Instead of our regular meeting, we attended the CPY Luncheon today.  Brian White, CPY’s Chair, opened the Luncheon by reviewing CPY’s history.  In 1997, a coalition of community leaders and parents joined together with the goal of reducing juvenile crime by increasing adult supervision during out of school hours.   Over time, CPY’s mission became “To provide a safe, nurturing environment where youth can strengthen their personalities and develop educational and social skills”.  In the 20 years since its inception, CPY has grown dramatically, now serving over 500 kids per year, offering thousands of hours of programming and having a budget of $500,000.

 

Executive Director Mary Stewart shared her frustrating early attempts to make connections with troubled middle school youth.  Those early experiences shaped CPY’s philosophy of making connections with youth:

   1st – Meet their basic needs (food and transportation).

   2nd – Empower them (leadership opportunities and service projects).

   3rd – Equip them with social and other life skills.

   4th – Provide a safe place.

CPY’s key partners are, the city of New Brighton, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Abiding Savior Lutheran church, Mounds View School District, and most recently, the City of Mounds View.  Gary Meehlhause, Mounds View City Council member, was on hand today to present a $2,000 check to CPY.

 

The featured speaker today was Chris Fields.  Chris grew up as one of three children of a single African American mom in the South Bronx.  His mother eventually married a white man whom Chris described as a “hippie”.  His hippie step-dad played a part in starting his transition from a street kid to the successful businessman that Chris is today.  His dad was a community activist whose vision was to improve conditions in the South Bronx. His dad started a non-profit that bought rundown buildings very cheaply and refurbished them to give people a route out of poverty through home ownership.  His stepfather’s non-profit now has 90 million dollars in assets.  His step-father’s integrity, belief in a cause and caring about others gave him the push he needed to rise above his circumstances.  Chris related this experience to CPY by saying that if you expose kids to things outside their normal experience and show them that you care about them, their lives can change for the better.  His step-father’s example was just the beginning of Chris’ turnaround, which continued when he entered the Marines, where he had to be truly accountable for the first time in his life.  He said life in the Marines agreed with him and, after 4 tours in Iraq, retired from with the rank of Major after 21 years in the Corps.  Chris summed up his presentation with his thoughts on how we can prepare our kids for the future.  He said first we must care, but caring is not enough.  We must put that caring into action if we are to truly make a difference.  For the past 20 years, CPY has done just that.  Find out more about CPY by clicking here.