The Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center (PYEC) ended 2021 with several celebrations.
There was a holiday feast on December 20 where the youth came together to eat and celebrate the upcoming holiday break. Each young person attending received a warm, cozy blanket with the Youth Center’s logo, graciously sponsored by the Mountain Empire Rotary Club. There were happy faces as the packaging was opened and several young people promptly cozied up on the couch and rested.
New Year’s Eve brought the youth together again to celebrate the upcoming fresh start of 2022. Dinner consisted of grilled steaks, burgers, chicken and hotdogs, much to the delight of the young people. Sparkling cider was poured and toasts were made at the stroke of midnight. The celebration gravitated to the front yard and sidewalk as the kids happily brought in the new year together.
The Youth Center had much to be thankful for in 2021. The garden was installed, along with the cistern, and winter vegetables are growing rapidly, with much thanks to the Patagonia Regional Community Foundation, Caleb Weaver, Kate Tirion and Borderlands Restoration.
The home recording studio is being used by the kids on a regular basis. The cooking program continues to help nourish the youth each evening with sponsorship from the Community Foundation Of Southern Arizona.
Additionally, thanks to a few generous donors, the Youth Center established the Pathways Scholarship and four young adults were the first recipients. One recipient was able to purchase professional equipment to assist him in his business, another recipient was able to pay for her certification in a program of choice. Two other young adults were able to use their scholarships for tuition to college.
Pathways Scholarship accompanies the already established Michael Martin “Pay It Forward” Scholarship in helping the active PYEC youth further their opportunities as they transition out of high school and on their young adult path.
PYEC Looks forward to another successful, safe year in 2022. The PYEC board members, director, staff, and youth are full of gratitude for the support we have received.