What an incredibly busy summer!  It was hot, hot, hot and we were on fire!  Our little group of Team YTIA volunteers really showed their true colors, out there under the burning sun of a San Antonio summer, but everyone felt a true sense of accomplishment as we helped build houses for several families in the newest Habitat for Humanity subdivision.  In addition to our construction endeavors, we also found time for a little bit of fun:  a great youth pool (billiards) clinic was hosted by the San Antonio Chapter of the St. Mary's University Law Alumni.  And, YTIA has learned that we will also be the recipient of some of the net proceeds of the event!  It can't get any better than that.  But, now we are on to our new projects:  volunteering at the San Antonio Food Bank in November, joining with Baptist Child and Family Services for the upcoming Christmas Party for youths in foster care, and getting ready to host our 3rd, yes, 3rd, Annual Sweet-Heart Dinner/Dance and Silent Auction in February!  Blessing, after blessing.

Wow!  YTIA is again the beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from an event hosted by the San Antonio Chapter of the St. Mary's University Law Alumni -- a Youth Pool (Billiards) Clinic.  On Saturday, August 24th eager young people met with pool professional Vivian "The Texas Tornado" Villarreal and learned a lot more about playing pool.  The kids thought they were having fun without realizing that they were also being introduced to an alternative form of employment.  Who knows there may be a great professional pool player in our group!  The pool clinic was held in the afternoon, and in the evening the adults got to show their skills in a Pool Tournament.  We are very grateful to this group but also to Sonja Sims who organized this event.  Thanks so much!

It is so odd, just when you start thinking that maybe you aren't really doing as much as you'd hoped or getting as , you get a real "shot in the arm," an affirmation that you must be doing something right.  YTIA was the beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from a seminar hosted by the San Antonio Black Lawyers Association.  They didn't have to give us anything but they are certain that we're on the right track with this organization and they wanted to give us a tangible expression of their support.  Thanks so much, SABLA, for caring about our organization and about the kids we are serving.

We have so many ideas, hopes, and dreams for YTIA.  Like the youths we are serving, sometimes we want to "grow up fast" and, as we know, that is the surest way to get into trouble.  We want to be in existence for a long time and that means that we must move slowly but surely toward our goals.  I think that our biggest frustration, right now, is that sometimes we feel that we haven't gotten "noticed," and that we should have by now.  We keep trying to increase awareness of what we are doing and why but for some reason we are just not reaching the people who can help us become what we want to be.  That sounds a lot like the young people we talk to on an almost daily basis.  They have similar frustrations being "kids in care".  That's why so many of the youths in foster care want to leave and venture out on their own; they know that they can "be somebody" if they just get out there.  We are going to teach them and ourselves to just be patient and persistent.  We'll get there!

We are so blessed to have met some of our future leaders.  Believe it or not, some of the young people who are graduating this year, looking for jobs, and getting ready for college, will be our leaders in the future.  YTIA is determined to be instrumental in ensuring the success of our youth.  We gave out "Gifts for Grads" this year but, equally as important, we also gave each young person a "G.A.P. Packet".  The "G.A.P. Packet" contains useful information, among which was a Voter Registration Card.  We hope to encourage our young people to become responsible, involved, and community-aware.  CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2013!

On Saturday, May 4th, I picked up a couple of sleepy kids (who are in foster care) "very, very early" in the morning, or at least so I heard as we drove to our designated site.  They had said that they wanted to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity but they never realized that they would have to get up soooooo early.  There was a little bit of grumbling about not being able to sleep in on Saturday.  By 7:45 a.m., we arrived at our location and things got interesting.  We went to our orientation and after a few minutes all thoughts of how sleepy they were went away.  We got to use tools we'd never used before, and really got our exercise.  By the end of the day, those grumpy kids had decided that they really liked helping out (especially since we met the homeowner) and even asked "when are we coming back?"  Music to my ears!  We are going back, at least once a month, during the summer.  Kids have energy to spare and really do like giving to others.  Good life lesson.

Springtime is probably my favorite time of year, not only because of the beautiful, sunny, breezy days but also because everything is so green and  lush.  Here in San Antonio, Spring also reminds us that Fiesta is fast
approaching.  It doesn't take long before Easter comes and goes, and then everyone starts thinking Fiesta.  We took a leap of faith and decided to get in on the Fiesta fun -- we created our very own Fiesta Medal.  Since collecting these medals is such a popular "sport" we decided that we should get one out there!  So our first Fiesta Medal is now going to be a part of San Antonio's Fiesta fun.  Let's hope that it's the first of many to come!

It is amazing how quickly time flies!  Just a few short months ago we were in the planning stages for our 2nd Annual Sweet-Heart Dinner and Dance and now it's over.  Admittedly, there were moments when we weren't sure that it was even going to happen but, thank the Lord (literally, thank the Lord), we had a great event.  We invited three foster families to be our guests and everyone had a great time.  Now we start planning for next year!

We made it through the holidays, with a happy heart for all of the great things that have been happening.  Brenda and I were interviewed by the sweetest reporter from the Express News, Marissa Villa.  She let us tell her all about YTIA and then when all was said and done she wrote a very nice article that was published on December 23, 2012, just two days before Christmas!  As a result of that article we have gotten comments, and contributions -- recognition.  We want everyone to know what we're doing and why, and I think it's finally going to start happening.  We are getting closer to our 2nd Annual fundraising event.  It's always a stressful time but in the midst of it all, God gives peace.  We are blessed and looking forward to another successful event.

When I think of everything that has happened over the course of this year, all I can say to myself is "it's amazing," and at this time of year all I can do is be thankful.  We have been blessed to find incredible people to serve on our Board of Directors and to join our Volunteer Corps with energy and enthusiasm.  In August, we had a "Volunteer Roundup," a backyard bar-b-que during which we talked about YTIA and plans for the future.  We "rounded up" fourteen people who graciously said "count me in," and energetically said they'd be there whenever we called.  We lost a couple of Board members (due to personal or professional conflicts) but in October during our Annual Meeting, we gained a couple more who are just as committed to our organization as the ones we lost.  But, even those who had to resign have said that they'd still be available to help occasionally (so they're not really "lost" at all).  Also, in October, we held another Silent Auction, this time during the "18th Annual Ad Litem Conference," held at the Omni Hotel.  We auctioned 26 items, had a great time, and did well.  We have been so Blessed.