La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Since 1941, Young Life has been making a difference in the lives of teenagers around the world. Young Life is in more than 90 countries, offering hope with Christian values to approximately two million teenagers each year. Young Life is for every teenager regardless of race, religious tradition or culture.

A little over 20 years ago Vern and Elaine Lovelace and John Hackstadt had a vision to start a Young Life chapter in La Conner. Today 20 years later I’m happy to report that Young Life is alive and well in La Conner

Young Life starts with concerned adults who spend time building bridges of authentic friendship with teens – where they are, as they are. Because their leaders believe in them unconditionally, teenagers begin to see that their lives have great worth, meaning and purpose. Exciting action, heart-pounding adventure and a caring community. That’s what most young people want and that’s what Young Life delivers through a variety of activities.

Young Life might be best known for its first class summer camps where kids can get away for a week in a beautiful setting and consider some of life’s biggest questions without the distraction of peer pressure or their electronics. Many of the kids report that not having their phones for a week was the best part of camp.

Overseeing the work with teens is a group of local parents and others who volunteer their time and resources to give valuable assistance in planning, accountability and fundraising. Each Young Life area is self-supporting, relying on tax-deductible gifts from concerned adults and businesses who share the goal of reaching every teenager.

Young Life wants to extend a special thanks to the Swinomish Tribal Community for their generous financial support over the years. That support along with other generous donations from both sides of the channel have allowed Young Life to take hundreds of La Conner students to camp over the years for what many of them say was the best week of their lives.

Mike Carrigan

Stanwood