A message from the Executive Director April 2024
Dear Friends of YATC:
2024 is a very special year for the Youth Automotive Training Center. We are celebrating our 40th anniversary! I guess the old saying is true, time flies when you are having fun! Seriously four decades of YATC’s unique and targeted program has created an incredible impact. Sometimes we say the program has touched countless lives. Take a minute to think about what that really means.
We have 836 graduates and 30 students currently who have experienced YATC personally. With individual support, these young people faced addictions, sorted out legal issues, established safe housing, gained food stability, attended college or advanced technical training, found jobs, obtained driver licenses, bought homes, got insurance … and the list goes on. YATC has also worked directly with hundreds of family members offering support and guidance in a wide variety of ways. In addition YATC reaches community members, neighbors, law enforcement officers, lawyers, employers, college professors and technical instructors, etc. When we say countless lives, we really mean it!
I am proud to be a part of all that YATC has accomplished since I joined the team 33 years ago. YATC has grown and adapted as needed to best serve our students and graduates. Our staff works tirelessly and offers true care to each and every student or graduate.
Please flip over to pages 4 and 5 of this issue of Car Tracks for a glimpse of a small part of our 40-year history. As you see some of the YATC highlights through the years, please know that all we do today and all that has been accomplished is thanks to you. Our donors, volunteers and Board of Directors are simply the best. The one thing I can honestly say has never changed is the dedication to the ideals that Our Founder Jim Moran set for YATC back in the early 1980s when this program was just a dream. YATC’s guiding mantra comes from Mr. Moran who said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it.” Thanks to your support, YATC is prepared for many more years of serving those who need us most.
Sincerely,
Terry