As we look back on 2018, I could not be more thankful for all those that made it an incredible year.  I am grateful for our donors, volunteers, staff, program partners, third party outfitters, and most importantly the youth we serve.

Elevate Youth is thrilled to announce our official partnership with Patagonia Boston after receiving a grant of $15,000 from this leader in the outdoor industry.

The kids’ initial reactions to the majestic animals are always the same. They are astounded at their size, a little nervous to get too close, but at the same time eager to reach out their hand to brush a horse’s mane or neck.

Once we arrived at the beach, the kids dropped their belongings into the sand, and without opening a beach chair or setting their towels down, sprinted into the waves.

Climbing is special because it is unlike any other sport and unlike anything else these kids have done before in their lives. 

Right away it was clear that this was a determined and skilled group; one boy, Ethan, even stood up on his first wave. Liam was another natural; by the end of the day he wasn't only riding the waves but was adding in some dance moves once he got his footing on the board.

Skedaddle has very generously given our organization a grant of $1,500, allowing us to take several trips further away from the city

The kids caught a lot of fish over the period of two hours. Flounder was the most frequent catch, but we also caught quite a few skate and one striped bass.

As we coasted our way up the river, we found ourselves traveling through a thick patch of water lilies, which forced us to slow down so that our blades wouldn’t get tangled in their stems. In doing so, we were able to spot a few fish splashing on the surface of the water, as well as several turtles sunning themselves on a log at the river’s edge.

This first outing with Big Brothers Big Sisters was a great example of what Elevate Youth is hoping to do for the organization, which is to take matches on outings to foster the existing bond between Big and Little, but also help to create new relationships among matches; giving Bigs the chance to socialize with other Bigs, and Littles the chance to meet other Littles.