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Photo by Chris Kendig.

EMPOWERING POSSIBILITY
FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES

The opportunity:

The needs of the youth and families of our community are great. While YouthPower365 programming strives to meet those needs, our Valley does not have the reliable and consistent resources to meet the current needs or accommodate growth. Our Valley does not have a family and youth engagement center to provide a permanent place to reach our constituents, nor does it have enough indoor or outdoor year-round soccer facilities to meet the needs of today and the significant increase of these needs in the years to come.

What we will do:

We can provide a quantum step forward in facilities, scholarship funding, and program expansion, specifically in the areas of year-round soccer, family engagement and academic support, and a permanent home for  YouthPower365 located down valley to best meet the needs of the youth and families we serve.

 

Proposed rendering of YouthPower365 Family Engagement and Community Soccer Center.

Growing to meet the needs of our community

For decades, we have provided young people, through the Vail Valley Foundation’s YouthPower365 expanded academic, social, emotional, and enrichment programming, a community that lifts up our youth and families every step of the way. We now want to make even bigger dreams come true by providing much-needed scholarship support that will allow young people to achieve their goal of going to a four-year university or a two-year trade school program.

For many in our community the dream of higher education or a professional trade program is out of reach due to financial barriers. We can eliminate that barrier.

YouthPower365 Scholarship Fund (Board Directed Operating Reserve)

In 2022, a $500,000 seed gift from Amy and Steve Coyer, along with additional funding from the VVF, launched the YouthPower365 Scholarship Fund providing transformative scholarships to high school graduates attending traditional four-year colleges and two-year trade school programs. Our goal is to increase this fund to $5 million. The desired outcome and benefits are simple: establishing this $5 million scholarship fund allows dreams to come true. It will provide the opportunity for 120 high school seniors to embark on either a four-year university path or a two-year trade school program over the next 10 years.

Much more than a game

The game of soccer is central to the culture of our YouthPower365 organization. It provides a physically healthy option for youth during critical after-school hours, on weekends, and during the summer. It provides a teaching platform for many of life’s lessons, and a place for mentors and coaches to connect with kids. The YouthPower365 Community Soccer Center will be a safe and supportive place to gather. More than 900 kids already participate in YouthPower365’s COPA and Middle School Soccer programs, but this new facility will allow us to likely double the number of youth we serve and expand our programming from several months per year to year-round.

YouthPower365 Operating Reserve for Education & Sports

To ensure the health and vitality of all YouthPower365 programs from early childhood to career, college, trade programs, and our new facility, the VVF will create a nonpermanent Operating Reserve Fund for Education and Sports. This Operating Reserve Fund will provide YouthPower365 and our new Family Engagement and Community Soccer Center with the critical annual financial support we need to ensure our organization has the best staff possible, can continue to grow and operate at the highest level of excellence, and can serve our community in the ways they need us the most.

Photo by Dan Davis.
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If one of our kids is having difficulties, or needs guidance, I don’t expect him to decide to stop by my office—but the soccer field? They will always go naturally to the soccer field. More often than not, it is on the sidelines that we are able to do our best work.
Ricky Luevanos COPA Soccer
Photo by Chris Kendig.

A home away from home

Let’s build on great success.

For years, YouthPower365’s vision has given thousands of our friends and neighbors a sense of belonging. It’s time to give that community a home.

YouthPower365 Family Engagement and Community Soccer Center

Soccer is a critical aspect of youth development in our community, but we significantly lack the year-round soccer facilities to address the need. In addition, the single greatest limitation to YouthPower365’s work is the lack of our own space. To address this, YouthPower365 will build a headquarters in Gypsum. This transformational facility will be strategically built in the Eagle/Gypsum area where youth and families need it most.

This facility will include:

  • A center for YouthPower365 family engagement
  • A safe and inspirational space for children to grow, develop, and thrive
  • Offices for our dedicated staff
  • A community indoor, year-round soccer center