Meet our New Members - YMSL Fort Collins

Meet our New Members (1 of 5)

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Brayden and Ericka Lake

Ericka Lake

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Hobbies/Interests: Finding a way to get to every one of my kids activities!
Your most unique quality, characteristic or talent is: I can't think of anything!! If given a choice, I would eat Mexican food for every meal of the day, every day. I can't get enough of it!
Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Road trip across the US with no schedule or plan.

Brayden Lake

School: Fossil Ridge High School (Preston)

Hobbies/Interests: Computer programming, drum set, and acting.

Tell us something unique about you that most people don't know: I can fire spin like you see in Hawaii.

Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: I would love to go to the Oscars.

Jackson and Katy Sayers

Katy Sayers

Hometown: Wytheville, Virginia
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, travel, and road biking.
Your most unique quality, characteristic or talent is: Talent = I'm a great whistler. Characteristic = I try to be patient.
Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Take my family to Europe.

Jackson Sayers

School: Rocky Mountain High School (Webber)

Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, sports, traveling/flying, and nature.

Tell us something unique about you that most people don't know: I have a false tooth that I can remove at will on a retainer.

Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Play Augusta National Golf Course.

Colin and Natalie Patterson

Natalie Patterson

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Hobbies/Interests: Tennis, skiing and hiking.
Your most unique quality, characteristic or talent is: I'm bilingual (Spanish).
Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Trek through Nepal.

Colin Patterson

School: Rocky Mountain High School (Webber)

Hobbies/Interests: Music and snowboarding. 

Tell us something unique about you that most people don't know: Co-own a small business.

Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Be rich.

Sammy and Carolyn Knape

Carolyn Knape

Hometown: Broomfield/ Fort Collins, Colorado

Hobbies/Interests: Painter (Artist), tennis, and ski/snowboarding.
Your most unique quality, characteristic or talent is: Painter.
Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Go to South America.
Sammy Knape

School: Poudre High School 

Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, skiing, mountain biking, and tennis. 

Tell us something unique about you that most people don't know: I play #2 singles for PHS.

Name one thing on your bucket list you hope to do someday: Compete nationally for tennis.

My Service Experience at the Larimer County Food Bank

The day I became a YMSL member, I wasn’t sure whether it would be interesting or enjoyable. I thought it was going to be very strict and formal; but after helping out at several philanthropies, I realized it was an awesome experience with amazing, outgoing people who really care about others.

My service at the Larimer County Food Bank had the biggest impact on me and made me realize how special it was to be in YMSL. When my brother Flynn and I and my mom arrived at the Food Bank, we walked through a big warehouse full of pallets piled high with food for people in need. They had us organize food into boxes in a very orderly fashion. I realized how much they truly care about what they are doing. 

An older woman who had seemingly spent many hours volunteering to sort food helped us figure out how to categorize foods and how to look for expiration dates. We needed a lot of help! She told us that someone had found a box of food that was over ten years old! (Later, when I toured the Food Bank during a Boy’s Meeting, our tour guide told us the oldest food they have found was a can of food from 1965!). I remember finding a bottle of pasta sauce that was a couple of years over the expiration date and feeling that this was pretty old.

It was nice to know that without doing what I did people wouldn’t be safely enjoying the food, and it lightens up my heart and makes me feel really good. At the end of the day we had emptied many bins and piles of unsorted food and we had a big pile of boxes full of food ready to feed hungry people. I walked out of the Food Bank with a smile on my face.

Very recently we went back to the Food Bank with YMSL to donate turkeys and have a tour of the facility. The thing that stood out to me (besides how huge their freezers are) was that they have a professional chef to make meals that are delivered to seniors, Poudre School District children, and other people in need. It was very surprising how so much food was donated.  Our tour guide told us that 95% of their food is donated by farmers and stores all across the country, and 80% of the food donated would be in a landfill without the Food Bank. Much of what would end up in landfills is “Ugly Food,” which is food that is not perfect but is still quite edible.

I was impressed by both of my experiences at the Food Bank, and can’t wait to volunteer there again.

Sam Wilder
Communications Team
Class of 2020

YMSL 2020 Boys Meeting Summary

To kick off our meeting on October 9th we started with an ice breaker. The boys were asked questions like “What was your favorite childhood toy?” and “What was the best prank you have ever pulled on a sibling?” There were some really creative answers and it was a fun way to start the night.

After this, we jumped right into the meeting. Philanthropy Committee thanked us for putting many hours into volunteering at the Learning House. We also watched a video that showed all that we accomplished there.

Next, Life Skills talked to us about 8 things not to keep in your wallet. Some of these included Social Security Card,  a password cheat sheet, spare keys, checks, passport, multiple credit cards, birth certificate, and stacks of receipts.

After this informational presentation, Leadership Committee inspired us by talking about courage and what it meant to you. We also watched a video about courage. Towards the end of the meeting, two CSU students named Eddie and Matt came to talk to us about Civic Responsibility. We learned that this means to get involved and give back to your community. We had some really interesting discussion with both of them.

Overall, it was a very valuable meeting and we learned a lot. We hope to see you at our next meeting November 13th. Don’t forget to bring frozen turkeys.      

~Luke Kesler
Boys Communication team
Class of 2020