A local organization for young men recently announced that its members volunteered more than 10,000 hours of community service in the 2011-12 school year, exceeding their own expectations.
The National League of Young Men Inc., formally known as the Beach City Service League, Newport-Mesa and Greater Orange chapters volunteered for a total of 10,101 hours, according to a statement from the nonprofit organization. They contributed 8,675 direct philanthropic hours and 1,426 indirect hours, according to the group’s website, nationalleagueofyoungmen.org.
“The passion and energy of our young men, as evidenced by their volunteer hours, inspires our continued commitment to broaden a quality program and develop long-term partnerships that will provide benefits to future young men and their surrounding communities,” said the organization’s co-founder, Mary Pat Lucas.
The young men, all in high school, volunteer for a variety or charities and events, including The American Cancer Society, Second Harvest Food Bank, local senior centers, youth groups, soup kitchens and more. They have cleaned up local walking trails, donated school supplies, walked to raise money for charitable causes and more.
Some of their hours this year came from a clean-up event in Newport Beach. About 20 sons and seven moms headed to the beach in April to rmove garbage from the sand. They worked their way from the Balboa Pier to the channel and back, according to the Greater Orange chapter newsletter.
“We awarded several prizes for the most unusual (traffic cone, inhaler, unopened beer bottle), the most disgusting (a take out tray of dog droppings, 1/2 a bird, and some gross tar) and the most valuable (kids Guess jeans, a ring, pair of sunglasses) pick ups,” Karla Kjellin-Elder, vice president philanthropy for the Greater Orange chapter, wrote in the newsletter.
It was a beautiful day to clean the beach, she wrote.
“Mothers and Sons are working together and creating bonds and memories that will last a lifetime,” wrote co-founder and national vice president, Diane Edmonston, on the website.
The organization aims to inspire high school young men while building character and community leaders through community service, leadership training, cultural experiences and protocol education.
“NLYM aspires to offer gratifying experiences for their young men to learn that the greatest joy in life truly comes from serving others and to discover the confidence and courage to do so,” the NLYM statement reads.
The mother-son group also announced the addition of two new chapters, in Yorba Linda and Tustin. There is interest in the interest in the Pasadena/San Marino area, according to the organization’s website.
“By expanding our base to Tustin and Yorba Linda we are able to empower more young men as well as impact additional communities, philanthropies and individuals with our desire to make a difference,” Lucas said.
Lucas and Edmonston started the group in 2006 to “provide a valuable service of enriching the lives of those less fortunate and expose its members to many rewarding and educational opportunities through a structured program, while strengthening the mother-son relationship.”
The NLYM has more than 700 members who have volunteered more than 35,100 service hours since the group’s inception.
For more information about National League of Young Men Inc. visit their website at nationalleagueofyoungmen.org.
