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<\/a>Since last spring, Saavedra has been an integral part of the Youth Services 50th<\/sup> Anniversary Endowment Campaign with a goal of raising $250,000 for the Endowment from area donors in 2022. Thanks to her example, all area Edward Jones financial advisors have personally donated money to create a $13,000 fund to match Youth Services\u2019 Endowment donations from area business owners, members of civic organizations and individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rick Holloway of Saxtons River, VT, the Facilities Manager at Chroma Technology in Bellows Falls, assumed the role of Vice-President of Youth Services\u2019 Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A financial advisor for Edward Jones for 18 years, Saavedra came to Brattleboro in 2004 to open its second office in town. All told, there are now 5 Edward Jones offices throughout the region, according to Saavedra, each appealing to a different constituency. In 2019 and 2020, Saavedra was honored as being of the top 10% of women financial advisors in the firm nationwide. Since coming to town, Saavedra is also an active member of the Brattleboro Rotary Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russell Bradbury-Carlin, Youth Services\u2019 executive director reported that Saavedra has been an outstanding board member and will make an equally wonderful board president. He described Saavedra as very articulate and knowledgeable about the many ways charitable donations can achieve tax and estate benefits while assisting nonprofits like Youth Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAna\u2019s enthusiasm for our mission and her fearlessness and frankness talking about money \u2014something few of us are so comfortable with \u2014 have made her a formidable asset to our fundraising efforts all these years,\u201d he said. \u201cAna has a knack for distilling the essence of our agency to the public \u2014 and is articulate about why donating to Youth Services is an excellent investment!\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to continuing the legacy of strong leadership at Youth Services, helping other board members become more comfortable with fundraising and supporting the critical work that the agency does for the young people, adults and families in our community,\u201d Saavedra said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Youth Services was founded fifty years ago to help young people and families in Windham County thrive. Since then Youth Services have helped countless numbers of young people discover their own path to adulthood and provided support for families while they developed the tools they need to address loss, trauma, substance abuse and economic hardships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Executive Director, Bradbury-Carlin, Youth Services programs are always evolving with the changing needs of the community. \u201cOur staff take pride in experimenting with new approaches and our local fundraising and corporate sponsorship program allow us to respond quicker to the changing landscape than if we were a state human services agency \u201cWe fill the holes in the safety net in our county, rather than duplicate services,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the 50 years Youth Services has built community, its programs have targeted runaway and homeless youth; youth transitioning out of foster care; mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters; substance abuse prevention counselors embedded in all Windham County high schools; individual and family counseling; young mom\u2019s support groups; intensive family-based services for those in danger of losing their children to state custody; clinical services; and restorative justice programs such as court diversion, as well as efforts to improve school attendance and reduce youth involvement in the justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the innovations of the last five years include Demo Graphix, a youth-led screen-printing business; Friends For Change, a summer camp and after-school program in Bellows Falls; Work Today, an on-demand employment service for people living in difficult circumstances, and a merger with the Brattleboro Community Justice Center, expanded the range of programs offered and clients served. Despite the wide variety of programming, building relationships are at the core of everything Youth Services does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n