There are 7 article(s) tagged Patrick Lawler:
“Our kids having a mentor makes their stay with us even better. They have someone who is looking out for them, advocating for them, loving them, caring for them, and it really means a lot for their mental health.”
Once, Youth Villages was strictly about helping kids through residential treatment centers. But when data showed that work was not accomplishing enough, founder Patrick Lawler changed the vision.
The $60 million Memphis Allies gun violence initiative is new turf for Youth Villages, which historically hasn’t worked with teens and young adults accused of violent crimes.
Memphis Allies, a gun violence reduction initiative, has launched through Youth Villages and hopes to reach 2,000 youth and adults over the next four years to get them out of the life of gun violence. The $60 million initiative has launched first in the Raleigh-Frayser area.
Instead of contracting services and jobs during the pandemic, Youth Villages has been adding positions and has a job fair set for Tuesday, May 25. “A lot of organizations stopped taking kids” once the pandemic hit,” CEO Patrick Lawler said. “We did not. We kept our doors open.”
It’s probably not even possible to measure the full impact Pat Lawler has had in the 40 years he has been running Youth Villages. But the nonprofit’s growth, while insisting on tracking the effectiveness of programs, has led to a national model.
Young adults in Youth Villages' LifeSet program already were living on the edge. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and things got tougher. Fortunately, many of the LifeSet clients have, with help, found a way to march on toward their goals.
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