Last month, p:ear – a local nonprofit serving homeless youth through mentorship programs in education, art and recreation – celebrated its annual gala, p:ear blossoms. This year’s theme was “Ascend the Path,” and true to its name, up we went, raising a record $240,000!
Five years ago, I became involved with p:ear, first teaching a class on the weekends and then joining the board in 2010. For the past two years, I’ve served as the board chair, a challenging and rewarding experience.
p:ear takes its event themes very seriously. “Ascend the Path” is a metaphor for the focus of the organization’s work this year, which culminates in the annual p:ear blossoms. Similarly, the success of this year’s p:ear blossoms goes deeper than a record-breaking fundraiser party, though it is that as well. It is representative of an organization and its leaders that have worked hard to transform into a sustainable model with a constant focus on serving our community’s most vulnerable population: homeless youth.
You can learn more at www.pearmentor.org.