Contribute to Janet & Michelle’s voting process by sharing a review after their article below. 

STANDUP FOR KIDS has been recognized by both the George Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, the U.S. Justice Department and US Supreme Court, but our inspiration comes from the strength and courage of the young people we help as they strive for a better life.

StandUp for Kids was founded 20 years ago by Rick Koca, a highly decorated naval officer, with the mission of helping homeless and at-risk youth. Our all-volunteer team goes to the streets every week in order to find, stabilize and otherwise help homeless and street kids improve their lives.

Our focus goes beyond street outreach and extends to deterrence and resource programs that we provide in schools with our Don’t Run Away Program. Co-Executive Directors, Janet Grigsby and Michelle Ryan, and their dedicated team of volunteers, are guided by the mandate to tell kids they care about them and then, at every point, prove it.

Kids end up on the streets often at no fault of their own, and are not always aware of the resources and services that are available to them.  Our street outreach approach allows us to help them identify and access these resources, and help them in other ways when the services they need are not available.

• There are more than one and a half million children, teenagers and young adults trying to survive on U.S. streets today. Texas has the highest homeless rate in the nation, and in San Antonio alone, there are more than 3000 minors, without a guardian, living on the streets of our city.
• The San Antonio Chapter addresses this need by providing weekly services such as street outreach and counseling, food, clothing, hygiene packs, referrals and assistance with public services, apartment, job and educational assistance to youth 21 and younger.
• We network with many San Antonio agencies to provide referrals for kids, and are deeply grateful for the generous foundations, corporations and individuals committed to the aims of our organization.

Janet Grigsby is a retired psychotherapist, doing corporate training with Workforce Development at Northwest Vista College, and serves as the 2009 Vice President of Programs for the American Society for Training & Development.

Michelle Ryan is an Air Force, Security Forces, veteran, recipient of the National Defense Service Medal; 2000-2004, and is a recent summa cum laude bachelors graduate of the Social Psychology program at Park University.

www.standupforkids.org