holding a community event to help them with a big need: luggage and backpacks.

All boys and girls ages 5 to 13 are invited to participate in the Junior Giants program in South Lake Tahoe this summer.

The City of South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department has partnered with the Junior Giants Organization to bring this free program to South Lake Tahoe youth.

Registration beings on March 16 on line at www.jrgiants.org or in person at one of the following locations:
Recreation and Swim Complex
1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.
(530) 542-6056