Community Update

YES Celebrates 45 Years of Helping Kids in Crisis

Youth
Eastside Services (YES), formerly known as “Heads Up,” officially turned 45 on
Nov. 1 and threw quite a celebration. The event, which took place in YES’  main office in Bellevue, specifically
recognized the early founders whose foresight created an organization that to
this day serves as a lifeline for kids experiencing emotional distress and
substance abuse.

Among the
more than 140 guests in attendance at the Founders Day Celebration were early
founders, volunteers and staff who joyously greeted each other and remembered
the work they did years ago on behalf of kids and their families.

Dr. Lee
Vincent, the first signer on the organization’s articles of incorporation, remembered
the early days when a concerned group of citizens gathered in the basement of
the First Congregational Church in Lake Hills to start Heads Up, which later
became Youth Eastside Services. He recalled the “Flyers” who were a team of
mostly medical doctors who would rush out to help teens who had overdosed or
who were “having a bad trip.” Vincent is also a founder of Pediatric
Associates, one of the largest pediatric practices in the region. 

YES Executive
Director Patti Skelton-McGougan related a story from Dr. Phil Nudelman, a
founder who later went on to become CEO of Group Health. As a young pharmacist
in the late 1960s, Nudelman frequently fielded questions from teens about the
many drugs that were being used at the time. He helped start Heads Up when a
young kid asked him how he could get peanut butter into a syringe so he could
inject it because ’he heard it was a good high.’

Bob Watt,
who started with YES in 1972 as the Heads Up director and served as executive
director between 1978 and 1984, reflected on the thousands of kids who had been
helped by a team of a few staff and hundreds of volunteers. “The volunteers were
mostly women, many who had raised their own families. They would spend hours
listening to kids and helped just by being there and caring.” Watt later became
Deputy Mayor of Seattle under Norm Rice as well as the Executive Director of
the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

“So many of
our founders became significant people in the landscape of our area,” noted
Skelton-McGougan as she remembered YES founder George Whitman, a Deputy Chief
with the Bellevue Police Department who died in October.

One of two
former clients who spoke mesmerized the room with her story of sexual abuse at
the hands of her father and how YES had helped her become healthy and
confident. Today she is happily married, a small business owner and the mother
of her own young daughter.

The other client
speaker was a young man who was addicted to drugs and alcohol. “Before I came
to YES, I spent most of the previous year drunk or high. Today, I am 12 years
sober.” This speaker was also recently named one of the 30 best realtors under
30 in the entire country.

In the
subsequent 45 years since its founding, YES has developed into a premier
provider of prevention and treatment services for Eastside youth and their
families. 

“YES
continues to develop new and critical services to fill gaps for kids and
families coping with tremendous challenges,” said Skelton-McGougan. “We started
with the support of the community, and we continue to be able to do what we do
because of community support.”

YES Board of
Trustees President Jennifer Ivan stated, “The community as a whole is a better
place because, over the last 45 years, thousands of youth have avoided or
overcome emotional distress, substance abuse and violence as a result of their
involvement with YES. Today’s board members work hard to fulfill the vision of
the early founders.”

Pediatric
Associates sponsored the Founders Day event. “Dr. Lee Vincent is our Senior
Partner and a YES founder,” shared Glenn Lux, president and chief executive
officer. “He and his wife Ann were one of the four couples who, in the 1960s
gathered to plan the founding of this organization, and volunteered their time
to make it run. By continuing to support what YES does for the youth of the
Eastside, we honor both Ann and Lee.” Dr. Lorena Shih physician and medical
director for the Bellevue office of Pediatric Associates, currently serves on
the YES board, following in the footsteps of Dr. Vincent

Those who couldn’t
make the event are encouraged to submit a story of their early involvement with
YES or make a donation at www.YouthEastsideServices.org. Donations
may be made in honor or memory of someone who made a difference during YES’
first 45 years.

About
Youth Eastside Services: YES is
a nonprofit organization and a leading provider of youth counseling and
substance abuse services in the region. Since 1968, YES has been a lifeline for
kids and families, offering treatment, education and prevention services to
help youth become healthy, confident and self-reliant and families to be
strong, supportive and loving.  While YES
accepts insurance, Washington Apple Health (Medicaid), and offers a sliding
scale, no one is turned away for inability to pay.  For more information, visit www.YouthEastsideServices.org.