St. Joseph’s Peace Mission for Children has an interesting new partnership with the Kentucky Mavericks.
Development Director, Brad DeHart, told Owensboro Living that several players will be participating in a mentorship program in which they will be visiting both the crisis shelter and the Yewell Home for Boys located on the Peace Mission campus on a regular basis.
Coach Steve Tucker makes community service a priority for the Mavs, who have been making community appearances at schools, festivals, and other events since the team relocated to town last year. Several players, including Jon Rogers (pictured, center) and Alex Sanders have mentioned in interviews their involvement in community centers such as the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club when they were growing up.
“Helping kids is my passion,” Rogers told Owensboro Living in October. “Seeing the smiles on their faces is what it’s about. Even though we play semi-pro, to them we’re stars or celebrities. I try to play well on the court but I also try to be a better man off the court as well.”
Now some of the Mavericks will be visiting residents at St. Joseph’s Peace Mission every month.
“We are excited about this new partnership with the Kentucky Mavericks,” DeHart said. “We anticipate great success and a positive impact from the mentorship program that we are developing together for the children.”
St. Joseph’s Peace Mission is a safe, caring Christian environment for abused and neglected children which provides 24/7 care for children in crisis situations. The emergency shelter offers a safe home for children ages birth – 17, both male and female. The shelter facilitates a maximum of 12 children with an average length of stay up to 30 days and up to six months if necessary.
Yewell Home for Boys is located next door to the shelter and was opened in 2011 to serve as a long-term facility for boys 11 – 18 for a period of up to two years. The Yewell Home provides a safe environment for boys with severe emotional and/or behavioral problems, enabling them to return to a stable environment. During their stay, residents receive individual, group, and family therapy.
Director Paula Yevincy says the Peace Mission was incorporated in 1996 following the death of 4-year-old Philip Strain. “Following that tragedy, multiple agencies, police, and court advocates began meeting to understand how that could have happened in our town and how we could work together to make sure it never happened again,” Yevincy explained.
Since its inception, St. Joseph’s Peace Mission for Children has served over 1,500 young people. The agency is guided by a volunteer board of 12 local residents comprising various parts of the private and public sector who share a common desire to help youth in need of a better future.
For 19 years, the Peace Mission has benefitted from the annual “TREK for Kids” fundraiser. Each June, hundreds of supporters make donations to walk, run, or pedal from Calhoun to the Yewell home in West Louisville.
As Development Director, DeHart is constantly trying to spread the word about the Peace Mission and meet needs at both homes. Recently he has turned his focus to social media. “One day I posted on Facebook that we needed a dryer and 45 minutes later we had five,” DeHart said.
Find out more about St Joesph’s Peace Mission on their website or Facebook page.
Read our previous post about Earl Hayden’s book “The First Family of Racing,” which is also serving as a fundraiser for the Peace Mission.
Photo provided by Miann Ferison, Mavericks marketing director.
L-R: Brad DeHart(Development Director), Anthony Jackson, Jon Rogers, Paula Yevincy(Executive Director), Gerard DeVaughn, Cordarius Johnson, Lonnie Lyles(Treatment Director)
