Youth 71Five Ministries
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” [Psalm 71:5 icb]
Relational Ministry
We exist to share God’s story of hope with young people through trusting relationships in any relevant way.
Find out more about each of our unique youth activities by clicking the button >>>
“[Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus] That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord.” — Luke 2:8-11 . Powered by BibleGateway.com.
Download our ShareFaith app to your mobile device and choose 71Five:
TRUST TO HOPE
Youth 71Five Ministries provides many opportunities for loving, caring, Christ-following adults to engage in the lives of lost and hurting kids. We aim to bring hope through relationship; providing a safe place to belong and sharing the message of the Gospel. There are a number of ways for you to be involved in the work God is doing in the Rogue Valley – there is a place for you on our team! Young people desperately need your friendship and the love of Jesus in their lives. Through your involvement and God’s power, we will see young lives transformed.
kids need a safe place
Too many kids lack nurturing homes and a sense of belonging. At our 71Five Campus Youth Centers, 71Five City Community Center and 71Five VoTech Training Centers, kids find a safe, fun place to relax and caring adults who take the time to know them. 71Five Campus programs provide opportunities to discuss life lessons from a Christ-centered perspective. 71Five City is an effective ministry model to transform the lives of inner-city youth, their families and the neighborhood communities that they live in.
kids need hope and encouragement
Many young people make poor decisions related to drugs and violence. These kids often end up in Juvenile Detention Centers feeling broken and hopeless. And our 71Five Connect Workshop reaches kids with a powerful resiliency program in local schools. The 71Five Adventure, 71Five Justice and 71Five Connect staff and volunteers offer listening ears and the hope and encouragement found in a relationship with God.
kids need someone to imitate
Kids are always looking for role models to imitate, but many are growing up in relational poverty where they have no good role models to follow. Our 71Five Adventure, 71Five Justice, 71Five Mentors, 71Five Parents and 71Five VoTech mentoring programs provide young people with long term trusting relationships with adults that form the foundation for healthy influence.
we are unique in our work
Although we offer fun and helpful programs for kids, our real work is building the relationships necessary for kids to thrive. By providing places where youth feel secure, by delivering a message of real hope, and by being people kids can truly count on, we are seeing lives transformed.
We mobilize responsible caring adults to be engaged in trusting relationships with young people. We desire this for every young person in our valley. These relationships are the foundation for guiding young people according to the teachings of Jesus Christ—helping them to develop the mental, physical, social, and spiritual components of their lives. Young people will be given hope and purpose so they can thrive individually and strengthen our community.
Youth 71Five Ministry Activities…
Youth 71Five Ministries Includes:
Youth 71Five Ministries exists to share God’s story of hope with young people through trusting relationship in any relevant way. We believe that influence happens best through healthy, authentic, and trusting relationships.
We mobilize responsible caring adults to be engaged in trusting relationships with young people. We desire this for every young person in our valley. These relationships are the foundation for guiding young people according to the teachings of Jesus Christ—helping them to develop the mental, physical, social, and spiritual components of their lives. Young people will be given hope and purpose so they can thrive individually and strengthen our community.
Youth Event Registration:
Every month we usually do at least one extra activity.
Some examples of our activities are: Cave Quest, Snow-day, Paintball, Bowling, Fundraisers, Summer and Winter Camps, Rafting, Redding Water Slides, and lots more.
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted in you since i was young.” [Psalm 71:5 icb]
Youth 71Five Ministries Involvement
Oregon Business magazine announced Youth 71Five Ministries is a 100 Best Nonprofit to work for! Youth 71Five Ministries is not only a workplace to grow and develop professionally, it’s a place that will change you personally. Our organization is also proud to be a GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile participant. Platinum lets us show quantitative metrics on the progress we’re making toward our mission. We thank God for your generosity and we promise to use your financial gift wisely. Youth 71Five Ministries depends on the involvement of caring adults to accomplish our mission—to share God’s story of hope with young people through trusting relationship in any relevant way. We believe that influence happens best through healthy, authentic, and trusting relationships. We are asking God to raise up an army of caring adults who will establish relationships with the youth in our communities. We need volunteers who will serve directly with students, mentoring advocates, intercessors, financial partners, and administrative help in the office. Wherever your gifts and talents lie, you can make an eternal difference in a young person’s life.
you can get involved
Operating in Jackson and Josephine Counties: (3) Youth Centers, (3) Community Centers, and (2) Training Centers. Building trusting relationships through these (9) initiatives: 71Five Adventure, 71Five Camp, 71Five Campus, 71Five City, 71Five Connect, 71Five Justice, 71Five Mentors, 71Five Parents, and 71Five VoTech.
