Happy Holidays

Youth Matter, Inc. would like to wish everyone happy holidays. Be sure to be safe, and spend time with your loved ones. Be on the lookout for more appearances from the Youth Matter ambassadors, the Sapphire cheerleaders, and more YMI programs. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Enjoy your holidays!

Flower Pens

 On November 24, two Youth Matter Inc. ambassadors and two Sapphire cheerleaders visited Sentara Nursing Home in Portsmouth, Va. The YMI volunteers and the residents created beautiful flower pens. The room was full of smiling faces as everyone added their own personal touch on their flower pens.

Suffolk Christmas Parade

-          On Saturday December 8^th, the Sapphire cheerleaders took to the streets of Suffolk, VA, for Suffolk’s annual holiday parade. This year’s theme was “Holiday in Toyland”. There were many floats decorated with persons dressed as gifts, Mr. CIAA himself were located behind the cheerleaders, and even some of the local bands were dressed in costume as toys. Our Sapphires made us proud as usual, and stole the crowd. The streets were packed and the people embraced them. It wasn’t as cold as we suspected, but the girls were dressed in full uniform and warm up suits; we even accessorized them with glow bracelets and holiday headbands. 

NSU's Fantastic Voyage

The Sapphire cheerleaders once again showed up and showed out. They won over the crowd with their smiles, their energy and how loud they were. Norfolk State University’s Homecoming parade was another successful event for our girls. Even in the cold weather, the girls didn’t complain and did what they had to do. The judges loved them just as the spectators along-side the parade route did. 

Home by the Sea

On this past Saturday, the Sapphire cheerleaders showed up in great number for Hampton University’s Homecoming Parade. The girls were so professional in the cool temperatures and strong winds. They made their presence known. The girls even got a chance to take pictures with Mr. Pirate himself. 

Manicure Time

-          On Saturday, October 20, 2012, three Youth Matter ambassadors, along with two Sapphire cheerleaders, took part in some volunteer action. They did about 10 manicures of the elderly women in the Sentara Nursing Center in Portsmouth. The women were so friendly and excited, and the girls enjoyed it. It always feels good to give back or to do a good deed. The women spoke of the fact that not too many visitors come, so the ambassadors are thinking about making a monthly trip to go visit with activities.

Pheobus Day's

This past Saturday, October 13, 2012, our Sapphire cheerleaders participated in the annual Phoebus Days parade. The Phoebus Days parade is hosted in Hampton (VA), and our girls were so coordinated and prepared. This parade showed how much potential they have and how much they have grown.

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Sapphires Meet Rah Rah's

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, staff members and parents took 42 Sapphire cheerleaders to Virginia Union University.  The girls attended their homecoming football game to see two of their very own cheer coaches in action. Emma Williams and Britny Barfield took their places on the field of VUU alumni and the girls were super excited to see them. This trip gave them yet another experience to get a glimpse of the college life. After our Sapphires watched the Virginia Union Panthers win a victory, they were able to take pictures with the Virginia Union Rah Rah cheer leaders. The girls were all smiles to have met them. 

Peanut Fest

          Saturday, September 29, 2012, the Sapphire Cheerleaders participated in the annual Suffolk Peanut Fest parade, in Suffolk, VA. We had a good turn-out of about 40 girls that traveled to Suffolk early morning for the parade. Even in the bad weather, with a cold front and rain, the girls walked the parade route like professionals. We couldn’t be more proud of them!

Family and Friends Day

-          On this past Sunday, September 23, 2012, the Sapphire cheer leaders attended New Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. The team attended together as a squad with about 38 girls in attendance. After church service, the girls performed for the crowd of people who remained at the church for the picnic. The people truly enjoyed it. The girls took part in the service, the picnic, food, fun and line dancing. It was a good bonding event for them.

Annual Black and White Gala

-          Youth Matter Inc.’s Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, November 10, 2012 at the Chesapeake Marriott. I hope you will be able to attend.

Our featured guest for Youth Matter Inc.'s Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser is Francena McCorory, 2012 London Olympic Gold Medalist,www.fran400usa.com/. Francena was one of the runners in the Women's 4 x 400m relay that won a Gold Medal. We are very excited that Francena has chosen Youth Matter Inc. to be one of her non-profits to support.

For more information about Youth Matter Inc.'s Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser, visit the linek: http://www.youthmatter.org/ymi_gala.htm.  Tickets are on sale $45 per person / $500 per reserved table for ten.  We are also looking for sponsors to support this annual fundraiser that supports funding for after-school programs.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks for your continued support of youth and families.

