Organizational Résumé

Youth Alliance is a non-profit 501c(3) corporation that has been designated by the state of Missouri to serve as a local governance partnership, the decision-making entity that partners with the state of Missouri and local communities to plan, develop, finance and monitor strategies designed to achieve our six core results.

Our Mission:

Engaging community partners to improve the lives of children and families.

Our Vision:

The lives of children and families are improved.

Leadership Team Staff

Robin Hammond
Executive Director
rhammond@youth-alliance.org

Rick Stepanek

Rick Stepanek
P.O.W.E.R Director
rstepanek@youthalliance.org

Anita Jolly

Anita Jolly
Director
anitaj@youth-alliance.org

Natasha Christmas
Accounting/HR Director
nchristmas@youthalliance.org

Profile

Youth Alliance is a non-profit 501c(3) corporation that has been designated by the State of Missouri to serve as a local governance partnership—the decision-making entity that partners with the State of Missouri and local community to plan, develop, finance, and monitor strategies designed to achieve the Core Results of:

  • Parents working;
  • Children and families safe;
  • Children and families healthy;
  • Children ready to enter school;
  • Children succeeding in school; and
  • Youth ready to enter productive adulthood.

Incorporated in 1994, Youth Alliance works to promote the voice of the community. Specifically, our responsibilities include:

  • Assisting the community in creating a community-wide agenda to link resources and services;
  • Targeting specific community priorities to improve results for children and families;
  • Assuring active involvement of diverse community partners;
  • Securing, leveraging, and redirecting public and private resources to help families;
  • Tracking, recording, and reporting annually on progress toward key results;
  • Engaging and collaborating with others to achieve better results for children/families;
  • Promoting best practices and lessons learned with others; and
  • Serving as an information clearinghouse.

Community Programs and Grants

Caring Communities/Community Partnership

1995 to Present

Caring Communities is an initiative that supports local decision-making surrounding the six core results mentioned previously. YA holds the responsibility for maximizing resources and the community’s collaborative efforts toward the health and well being of its children through the administration of the Caring Communities initiative.

Educare of Northwest Missouri

1997 to 2022

YA in collaboration with St. Joseph School District initiated the Educare Program in 1995. Since 1997, YA has been the fiscal and administrative agent for Educare. Educare works to improve the early learning experiences for low-income children from birth to five years-of-age. Since these children are not yet attending school, the goal for Educare is to help ensure children receive a solid foundation for school success and are ready to enter kindergarten.

Northwest Missouri Mentoring

1999 to Present

Northwest Missouri Mentoring Partnership Worksite Component is a partnership between community agencies, local schools, Department of Social Services, and youth of Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clinton, DeKalb, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth Counties. The goal of the program is to provide work readiness training to participating youth and assist them in gaining employment at various businesses with support of a job site mentor provided by the employer.

Northwest Missouri Mentoring Partnership also has a Teen Parent Component that supports the JUMP program. This program operates with additional funding from a Home Visitation grant. JUMP, administered in collaboration with the YWCA and Heartland Health, is a teen-parenting program first implemented in March 2000 to address issues of teen parent mentoring and pregnancy. JUMP works to improve the lives of expectant and parenting adolescents and their children by matching them with an adult volunteer mentor in a comprehensive program of mentoring and life-skills education; increasing knowledge of prenatal health and infant growth and development; decreasing parenting stress experienced by adolescent parents through improving their adjustment and problem-solving skills; increasing the rate of completion of high school or in obtaining a GED; and fostering the development of skills needed to join the workforce.

Children’s Trust Fund License Plate Partner

2011 to present (funds are contingent on license plate sales):

Funding will provide cribs to low income families and mini grants to agencies in the St. Joseph Community Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention.

Workforce Development Board Youth Employment Program

2011 to present

Funding provided by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and serves Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clinton, Dekalb, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth counties. This program serves youth ages 14-24 who meet established income guidelines. This program provides eligible youth, with effective and comprehensive program activities designed to enhance and improve their opportunities to obtain and complete education and training programs that will provide them with job readiness skills and competencies.

Project Graduation

2013 to present

Project Graduation is a chaperoned, all-night, alcohol and drug-free event hosted by Youth Alliance, the greater St. Joseph Community and local businesses, and students’ parents. It is exclusively for our graduating high school seniors, and promotes the message that celebrating without alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs is the right choice.

No Limb-itations

No Limb-itations meets monthly to provide support for families affected by limb differences either from birth defects or limb loss. This group provides support for families and allows them social interaction among others with similar differences.

Organization Affiliations and Memberships

YouthBuild USA

Youth Volunteer Corps

St. Joseph Metro Chamber of Commerce

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

Our Values

A commitment to making a difference

Fiscal responsibility in all endeavors

Collaboration as a means of accomplishing goals

Resource identification and development within the community

Being alert to and identifying community needs

Ensuring that each program results in quality outcomes

A commitment to advocacy toward the issues that impact our youth

Staff Memberships and Organizational Representation

Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, Member

Community Volunteer Resource Network Member

Continuum of Care, Member

Drug Free Community Coalition, Organizer

Greater St. Joseph Children’s Fair Organizer

LEAD Committee Member

No Limb-itations, Organizer

Missouri Advisory Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Past Board Chair, Member

My Success Event Former Steering Committee Member

Nation Association Family Child Care (NAFCC), Member

Noyes Home Children’s Nursery Committee, Member

Parents As Teachers Advisory Council, Member

Sexual Assault & Family Violence Council, Member

St. Joseph Community Coalition Child Abuse Prevention, Organizer

Success by 6 Quality and Accreditation Committee Member

Success by 6 Partners, Board Member

Success by 6 Kindergarten Readiness Committee Member

Unmet Needs Committee, Member

Workforce Investment Board, Board Member

YouthBuild USA