“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Accept my work and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will find rest for your souls. The work that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is not heavy.” [Matthew 11:28-30 icb]
Ready to Volunteer?
Give us your info and we’ll be in touch.
Life Change Stories
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02
Nov '20
Love Pursues 💕
02
Nov '20
Em always showed up in dark clothing and wouldn’t show her smile much. She preferred to sit far away from everyone, be on her phone, and wasn’t interested in participating in our activities. As weeks went by, we kept investing in Em. We’d ask her questions about her life and would find ways to get her interested in joining in. When kids were leaving to go home, we’d make sure to tell her that we loved seeing her and we’re excited to see her next time. Real love pursues, it doesn’t give up, it’s patient. At a recent 71Five Campus club night, Em walked in and she was wearing brighter clothing. We saw her smile more and she sat closer to the group engaging in conversation and laughing with everyone. We believe these visible outward changes, show Em feels loved and safe at 71Five.
Our hope is that she’ll come to know and believe the joyous truth of the Gospel. That even though we live in a world full of darkness, we have the hope and the light of Jesus Christ that saves us. “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” [John 12:46]. Thank you to all of you who partner with us financially, as volunteers, or as prayer warriors. You make this ministry possible! MELANIE CIENFUEGOS 71Five Campus Coordinator – Phoenix /Talent (541) 779-3275 melanie@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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26
Oct '20
“I’ll go!”
26
Oct '20
We are in a time where there are many needs in our community. Recent fires have left entire families and communities displaced. COVID-19 has caused families to lose their sources of income and also restricted our children to their homes for schooling. Basic things like a safe place to sleep and eating a good meal were taken for granted, but now are real concerns for many people. We are responding to help children and their families. When I say “we” I’m not just referring to myself and our 71Five adult volunteers. I’m also talking about the kids who are part of 71Five City in West Medford. As we’re delivering lunches to kids who are at home for schooling they are right there with us sharing hope with the families we serve. Cruz, Jordan, Anela and Gigi are some of the kids from our Kids Club in West Medford who have stepped up on many occasions to serve our community. They were at the Expo helping feed families who lost everything. They go out with adults to deliver lunches to other kids whose parents don’t have cars or can’t leave their kids at home alone.
What a blessing to see these kids respond in this way. When presented with an opportunity to help others, their response is, “I’ll go!” What an honor it is to be working with this next generation of servant leaders. Thank you for providing for this opportunity to reach so many in our community faithfully. KEN RUIZ 71Five City Coordinator (541) 779-3275 ken@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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12
Oct '20
I Love You Son 💕
12
Oct '20
Recently my 8-week old son was ill, he had a high fever and after a trip to the Emergency Department he was admitted to the Pediatric unit. Days later and after many horribly invasive tests they still had no idea what was causing the fever. Late Sunday, I was home with our 2-year old daughter when my wife called, she said they had received the results from the latest blood work and it didn’t look good. On my way to the hospital, I considered that my son may not survive this ordeal, my heart and whole being ached for him. I cried out to God, “Lord, I trust you and know that you are good but WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” And that is when, at the corner of Central and Jackson he whispered into my right ear, “See how you love him? That is a shadow of how I love you.” This wrecked me. I now understood that for me this was about my heavenly Father showing me just how much He loves me. About how much He loves all His kids. At that moment, He gave me peace. I was able to face my wife and be strong for her, with confidence, that regardless of what happened, He was going to use this for our good, because we love Him and are called according to His purpose.