Chili's Give Back

Saturday, September 22, 2012, the Sapphire cheerleaders will be hosting a Give Back day/night at Chili’s restaurant. All you have to do is come out and enjoy the good food Chili’s provides, and present our flyer with your ticket. The Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphires will receive proceeds from your meal to help them cover uniform, travel and other costs that is needed. Chili’s is located on Taylor Road (Chesapeake, VA) by Chesapeake Square Mall. We hope to see you all there!

Norfolk State University Youth Day

          On this past Saturday, September 15, 2012, about 30 of our Sapphire cheerleaders enjoyed an event filled day. They attended the 2012 Youth Day at Norfolk State University. The day began at noon, where all of the youth in attendance could enjoy the bounce houses, the music, the food and drinks and other organized activities. The girls got to see what a college campus looked like and even got to interact with college students. At 4:00, the girls, coaches and volunteers all got to enjoy the football game, where Norfolk State played Howard University.

Back to School

-          Youth Matter, Inc. is asking for your support in helping to supply our local children will very well needed school supplies to get the year started. We’ll be collecting items at our annual cookout on this year, or you may feel free to send in, or drop items off at our Youth Matter office. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Back to School Block Party

-          On this past Sunday, Youth Matter, Inc. participated in a back to school block party at Mt. Sinai Church in downtown Portsmouth (VA). The block party included our very own Sapphire cheer leaders, New Generation band, a basketball game, food and fun. Youth Matter, Inc. displayed tables and information about Youth Matter in general, as well as our hip hop dance team Just Dyvine, Troops to Youth, as well as our new Boys to Champs  Gentlemen’s Club. Due to weather that we couldn’t control, all of our tables had to be packed up, but in spite of, our cheer leaders were still able to perform. With a crowd of hundreds in the Vision Centre I watching, they caught everyone’s attention.

Cookout Cancellation

-          On Thursday morning, August 16, 2012, Youth Matter Inc. learned that the Recreation Department lost our paperwork, and gave our reserved area away to another group for Sunday, September 2nd.

-          As a result, we have cancelled our cookout that was planned for Sunday, September 2nd.
 
Please accept our apologizes for having to cancel the Summer Cookout.

With this new turn of events, we are now going to focus our efforts on our Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser -- scheduled for Saturday, November 10, 2012 at the Chesapeake Marriott. I hope you will be able to attend.

Our featured guest for Youth Matter Inc.'s Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser is Francena McCorory, 2012 London Olympic Gold Medalist,www.fran400usa.com/. Francena was one of the runners in the Women's 4 x 400m relay that won a Gold Medal. We are very excited that Francena has chosen Youth Matter Inc. to be one of her non-profits to support.

For more information about Youth Matter Inc.'s Annual Black & White Gala Fundraiser, visit the linek: http://www.youthmatter.org/ymi_gala.htm.  Tickets are on sale $45 per person / $500 per reserved table for ten.  We are also looking for sponsors to support this annual fundraiser that supports funding for after-school programs.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks for your continued support of youth and families.

Sapphire's Car Wash

On Saturday, September 1, 2012, Youth Matter, Inc.’s Sapphire cheer leaders will have their second car wash of the summer. It will be located at Title Max on Western Branch Blvd. (Chesapeake, VA) in the Churchland area. It will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. All donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.  

Back to School

-          Youth Matter, Inc. is asking for your support in helping to supply our local children will very well needed school supplies to get the year started. We’ll be collecting items at our annual cookout on this year, or you may feel free to send in, or drop items off at our Youth Matter office. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Fall Back in Action

-          The entire Youth Matter, Inc. family would just like to wish the best of luck and blessings to those college students returning back to their respective schools. We bid you safe travels and a great year. For those first year college students, take advantage of all of the opportunities that lie ahead of you. And for those K-12 students, continue to make us proud and shine bright! You all are our future. To each and every one of you, make this 2012-2013 school year an even bigger success than last year was!  J

Splash into the New Season!

-          In celebration of the new 2012-2013 Sapphire cheer leading squad, the Sapphire administrative staff thought that the girls deserved to have some fun. After 4 weeks of boot camp and intense try outs, the girls were able to truly enjoy each other. On Saturday, August 18, 2012, the girls attending the Westbury Splash Park in downtown Portsmouth (VA). They truly enjoyed themselves. Some even brought out other family members to include in their fun. The girls are so amped about this season, they would have rather performed cheers at the park, than run and play in the water most of the time.

