Philly LDS Youth

Mission Statement

2011-05-11T15:01:00.000-04:00

Philadelphia Latter-day Saint Youth is a non-profit organization created to help organize and fund life-changing activities for Philadelphia youth. We provide opportunities that would not otherwise be possible in an effort to increase their spirituality and devotion to serving the Savior. We believe that faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, is paramount in helping these youth understand both their mortal and eternal potential. With faith, obedience to principles of righteousness will surely follow. Faith and obedience together are the conduits that will allow our Heavenly Father to bless our youth and provide them with the provident futures that they deserve.

Unfortunately...

2011-05-11T14:51:00.002-04:00

Jerome and Kilief are now too old to go to EFY again.

We are all consoled by the fact that they will be going on missions instead!!!!

Jerome will be leaving for the Johannesburg Mission Training Center on May 16th for a short visit before serving for 2 years in the Uganda Kampala Mission.

Kilief will be attending the Ghana Mission Training Center on August 24th before serving in the Ghana, Accra Mission!

Jerome and Kilief were fortunate to have met with Elder Neil L. Anderson on 2 separate occasions in the last few years. As a result, he took a personal interest and personally handled both Kilief and Jerome's mission calls.

EFY has played a pivotal role in helping these 2 young men be confident in who they are. It gave them strength to live the Gospel and make the difficult decision to serve missions. Just to give you an idea of how significant this is, Kilief and Jerome are the first 2 youth native to West Philadelphia to go through the Young Men's organization to receive the Melchezidek Priesthood. Likewise, they will be the first to serve full-time missions setting an amazing precedent for other young men to follow in their footsteps!

Donations Needed for EFY 2011!!

2011-05-11T14:27:00.002-04:00

Many of you have donated generously to our cause over the last few years, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We ask now for your continued support as we will be sending 7 youth to EFY programs in Utah, Florida, and Virginia. Please know that a donation in any amount will be greatly appreciated by all involved. If you choose to make a tax-deductible donation to the organization you can...

Make a secure credit card donation by clicking on the DONATE button located at the upper right-hand corner of our home page.

OR

Send a check to:

Philadelphia Latter-day Saint Youth
508 Manor Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096

We understand that (especially in today's economy) donating to our organization may be impossible right now. Even if you are unable to contribute financially at this time, we would love your support in helping us spread the word - you are more than welcome to share our website with anyone you think would want to help. We could also use all the prayers we can get as we try to make this year's trip and future trips happen for our faithful youth. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity! If you need any additional information or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this blog, or email us at phillyldsyouth@gmail.com.

To give you an idea of the caliber of our youth, we have provided some biographies, which are available to view by clicking HERE.

Our Purpose

2010-01-09T14:25:00.004-05:00

Philadelphia Latter-day Saint Youth is a non-profit organization created to help organize and fund life-changing activities for Philadelphia youth. We work to provide opportunities that would not otherwise be possible for these under-privileged youth in an effort to increase their spirituality and devotion to serving the Savior.

We are trying once again to give our youth a chance to experience the spiritual high of an EFY trip. With the help of wonderful people across the country, we have been able to send several groups of youth to experience EFY over the last few years. It was a life-changing experience for them, and because of it one young woman is now attending college in Utah and several others have worked there over the summer, gaining incalculable experience and new skills.

Our non-profit organization is mostly made up of members of the Philadelphia 4th ward, which takes in much of West Philadelphia and is composed primarily of low-income families and debt-ridden young student families. This being the case, we look beyond our ward boundaries for people with the means, compassion and generosity to make opportunites for Philly LDS youth possible.

Many of you have donated generously to our cause over the last few years, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We ask now for your continued support. We are happy to announce that our youth will be personally earning 50% of their EFY tuition. Please know that a donation in any amount will be greatly appreciated by all involved. If you choose to make a tax-deductible donation to the organization, checks may be written and sent to:

Philadelphia Latter-day Saint Youth
508 Manor Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096

OR

Make a secure credit card donation by clicking on the DONATE button located at the upper right-hand corner of our home page.

We understand that (especially in today's economy) donating to our organization may be impossible right now. Even if you are unable to contribute financially at this time, we would love your support in helping us spread the word - you are more than welcome to share our website with anyone you think would want to help. We could also use all the prayers we can get as we try to make this year's trip and future trips happen for our faithful youth. Thank you in advance for your support and generosity! If you need any additional information or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this blog, or email us at phillyldsyouth@gmail.com.

To give you an idea of the caliber of our youth, we have provided some biographies, which are available to view by clicking HERE.

*Proceeds from our current fund-raising drive will provide transportation, EFY registration fees, BYU-appropriate clothing, and other supplies for youth as determined necessary by the board of directors.

Some Thoughts from Leaders

2007-04-30T11:14:00.000-04:00

"When I first hatched this idea, I took it to the Stake and quickly found that the great expense and distances involved with this undertaking precluded the official involvement of our ward or stake. So, I established a non-profit organization in PA with many of the youth leaders and bishopric members involved as officers and board members. As soon as I got the YW leaders involved, things really started to take off!"

-Isaac Erickson, President - Philly LDS Youth

"One thing that becomes pointedly clear in serving in an inner-city ward is the limitations that come from not having financial resources. Many of our youth come from single-parent families, take public transportation to the church (and to anywhere else they go), have never been on a plane (or have done so only as refugees from West Africa), are in sub-standard public schools and spend multiple hours a week caring for younger siblings and relatives. As a reward for their dedication to the gospel and also break from the harsh reality that is most of their lives, we are hoping with your help to send them to EFY in Provo this summer."

-Kelly Troutman, Former Vice President - Philly LDS Youth

"During a recent interview with Brother Greg Tanner, Director of CES Youth Programs, I was asked why it is that we do such great things for these youth. I responded by explaining that our efforts are completely driven by the great need that we see in the youth. I've worked with youth in other places, but I have never encountered a group of youth that have such great potential in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition. We honestly can not do enough to try to strengthen these great spirits. If going to EFY is just one thing that can give them more spiritual power, then any amount of sacrifice is worth the possibility that it will keep these kids on the straight and narrow during these turbulent teenage years!"

-Isaac Erickson, President - Philly LDS Youth