This experience has enlarged my heart, for my family, co-laborers, volunteers, and most importantly, the lost and broken kids we minister to. Baby Beau is fully recovered, thank you for the overwhelming amount of love, support and prayers. BEAU JESKA 71Five Justice Coordinator (541) 779.3275 beau@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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28
Sep '20
Sharing Lunch
28
Sep '20
Two weeks ago, as the boys from B2B Juvenile Justice sat down for lunch, they all pulled out the bag of chips and then set the rest of their bag lunches on the workbench. I asked what was going on and their staff leader said, “They want to donate their lunches to the homeless in our neighborhood.” Being overwhelmed, I turned to one of my volunteers and asked, “What just happened here?” He said, “These young men have been treated with respect and have seen what sharing and giving is like. I guess, in their way, they want to give back.” Then one young man said without hesitation, “We have plenty, we’ll eat again later.” They’ve been sharing their lunches ever since.
In a gentle and organic way, these young men are becoming followers of Jesus’ example and are feeling the blessing that comes with giving. I believe, the boy that gave Jesus his loaves and a couple of fish was blessed much more than the people who were fed. I hope you are blessed by this report as you too are giving and caring for these young adults in so many different ways. Come join us to further the great commission… making followers of Jesus. My phone number is (541) 779-3275. Hoping we’ll talk soon! LARRY LICATO 71Five VoTech Coordinator (541) 779-3275 larry@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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21
Sep '20
Wild Fire Relief
21
Sep '20
Many of the at-risk youth we serve have been affected by the recent catastrophic wild fires in one way or another; this coupled with Covid-19 and learning a new schooling method cannot be easy. Many of our youth find themselves overwhelmed and lost. Yet, through Youth 71Five Ministries, they have found shelter in our homes, resources and donations from our staff and supporters, and most importantly hope through Jesus Christ as we share the good news of the Gospel with them.
Without the continued support of each of our donors, volunteers, prayer warriors and staff members this would not be possible. Because of you, we were able to offer our homes to the evacuated families we serve, we are able to create a resource page on our website and a Wild Fire Relief Fund through our Homecoming Auction, we are able to cook for the multitudes sheltering at the Jackson County Expo as well as create a safe place there for young people to come and find relief through games, activities, sports and friendship. You are providing for the many youth and families in need throughout our communities. Thank you! DARLENE HARPER 71Five Mentors Coordinator (541) 779.3275 darlene@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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16
Sep '20
community on fire…
16
Sep '20
The text read “Praying for your community. So sorry for this loss. Grateful that you are bringing a message of hope and healing.” My response was, “Amen! We exist for times like this, right?” I’ve never experienced a time (even with 9/11) where people are stressed emotionally at the level I’m seeing today. People are grappling to get a handle on the reality of our situation (Covid, racial tensions, political turmoil and now huge impact due to fires), with more struggles coming as the long-term impact is felt by the community. These feelings are very much in the minds and hearts of our young people as well.
We truly do exist for times like this! While everything has changed… at the same time, nothing has. Our Mission is still to share God’s Story with young people through trusting relationships in any relevant way. We are in the business of relationships, building trust that leads to hope and we are committed to stay in our ‘lane’.
Things are very different though… Connecting with kids in this season of Covid-19 and online schooling means we’re working hard to provide safe places for kids to study, access to the internet, and adult help if they’re struggling. With the challenges related to the fire, we’re connecting with kids to help them process the hurts and fear they’ve experienced. We’re collaborating with other agencies to provide food and structured activities for young people who’ve been displaced. Also, a Fire Relief Fund has been set up to provide for the food, activities, and also outside-the-box needs other agencies aren’t designed to meet.
You still provide trust that leads to hope! The Mission hasn’t changed… just some of the methods. Thank you for bringing the message of hope and healing! BUD AMUNDSEN 71Five Executive Director (541) 779-3275 bud@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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03
Sep '20
trusting relationships 👬
03
Sep '20
Walter Stacey is a high schooler who has attended 71Five Campus in Eagle Point for many years. He is very outgoing, friendly to everyone, and is proud to have the self-given title of “Campus Mascot.” One evening I got a call from Walter’s coworker saying, ‘“Please come right away. Walter is having a major anxiety attack and he said he needed you.” I dropped what I was doing and drove to his work which was thankfully only 5 minutes away. When I got there, I realized just how severe Walter’s anxiety attack was. He was lying on the bathroom floor and was shaking and sweating. His voice was weak as he asked me to help him up and to my car. After he calmed down and could speak, I asked him if he wanted to talk about what was going on, but he couldn’t. He thanked me a lot for being there and it really blessed me to know he trusted me enough to contact me knowing I would help him.
