In this issue, you'll read:
Support for Parents of Teens
Don't Miss WYN's Upcoming Events!
WYN Wisdom
Mentor Spotlight
Summer Life 2008--A Place to Belong
Practicing What We Preach!
WYN Wish List

Support for Parents of Teens

Angela Grimes, WYN Program Director and licensed NC PSC is teaching Parenting with "Love and Logic" on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the WYN office, located at 155 WYN Way in Boone.

Attending parents remark that the techniques have completely changed their interactions with their teens, and that they are noticing how much more responsible their children are!

Classes are free of charge, with donations for materials gladly accepted. Please call Angela Grimes at 264-5174 to register.

Don't Miss WYN's Upcoming Events!

• The Third Annual Punkin' Fest, co-sponsored by the Mast General Store will take place at the Mast General Store Annex in Valle Crucis on Saturday, October 25th. Join us for old-time games, lots of food, crafts, live music, and of course, pumpkin carving!

Mentor Spotlight

Abby White, a WYN mentor for nearly one year, is deserving of accolades. She and her mentee are a fun pair with their constant smiles and tendency to attend many WYN group activities. Abby is masterful at creating a positive atmosphere when she and her mentee are together, which is very important for this mentee, who, like many youth, can be prone to getting down and being self-critical. Abby's positive attitude and fun personality are just a couple of the things that make her such a wonderful mentor. Thank you, Abby, for being such an inspiration to us!

Summer Life 2008--A Place to Belong

WYN staff and program directors, once again, created a summer to remember for youth in the High Country. This year, under the direct care of Angela Grimes and Ronald Holste, WYN provided five weeks of summer enrichment programming for a total of 39 Watauga County youth.

True to WYN's mission, the summer program provides a safe place for kids to be, with special attention to relationship building and positive peer bonding.

Due to the increase in referrals from local agencies, this year's summer program was at maximum capacity all summer long and even maintained a waiting list at times. No one knows more about the waiting list than "George," a long-term WYN participant, who went the extra mile to join us.

When George called to enroll in this year's summer program (that's right....he called to enroll himself), we had to let him know that we were at capacity and that transportation to and from his house would not be possible since we had already created routes in multiple directions around the county.

WYN soon found out that George was going to do everything he could to not miss his final summer program before he enters high school.

George was not required to come to our summer program by any agency, nor was he being forced to come by his mother. Yet, George spent great time and energy calling WYN every day create a way to attend. Due to some fluctuation in attendance, George was soon able to attend the summer program. His phone calls and initiative made WYN very proud, because we could see that George was exhibiting the very things WYN had taught him in the course of his three years with us--independence, problem-solving, and initiative.

George was a great role model for all the youth with whom he came in contact this summer, and he may have never attended had he not been persistent in calling and finding his own means of transportation and exhibiting such a will to be present in the WYN family for the summer.

With the time and energy that goes into making things happen on a daily basis, even our WYN staff occasionally overlooks the true impact we have on kids' lives. George's determination to be with the WYN family this summer reminds us that what we do means more than we know.

This summer, we found out just how much the WYN program means to George.

Practicing What We Preach!

WYN Prevention's Project Venture program focuses on physical activity, wellness, and adventure, and Nicole Hiegl and Grace Fortune, the Program leaders, embody these attributes in their lives each day. In July, Nicole and Grace rode their bicycles 120 miles to Floyd, Virginia. The ride took three exciting days, and was filled with meeting many interesting people, viewing some of the most beautiful parts of the Blue Ridge landscape, and, of course, a lot of peddling! The trip concluded with a visit to the Floyd Fest family music festival, at which Grace and Nicole were greeted with cheers for their accomplishment!

Not one to sit still, Nicole rides her bike to work nearly every day, and also volunteers for the Boone Bike Initiative. She and Grace provide the Trips for Kids biking program for the Project Venture participants at WYN and lead them on a number of trips each year. In fact, this summer, Nicole helped facilitate a trip to the Virginia Creeper Trail for forty Ashe County youth. Many of these youth felt that this trip was the highlight of their summer.

The Trips for Kids mission is to engage kids (who would otherwise be unable to experience riding a bicycle outside of their driveway or neighborhood) on mountain bike excursions.

WYN Wish List

Do you have building repair skills? Would you be willing to donate your time to WYN? If so, give us a call at 828-264-5174 and find out ways you can help us improve our facility.

If you frequently conduct internet searches (most of us do), please consider using GoodSearch. This search engine works just like Google, and it pays WYN 1 penny for each search you conduct. Visit www.goodsearch.com and type in "Western Youth Network" in the "Who do you search for" box. These pennies add up quickly!

Being a young person is something that each and every one of us understands. To help WYN help this generation of young people, we need your assistance. To make a tax-deductible donation to WYN, visit our website at www.westernyouthnetwork.org and use PayPal, or mail your check to: 155 WYN Way, Boone, NC 28607.

Help shape the life of a young person and enhance your own at the same time by becoming a mentor. The commitment is only 2 hours a week and it literally makes a lifetime of difference. Contact Angela McMann at mcmanna@westernyouthnetwork.org to find our more.