Sapphire's Car Wash

On Saturday, September 1, 2012, Youth Matter, Inc.’s Sapphire cheer leaders will have their second car wash of the summer. It will be located at Title Max on Western Branch Blvd. (Chesapeake, VA) in the Churchland area. It will be held from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. All donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.  

Chili's Give Back

Saturday, September 22, 2012, make your way out to Chili’s on Taylor Road in Chesapeake, VA. Chili’s is going to sponsor our Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders. All you have to do is have a Chili’s/Youth Matter flyer, and present it when you pay for your check, and our cheer leaders will receive a portion of the funds. It’s that simple. We look forward to having your support. 

Mt. Sinai Block Party

On Sunday, July 22, 2012, The Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders took part in participating in Mt. Sinai Church (Portsmouth, VA) monthly block party. The girls performed various cheers and a dance routine. Many of the girls even volunteered to be a contestant in a sing-off on that day. The church had not only the cheer leaders, but Christian steppers performed as well. There was plenty of food, fun and line dancing.

YMI Annual Cookout

Youth Matter's 2nd annual cookout willl be held Sunday, September 2, 2012. Please mark your calendars and save the date. All of our programs, friends, family, and community supporters will be in attendance. Donations are accepted, as well as anything other contributions, such as: snacks, drinks, meats, etc. Last year was a success, and we hope for this year to be even bigger!

Sapphires Soaring

Our Youth Matter, Inc.'s very own, Sapphire cheer leader, Demesha Daniels is not only a Sapphire, but an Oscar Smith Tiger now as well. Demesha tried out for the Oscar Smith Middle School (Chesapeake, Va) cheer squad, and she made the team. We are proud of you Demesha!

Sapphire Boot Camp and Try Outs

From July 9 through August 15, boot camp and tryouts for our Sapphire Cheerleaders will be held. We encourage any young girls of ages 5 to 14 to come and attend. All prior Sapphire cheer leaders will have to pay a registration fee of $10 and all new interested girls will have to pay a fee of $15. Boot camp will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Vision Centre 1 at Mt. Sinai Church in downtown Portsmouth (Portsmouth, Va). The boot camp isn't only for those that plan to become a Sapphire, but those that just want conditioning and cheer leading training.

Little Miss Alpha Chi

The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (Alpha Chi Chapter) hosted their Little Miss Alpha Chi Pageant 2012 on June 22, 2012. The pageant highlights youth and the positive things they are doing. Our very own Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders were a part of the pageant. They performed various cheers during the middle and end of the pageant. Also, one of our Sapphire cheer leaders, Miss Jordan Holley, was a participant in the pageant.

Sapphire Graduation

The Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders 6th grade class officially graduated from Lakeview Elementary School in Portsmouth, Va on June 5, 2012. There were 12 graduates that will be moving on to the new journey of middle school. A great citizen of the city of Portsmouth heard that we wanted to treat the graduates, and he donated the funds for Youth Matter to treat the girls the next day to Pizza Hut for a graduation dinner. We are so proud of them!

Sapphire Car Wash

The Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders held their first car wash on Saturday, June 2, 2012. Within just a two hour span, the girls, coaches, and other staff and volunteers washed 25-30 cars. Numerous donations were accepted, and most importantly, the girls enjoyed themselves. they made car wash posters prior to the car wash, and hundreds of flyers were distributed all over the area. The car wash was held at Title Max, on Western Branch Blvd. in Chesapeake, Va.

2012 Memorial Day Parade

The Youth Matter Inc. youth ambassadors and Sapphire cheer leaders were a part of the annual Portsmouth Memorial Day Parade on May 28, 2012. Portsmouth, Va hosts the nation's oldest annually held Memorial Day parade. Eight of our past and present ambassadors rode on top of convertibles with their sash and crowns on, waving to the thousands alongside streets. Thirty plus cheer leaders walked the route in cheer leading position cheering chants and cheers along the way.

Umoja Festival

On May 26, the Sapphire cheer leaders performed at the Umoja Festival in Portsmouth, Va during Kid's Corner. Umoja means Unity; the Umoja Festival is a free African American culture and heritage festival promoting cultural diversity and unity. This year, Portsmouth hosted its 22nd annual festival.

Community Block Party

On May 19, 2012, the Youth Matter, Inc. Sapphire cheer leaders traveled to Suffolk, VA to perform at East End Baptist Church’s annual community Block Party. There were about 30 girls in attendance to perform on that day. The block party consisted of: health screenings, faith witnessing and testimonies, food and clothe give a-ways. There was also popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, food, and fun. 

