A few Mutual of Omaha volunteers helped Youth Emergency Services prepare for an upcoming fundraiser, Dance for a Chance, by putting together the judges’ score cards and stuffing more than 500 invitations.

A team of 20 volunteers helped create a wonderful place to play for children at the Maternity Group Home of Youth Emergency Services. For 35 years, Youth Emergency Services has offered a safe place for young people in crisis through their shelter program. The Maternity Group Home is one of their newest programs, providing services to runaway and homeless youth 16 to 21 years old who are pregnant or parenting and may not otherwise be able to access services. It is designed to provide an environment in which youth will be able to develop the ability to function independently in the community.

Thanks to these volunteers, the young children at the group home now have a brand new playground.

They started with a blank slate.

And a HUGE pile of mulch.

They assembled a play structure.

They installed swings.

Assembled a picnic table.

Installed a border.

Moved A LOT of mulch.

And ended up with a great playground for the children staying at the Maternity Group Home!

Another group of Mutual of Omaha volunteers returned to Youth Emergency Services to continue building a garden for the Maternity Home. The group worked on moving soil and planting flowers and other greens. They also built wooden beds above ground to help avoid the lead sometimes found in local Omaha soil.

Mutual of Omaha volunteers rolled-up their sleeves and stepped outdoors at Youth Emergency Services, where they joined the Big Garden initiative in creating a new garden for the organization’s Maternity Group Home. The garden will provide fresh vegetables and unlimited educational opportunities for the young women and their children that live at the home.