It’s 510 Day, YA!-Style

Youth ALIVE! held our annual fundraiser Wednesday morning, a breakfast to kickoff Oakland’s 510 Day. The dining room at Sequoyah Country Club in East Oakland was packed with friends and supporters of our work and our community. They heard Teens on Target youth leader Xavier Tillery (pictured below) talk about his experiences in the program.

YA! Executive Director Joe Griffin (pictured above) reminded us all of the power of community and of the diversity of people in the room. YA! Intervention Specialist Sasha Long and gunshot survivor Edwin Galvan, a recent graduate of

Teens on Target, spoke about the power of mentorship in young lives.

Finally, Board President Sarah Chavez-Yoell told her story of growing up in East Oakland in a struggling household and finding Teens on Target as a young student at Castlemont High, and the difference TNT had made in her life.

It was an amazing day of community, as befits Oakland 510 day, and a very successful fundraiser. Donations and pledges from the morning have added up to more than $116,000 so far. Even more exciting, we added 12 new members of our Community Circle of donors who pledge at least $1,000 over five years! for our programs for violence prevention, intervention and healing.

We are so grateful! And as always we remain grateful to all those who sponsored the event. You can see the impressive list of sponsors here.

Watch an interview with Development Manager Lauren Greenberg on KPIX.

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Here are some more pictures from our May 10 event