Community Rally

On May 5, 2012, the Youth Matter, Inc.  Sapphire cheer leaders performed at a community “I WILL NOT DROPOUT”; Say NO to sex and YES to college Rally. The Rally was held at the Vision Centre I in Portsmouth, VA. There were close to 40 cheer leaders in attendance to perform. Youth Matter, Inc. also had information tables set up for anyone who was interested in volunteering or becoming a part of the Sapphire cheer leaders, Just Dyvine dance team, or TROOPS TO YOUTH. Youth Matter, Inc’s youth ambassadors were in attendance to assist as well. The rally had bank tellers come share different ways of saving, along with motivational speakers, a car club and hundreds of persons from the community. 

Micheal Baisden Grant

-          On February 22, 2012, Youth Matter, Inc. was selected as a finalist in Michael Baisden’s “Million Dollar Business Pitch” campaign through our TROOPS TO YOUTH initiative. Baisden initially announced his plans to provide a half-million dollars to small businesses and non-profits through the campaign. After Youth Matter, Inc’s founder, Wilheimina Long did a phone radio interview with Mr. Baisden, Youth Matter, Inc. was graciously awarded a $5,000 grant. The Michael Baisden Show airs nationally on 72 radio stations across the USA.

One Family at a Time

In October 2011, Youth Matter Inc partnered with Giovanni Alexander and the Palace in Portsmouth Salon for our “One Family at a Time” program. Giovanni Alexander is the owner of the Palace in Portsmouth Salon, where Youth Matter Inc. assisted him in providing Thanksgiving meals to over 200 in Portsmouth, VA in November 2011. Families thanked Youth Matter Inc. and the Palace in Portsmouth Salon for taking time out of their busy schedules to give back to the community. Youth Matter Inc. is always looking for new partnership possibilities and volunteers to help with “One Family at a Time” projects.

For more information on the event, visit the Facebook page for “OCCUPY THANKSGIVING”  https://www.facebook.com/events/288184694535375/

2011 Christmas Toy Drive

Through Youth Matter Inc.’s “One Family at a Time” program, Youth Matter set up a Christmas toy drive for families in need. Youth Matter was the recipient of toys collected through various toy drives in December that the Palace in Portsmouth Salon assisted with.  Youth Matter partnered with Portsmouth Social Services and Christian Antioch Church in getting names of families to assist. We provided clothes, coats, and toys to over 100 youth. Youth Matter Incorporated and its volunteers are always willing to give back to the community.

Sentara Nursing Home Christmas Visit

In 2011, Youth Matter Inc's Youth Ambassadors organized a Christmas visit to Sentara Nursing Home in Portsmouth, VA. GPU teamed in providing donated items for the Christmas gift bags and Christmas cards that we provided to 50 residents. Mrs. Medina and her daughter, Andolyn Medina (currently Miss Virginia Outstanding Teen), assisted us with the Christmas visits also. We visited all 118 residents sharing holiday cheer.

Partnership with Portsmouth Public Schools

In December 2011, Youth Matter Incorporated obtained a new partnership with Portsmouth Public Schools. Portsmouth Public Schools, is located in the heart of the beautiful Hampton Roads region of Virginia, and has an enrollment of about 15,000 students. The division includes three high schools, three middle schools, 13 elementary schools, four Pre-K Centers, an alternative school, an adult learning center, and a Career and Technical Education Office at the Portsmouth Campus of TCC. Some of Youth Matter Inc.’s after-school programs will be conducted at several schools in Portsmouth, along with our TROOPS TO YOUTH Lunch Buddies Program. In 1999, Youth Matter Inc. was founded in Portsmouth, and the organization has blossomed so much that it can now share its inspiring message with students in schools throughout Portsmouth.

YMI 2011 Black and White Gala

Once again, the Black and White Gala was a great success. The YMI 3^rd Annual Black and White Gala Fundraiser was held on Saturday, October 29 2011 at the Marriot Hotel in Chesapeake, Virginia.  Guest enjoyed entertainment from musicians, poets, dance groups, and even more. Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner, participated in silent auctions and danced the night away. Youth Matter Incorporated had support from many businesses, non-profit organizations, and friends and family. Guests cheered on their loved ones as they were recognized and rewarded for hard work and dedication to our community. Great prizes, awards, scholarships, and even crowns and sashes were awarded on that uplifting evening. The night was indeed a night of loyalty. All proceeds from the gala support Youth Matter Inc. after-school programs and TROOPS TO YOUTH. Don’t miss out on the inspirational evening next year! All are welcome to attend YMI 4^th Annual Black and White Gala Fundraiser, be sure to get your tickets!