Every year Oom Yung Doe (Mt. Lebanon and Squirrel Hill locations) hosts a kick-a-thon in which the money raised is given to a cause or organization of their choice. The students and instructors kick as many times as they can nonstop for 20 minutes. Typically, the total amount of kicks is 20,000 – 30,000. The students, instructors and the chosen organization collect pledges for every kick. Lump sum pledges are also accepted.
Oom Yung Doe has graciously decided to donate 100% of this year’s kick-a-thon pledges to the Washington Avenue Foster Houses. The KEYS Service Corps AmeriCorps program under the Department of Human Services, Office of Community Services in partnership with the Foster Independent Living Program (ILP), will be renovating two houses in Braddock as part of a pilot program to create affordable independent housing for foster care youth who have aged out of the system. These houses were purchased by the non-profit, Braddock Redux, and are being made available to the Foster ILP. There are empty lots next to this duplex. The plan includes converting these into urban farms where the young adults will work. This will provide local produce to the community, a variety of hands-on learning experiences for the young adults, and will act as a positive way to engage community residents. A third house also purchased by Braddock Redux will house two urban farmers who will act as mentors to these young adults. KEYS AmeriCorps members, ILP staff, volunteers and the ILP young adults will be doing basic renovations to their houses, and will prepare the abandoned lots for farming.
The work on the houses will include: painting, removing the carpet, basic cleaning, bathroom tiling, minor repair to one ceiling, turning the attics into bedrooms, painting the outside of the houses when the weather is better, and basic outdoor grounds work. The two houses need: 1 updated furnace, 2 water heaters, 2 stoves, 2 refrigerators, and 1 washer to be shared between the two houses.
All donations will be used to turn these buildings into homes for our foster youth and to begin work on our Urban Farms.
The kick-a-thon will take place at the Mt. Lebanon location on Wednesday, March 26 at 7p.m. and at the Squirrel Hill location on Saturday, March 29 at 11a.m. Oom Yung Doe will be presenting the donations in the form of a check at their annual banquet on Saturday, April 5 at 4p.m. Students and instructors from the school will also be volunteering their time to assist in the renovation process at The Foster House during National AmeriCorps Week (May 11 - May 18).
If you are interested in pledging for the Kick-A-Thon or volunteering your time at The Foster House, please feel free to contact the AmeriCorps KEYS office at 412.350.2739.
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