Reflecting on our First Year at YMSL

By: Katy SayersYMSL Mom

Class of 2021

While I like to think that my son and I have always had a great relationship and connection, YMSL has served to strengthen that bond.  As we have learned about a variety of local charities and tried different types of service, I have realized some new qualities about Jackson.  Like any teen, Jackson loves to sleep in on a weekend. But not once has he complained about getting up early to help runners sign into a race, send veterans off on a honor flight, or shovel loads of rock for a landscaping project.  He's approached each opportunity as exactly that -- an opportunity for us to be together and give back to our community in some small, but meaningful way.  He's rallied many early mornings to volunteer, always with a positive attitude towards our time together in service to others.  I like that about him.  I've also come to appreciate how confident he is.  When there's a job to be done at one of the organizations we've served, he steps up and gets to work right away.  He looks around and figures out what needs to happen next.  It's cool to see that he can be proactive and helpful.  I've always been so proud of my son, but having the chance for the two of us to spend time together doing good in the world has been a great experience for both of us to be better together. 

My Favorite Volunteer Event . . . Night to Shine

By: Tyler Campbell

Class of 2019

On Friday, February 9, 2018, YMSL and many other Northern Colorado teams worked together to celebrate Night to Shine. Night to Shine is a prom night experience for people with special needs. Thanks to the Tim Tebow Foundation, 537 churches from all around the world hosted 90,000 guests. Here, in Northern Colorado, 450 guests experienced Night to Shine with the help of 1300 volunteers. This was my second year volunteering with my mom and our entire family joined us this year.

Night to Shine was full of laughter and joy. When guests arrive, they walk down the red carpet with paparazzi cheering and snapping photos. Inside, the guests take goofy pictures in the photo booth, sing their hearts out in the karaoke room, and dance the night away on the dance floor. With limousine rides, candlelight dining, and a live band, a full VIP treatment is given to each and every guest. The highlight of the night is when each Night to Shine guest gets crowned as king or queen of the prom.

I had the opportunity to volunteer in the photo booth alongside my mom and other YMSL members. We got to greet the guests, help pick out accessories to wear, and leave them with photos and memories to take home. The photo booth could have been the most popular activity with a line down the hall all night long!

The most rewarding part of volunteering at Night to Shine is seeing the smiles on the guests’ faces. It’s one night a year where they get to dance, sing, have fun, and ride limos. And according to Tim Tebow, “It's so much more than that, because maybe for the first time they realize that they’re worth it … they realize that they are special ... they realize that they are loved … there's nothing much more important than that.”