EDITORIAL: Help with youth shelter benefit
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Dec. 10—We appreciate local realtors working to help out children in need this holiday season.
Keller Williams Realty agent Tina Doyel said this month's house tour adds a charitable drive for items benefiting the Youth Emergency Shelter in McAlester.
"We decided to add a little bit of a fundraiser to it to try to help the youth shelter," Doyel told us. "They have a need for hygiene items, shampoo, deodorant, socks, under garments, everything."
This is a great way to help our community's children in need.
Youth Emergency Shelter, aka Y.E.S., at 904 N. Ninth St. in McAlester primarily serves children from birth to 18 years old, but a child can continue to stay if they have an education plan.
The organization is a shelter, but includes outpatient services to offer programs for counseling, youth offenders, chronic absentees, and more.
Y.E.S. — which has served the community for 52 years — also operates a truancy court, provides home visits to see why children aren't attending school, and connects people with other services as needed.
Doyel said the idea originated from a previous lending closet at Parker Intermediate Center in McAlester and the group wanting to support the youth shelter to help children get on a good path.
Organizers said they asked realty professionals to bring any items with them to an upcoming house tour — and anyone can donate items at various drop-off box locations.
Boxes will be available at Keller Williams Realty at 216 E Choctaw Ave., Suite 102; in addition to Arvest Bank at 101 S. Third St. and Apex Title at 118 E. Carl Albert Pkwy.
Deadline to donate is Dec. 22.
We appreciate SOAR members continuing to make a difference in our community.
SOAR members presented a $1,000 check last spring to the Flying by Summer Program for Kids — a summer program that serves free breakfast and lunch to enrolled children at the Grand Community Center on East Washington Avenue in McAlester.
We encourage anyone who is able to donate to this cause to drop off items at any of the locations to help the local youth shelter.
—McAlester News-Capital Editorial Board
