Sons of the American Legion Donate $5,000 to Youth Empowerment Shelter

Mar 20

Written By Columbia Community Connection

YES Board members and staff - Doug Quisenberry, Juan Castro, Ted Pitt, Lisa Fuller-Trosper, Livia Christensen, Jennifer Noel, Kateel Muhs, Mary Gabriel, Josh Sendejas. SAL and American Legion Members Eva Summers, Agitant Finance Officer Post 19; Rich McCauley, SAL Member; Vandee Mauser, Chaplin Post 19; and Reuben Hall, Commander Post 19

From Youth Empowerment Shelter:

By Livia Christensen

The Dalles, Ore., March 20, 2025 — This month, Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES), the region’s only provider of shelter services specifically for youth and young adults, received a surprise gift to support their programs. The donation comes from the Sons of the American Legion (SAL), Squadron 19

The American Legion is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1932 to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires. The American Legion is divided into detachments at the state level and squadrons at the local level. While each squadron has the flexibility to plan programs and activities to meet their needs, the squadrons’ campaigns place an emphasis on preserving American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation’s children, caring for veterans and their families, and teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship.

Several years ago, American Legion Post 19 made the hard decision to sell the building at 201 E. 2nd Street due to financial hardship. With membership also waning, SAL Squadron 19 has dissolved its membership with the American Legion and focused on selecting local non-profits as recipients of their remaining funds so they could be used by those in need in the community.

From Left to Right - Vandee Mauser, Chaplin Post 19; Reuben Hall, Commander Post 19; Doug Quisenberry YES Board Treasurer; Eva Summers, Agitant Finance Officer Post 19; and Livia Christensen, YES Executive Director

“We want to thank the local community for their support in our fundraising efforts over the years. Without it, none of the donations to various organizations would have been possible. We chose the Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) as our final donation recipient because of the great things they do to help children in crisis. We'd like to encourage the community to consider continued support of YES,” says Rich McCauley, SAL member. “We truly hope this $5,000 will help make a positive difference in the lives of those that need it most - the children of our community in crisis.”

For many young people, the challenges of life are overwhelming. Youth Empowerment Shelter (YES) helps young people facing crisis find the hope, confidence, and skills they need to achieve stability and success in their lives. YES runs a year-round youth shelter, and transitional housing apartments, and also provides community-based day services to young adults experiencing a crisis, hardship, or barrier.

YES relies on community support to keep these services going. "We are so fortunate to have good relationships with our local agencies and community members," says Livia Christensen, Executive Director of YES. "Local support shows that we are a valued and important part of the network that keeps young people safe and thriving.”

This gift comes at a time when many nonprofits are facing uncertainty about funding. As designated by the Sons of the American Legion, YES will be able to honor their group's history of service by using the generous gift in an area of greatest need: keeping the critical services that YES provides available to youth when they need it most.

“The American Legion really is a great organization,” says Rich McCauley. Though the social quarters are gone, The American Legion Post 19 still meets on the second Tuesday of the month (5 p.m.) at a new location: 303 E. 2nd. They encourage all current and interested individuals to join us.

On behalf of Commander Reuben Hall and the members of The Dalles Sons of The American Legion, “Thank you, and God Bless America.”