To the editor:

On Sunday, March 17, the advocacy group Youth Empowerment Association Inc. celebrated the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day with a bowling tourney at Family Bowling Center in Fort Dodge.

This was our fundraiser for our Dr. Ed Miller Character Scholarship available all students of north central Iowa.

Youth Empowerment Association Inc. (YEA) obtains a partnership with the Community & Family Resources under the Underage Drinking Initiative through the social media platform. We wish to thank Mickie Shubin who made herself available for literature on this topic, as well as mental health resources and suicide prevention information.

We are especially grateful to our friends at the Family Bowling Center who is also our 2018 Kids Choice Awards Community Caring Award winners. Randy Slawson and his gracious staff have always been available to help us out in ways our kids and ambassadors truly feel like family.

In a world where teen suicide rates are climbing, we are losing more veterans to suicide than combat, the pressures of fitting in, fighting for people of diversity to become accepted, and living in a time where technology is becoming what rules this world. The dangers of social media preying on in the vulnerable and innocent. Now more than ever we need more people like Randy Slawson and the Family Bowling Center. For years they have been bringing wholesomeness back into our youth.

Put the phone down and do some bowling with Randy and his staff. Getting back to more simpler things in life is healthy.

Thank you to our winners, the Gingersnaps! Amber Nowell, Logan Schuur, James Carlson, Vicki Steck, and Taylor Elkin. Your support is very much appreciated!

The kids are gearing up for the 6th Annual Kids Choice Awards at Fort Frenzy on April 28th where they too have continued to support our cause of anti-bullying and suicide prevention beyond anything we could ask for.

Find us on Facebook to keep up with our busy summer and become involved with your family!

Jennifer Johnson

Youth Empowerment Association Inc.