At PYD, we strive for a world of inclusion, where all people are seen for their contributions and experiences, and their voices are respected — and that’s achieved through the donations we receive, attendance at our events, volunteering of our supporters, and sharing of programs and stories with friends and family.
The support we receive enables PYD to provide the programs and services vital to our Mentoring, Career Readiness, Leadership Development, and Theater Arts participants, an often-marginalized population, helping them to become confident and self-advocating individuals.
How exactly do your donations benefit PYD?
$25 Builds Mentor-Mentee Matches
Whether our mentor-mentee matches spend their time getting ice cream, seeing a movie, watching a sporting event, or something else, your donation of $25 makes it possible for youth with disabilities to build their social skills and networks with someone they’ve come to know and trust.
$50 Grants Access to our Programs
Between our online programs and skills like career readiness, $50 grants people with disabilities access to these programs so they can thrive and lead self-determined lives with purpose. As a pathway to independence, work creates a sense of purpose and belonging as well as a sense of self-worth and value, which is all achieved through our programs.
$100 Brings Our Career Readiness Program to an On-Site Activity
It’s one thing to learn about the working world, but it’s another thing to actually experience it. Thanks to your $100 donation, we’re able to provide our Career Readiness participants with a real-time career experience, such as touring a workplace, to give them a better understanding of what they can expect for their future career.
In the past year, PYD partnered with 32 local businesses to provide 40 opportunities for mock interviews, guest lectures, job shadows & paid internships, and through our National Center, we trained more than 1300 professionals from across the country on inclusive employment and mentoring.
$250 Provides a Theater Arts Workshop
Did you know that theater arts helps to build confidence, increase creativity, and foster friendships among youth? A donation of $250 provides a theater arts workshop to youth who will leave the program with more confidence, giving them the tools and resources they need to speak out for themselves.
$500 Increases Workplace Inclusivity
Despite our vision for inclusive employment, employment statistics for people with disabilities is staggeringly low, especially when compared to those without a disability. Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports only 19.3% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 66.3% of nondisabled people and last year, as we all know, employment numbers plummeted across the board.
A $500 donation trains an organization to create a more inclusive workplace and environment for people with disabilities, whether that entails hiring more people with disabilities or creating physical accommodations for people with disabilities (or even both!).
$1000 Supports Mentor-Mentee Matches for 12 Months
As we’ve seen throughout the years, the best relationships formed during our mentoring program happen when our mentor-mentee matches are together for an extended period of time. With a donation of $1000, mentor-mentee matches not only get to plan fun outings together throughout the course of 12 months. Think about how much fun can be had and the bonds that can be built when these mentor-mentee matches get to spend time with each other on a consistent basis.
How Can You Make a Donation?
With the generous support of friends like you, PYD will continue to grow and our programs will have a greater impact on those who need us the most. As Helen Keller once said, “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Please consider making a donation to PYD today, and thank you for continuing to be a champion for young people with disabilities.