BENTONVILLE — Shawn Baldwin had been in Northwest Arkansas for around a decade, and he had never heard of Youth Bridge Inc.
He’s working to make sure the organization is better known. In the past six months, he’s gotten members of his Sam’s Club team involved, bringing dozens of volunteers to projects involving the nonprofit organization.
“It’s amazing how much they do, and how extensive it is,” says Baldwin, who lives in Bentonville. “It’s almost like a one-stop shop for atrisk kids.
“The whole mission, the fact that they are a safe place for kids and do things to help them get further down the road, was something we thought we could help with.”
Baldwin, a senior vice president with Sam’s Club, learned about Youth Bridge a year ago through a case study done in Wal-Mart’s Business Leadership Series.
He was impressed with Youth Bridge’s mission, which is helping at-risk young people in eight counties in Northwest Arkansas by providing shelter, counseling, substance-abuse treatment, academic and social support, and preventive services.
Youth Bridge dates back to 1963, and many people in Washington County are aware of what it does, Baldwin says. The information gap is in Benton County, but this year he has worked to remedy that.
Six months ago, Baldwin organized members from his Sam’s Club team, as well as representatives from General Mills and Coca-Cola, to have a volunteer day as Youth Bridge’s Centerton location. Including family members, more than 40 people volunteered that day, doing extensive landscaping and maintenance, as well as reorganizing clothing donated to theorganization. (Baldwin says he hopes that future maintenance days at the location can be scheduled.)
Even more people turned out for a fall carnival in Centerton on Oct. 20. Close to 50 people volunteered at that event, which featured games with prizes, pumpkin carving and a cookout. Kids were given goodie bags and Arkansas Razorback sweat shirts, and General Mills donated four cereal dispensers - as well as a year’s worth of cereal - to each of Youth Bridge’s four emergency shelters.
“The thing we want to continue to do with them is to build a bridge between their organization and the folks here, so we understand the things they’re working on, and then find a way to get more people in the community to support them,” says Baldwin, a married father oftwo. “There’s a lot of things you can do [to support Youth Bridge].”
On Nov. 9, Baldwin will be honored for his efforts at Youth Bridge’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” gala. The fundraiser is from 6 to 10 p.m. at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, and tickets are $85 each.
Baldwin says he was “embarrassed” when he found out he had won the award, but that he was also flattered. As long as he can get more people connected to organization - or simply aware of its mission - he’s all for it.
“I thought they needed to get somebody that more people in the community knew, so they could raise more money for their kids,” he says with a laugh. “They had to talk me into it, but I told them I’d do anything to help move their cause forward. It’s a big honor.” For more information about Youth Bridge’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” gala, call (479) 575-9471 or visit
youthbridge.com
.
Northwest Profile, Pages 37 on 10/28/2012