On February 11^th, 2021, members from Winslow’s Incredible Teen Helpers (W.I.T.H.) joined the Orange County Youth Bureau’s staff and Advisory Board, by visiting and participating in an open discussion with Orange County’s (OC) state representatives! This virtual meet and greet is hosted each year by the Association of New York State Youth Bureau on Annual Legislative Day! Other youth and staff from a variety of programs in OC also joined in on this meeting, making it a fantastic opportunity for Winslow’s youth to demonstrate their leadership and networking skills. State Representatives including, Senator James Skoufis, and Assembly Members Brabenec, Schmitt, and Gunther, dedicated their time to hear the voices of our W.I.T.H. group and others. The W.I.T.H. group advocated for Winslow’s programs by detailing how they positively impact the Hudson Valley and educating all indvidiuals in the meeting of the variety and inclusiveness of our programs. Though we were unable to meet in-person this year with all of these prominent leaders of New York State, we are so grateful that they came together to support Winslow!

Winslow’s Incredible Teen Helpers are a group of youth who work together on a variety of projects outside of their everyday volunteering responsibilities. These incredible youth develop and execute small-scale fundraisers such as Winslow’s Hearts for Horses, Halloween Spooktacular, and Holiday Photos with the Horses! These are wonderful opportunities to develop their team-building and leadership skills to prepare them for being active members of society who make positive and impactful contributions. They also assist and attend many of our other events throughout the year including the annual Duck Derby and Sunset at Winslow. Additionally, they represent our organization throughout year at various events and trainings hosted by the Orange County Youth Bureau. Our W.I.T.H. group goes above and beyond dedicating many hours at Winslow and outside of Winslow. They represent our organization in the community and the nation!

To learn more about Winslow’s Incredible Teen Helpers or to join this group, please visit staging.raquinncreativeworks.com/with or contact Stacy at stacy@winslow.org.