YSS is celebrating 45 years of service to youth and families across the state of Iowa with a block party on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. The event will take place on Kellogg Avenue between Main Street and Fifth Avenue, in front of the YSS office building, in Ames. Everyone is welcome and this is a family friendly event.

Crazy Lou’s food truck and Kona Ice will be onsite, and there will be live music, games, giveaways and more for all to enjoy. There will be a short program at 4:30 p.m. celebrating the organization’s distinguished history through the stories of former youth.

Founded in 1976 by Dr. George Belitsos in Ames, YSS has grown from a single youth shelter, the first in the state, to over 40 programs serving tens of thousands of youth and families every year.

“This is an important milestone for me personally and for YSS. It was 25 years ago this year that I got sober at YSS and five years ago in July that I took over as President and CEO,” commented Andrew Allen, YSS President, CEO, and alumnus. “This year also marks the launch of our goal to make one million connections over the next five years. The pandemic has shown us the importance of connecting with people, and we are committed to making connections and building futures.”

In addition to celebrating our history, we will be looking forward to the next five years and our commitment to expand our reach. We will be launching the Making Connections, Building Futures campaign and sharing details about the future of YSS. Youth, board members, employees and volunteers will all be present to share their stories of hope and opportunity.

YSS, a for-impact nonprofit, founded in 1976 as Iowa’s first emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth, is committed to creating hope and opportunity by putting kids first. Today YSS programs provide comprehensive and community-based support to ensure youth are valued and empowered to stand strong through prevention, treatment, transition and child welfare services for more than 20,000 kids each year. For more information on YSS and programs, visit www.yss.org or follow us @weareYSS.