It’s times like these that show how much these kids need mentors in their lives. Adults who care, who kids know they can trust. Because of you, I was able to go be with Walter and build a trusting relationship that brings him one step closer to hope. Thank you! PETER KUHL 71Five Campus Coordinator – Eagle Point (541) 779-3275 peter@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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24
Aug '20
Apology Accepted
24
Aug '20
Samantha has been coming to club for a couple of years now. She’s had her struggles but recently she started projecting her frustrations towards me.
Samantha would make disrespectful comments, blame me for things, and has started being rebellious. Building trust takes time and Samantha wasn’t ready to open up about what was going on. One night at club, Samantha decided to argue during the lesson. Afterward, she pulled me aside and apologized for the way she’d been treating me. She said her family is going through a lot right now. You see, Samantha came home the week before to find her mom passed out from drinking too much, had gotten sick and let’s just say she was a mess. Not only did Samantha have to care for her mother and clean her up… she had to be the adult. To top it all off, because of these circumstances, they were given a 10-day eviction notice.
Now you may be thinking this scenario is rare but the fact is, these situations are very common in the daily lives of many youth in our community. Samantha’s family is currently living in a motel with nowhere to go and very little hope. So are many other families just like hers. But, Samantha learns about the hope found only through Jesus Christ when we share the gospel at 71Five and the impact Samantha has on her family by bringing that hope home is priceless. Thank you for making this possible! FARRAH GUTHRIE 71Five Campus Coordinator- Grants Pass (541) 779-3275 farrah@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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05
Aug '20
reluctant smile peeked through
05
Aug '20
John and his brother consistently come to 71Five Campus. We’ve found out they come from a broken home. They have moved around a lot and don’t have a consistent father figure in their lives. During one of our Friday night clubs, John and his brother got into an argument. John already seemed to be a little off this particular night and this pushed him over the edge. He picked up his backpack and left the youth center. As I stepped outside to talk to him, he was nowhere in sight. I called for him and soon everyone else was calling for him too. After a couple of minutes, John came walking from around the corner. I was so relieved to see him. My husband, Tyler, went up to him privately and asked, “Are you okay?” and John said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Tyler looked him in the eyes and said, “You seriously scared us John… never do that again!” John nodded, but a reluctant smile peeked through. He scared us because we care about him, and he felt it in Tyler’s words. Incidents like this build trust. Young people learn we are here for them not because we have to be but because we sincerely care about and value them.
71Five Campus gives us the opportunity to build trusting relationships with kids like John. Through caring relationships, young people can come to know Jesus and His unconditional love. These opportunities exist because you give, pray and volunteer – thank you! MELANIE CIENFUEGOS 71Five Campus Coordinator – Phoenix /Talent (541) 779-3275 melanie@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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30
Jul '20
a foundation of trust
30
Jul '20
Sunday, right before church I received a call, “I got drunk last night and didn’t come home, now I’m on the run.” Bummer… “Where are you?” I asked. “On the corner of such and such…” To which I replied, “I’m on my way!” My friendship with this young man began in detention 3 ½ years ago. We built trust during his time there and I followed him through the system at various programs and eventually prison. When he was released, we grew even closer as he plugged into 71Five Justice’s Break the Cycle bike program, and he rode with us twice a week. A trusting relationship is key. Sticking with him through the ins and outs, the ups and downs, a foundation of trust was built.
When he trusted me enough to meet up, it led to him turning himself in to law enforcement and getting back on track. You make the vital work of building trusting relationships and standing in the gap a reality. Thank you!! BEAU JESKA 71Five Justice Coordinator (541) 779.3275 beau@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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