After experiencing the Young Entrepreneurs Business Week, Matt learned that a little extra effort can make a difference.

Matt is the first to admit it: “When I first got to the Young Entrepreneurs Business Week (YEBW), I told my company advisor up front that I was lazy.”

As we continue to get unpacked and set up in our office, we wanted to share some photos of the new space. As you can see from the pictures on the floor and the unpacked boxes, we are not completely moved in yet, but we are getting close!

The Oregon Teen Resource Center (without the computers, which we have coming soon!)

This week (April 11-15) is National Volunteer Week. For those of you who don't know what this is, National Volunteer Week is a time set aside to celebrate all the work our volunteers do and the impact they have. Volunteers are giving their time, serving others, and helping to improve our community. They are making a lasting impact on lives all across the country.

With this in mind, I want to take this time to thank all of Step It Up, Inc.'s volunteers. From volunteers who assist with our programs, planning events, and providing general support, to our awesome board of directors; we would not succeed without your support and you are helping change our youth's lives for the better. Thank you for everything you do!

Today's blog post comes from one of our volunteers who recently wrote why she feels SIU is important and what we are doing for our kids. We wanted to pass on her words to you!

Why Step It Up is Important

I was recently asked the question of why Step It Up was important to me. It really got me thinking. I mean I was blessed to have come from a middle class family where I was given (and even at times coerced into) every opportunity to pursue my education. High school was standard, college expected, and even a masters degree encouraged. This mentality was normal to me and I naively believed it was how all people thought.

This is when I learned about Step It Up and how wrong my assumptions were. Not every child has the encouragement or financial resources to make it through college- or even high school in many cases. Often times they feel they have to go to work, that there isn't anything better for them than a minimum wage job with little or no benefits. Step It Up helps these kids to see what their future can be if they are willing to work for it. They provide these kids with necessary skill sets, show them different professions, line up internships and mentors, help them with college applications and financial aid; really anything you can think of that you might need to succeed. Without Step It Up many of these kids might not ever get that encouraging push to show them what they are capable of. The belief that someone thinks they are worth investing in. That freely given confidence that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. That is why I believe Step It Up is so important because they change lives.