June is Our Month of Thanks, and We're Bursting With Gratitude! 

If we could bottle our appreciation and hand it out like sunshine, we’d need a warehouse! June is officially our Month of Thanks at VOA, and we’re taking a moment to shout it out loud: THANK YOU!

To our donors, partners, volunteers, and cheerleaders - you keep us going. You show up with full hearts, open hands, big bags of clothes, homemade quilts, and casserole trays. Whether you’ve given your time, treasure, or talent, your support means everyone in our programs can count on warm beds, safe spaces, and opportunities to thrive. And our incredible VOA team? They are the magic behind the mission. Their dedication, compassion, and unmatched ability inspire us daily.

Of course, our gratitude doesn’t end when June does. We’re grateful every day of the year, we just figured June deserved a little extra sparkle. So, from all of us at VOA, thank you for being part of our community. Thank you for believing in brighter futures. And thank you for walking this path with us, one kind act at a time. 

Get ready to ignite your senses at Eye Contact 2025! We’re thrilled to announce that we are introducing a theme this year: “Sacred Shapes,” a tribute to the powerful ways we are shaped by connection, healing, and hope. Through art created by our clients and storytelling, we’ll explore expressions of resilience and strength.

One of nature’s sacred shapes is the sunflower- turning toward the light, standing tall, and growing each day. You may recognize it from our Crosswalk logo, and it’s no coincidence we chose it. Just like the youth we serve, sunflowers turn toward the light and grow each day, and that spirit is at the heart of everything we do.

It's also no coincidence that these elements come together at this year’s Eye Contact as we celebrate Crosswalk’s grand opening! After years of dreaming, planning, and unwavering partnership, Spokane’s young people now have a safe, welcoming space- built with them and for them, by our amazing community partners and YOU!

Join us in the historic Washington Cracker Building for an unforgettable evening featuring a silent and live auction, wine pull, and paddle raise. Enjoy delicious bites from Inland Pacific Kitchen, be inspired by success stories, and cheer for award recipients who exemplify our mission. Mingle during cocktail hour, bid on specially curated items, and raise a paddle to turn more dreams into reality.

Together, we all reach for the sky!

You’re Invited: Crosswalk Ribbon Cutting Celebration! 🌻

It’s finally happening, and we want YOU there to celebrate with us!

Join us Thursday, August 28 from 1–3 PM as we cut the ribbon on the brand-new Crosswalk Youth Shelter, a space dreamed up with our youth and built by this incredible community. After years of hard work, planning, and partnership, the doors are opening, and we can’t wait to walk you through them.

There will be building tours, refreshments, and lots of well-earned celebration. We’ll have some seating and shade available, but (humble brag alert) we’re expecting a very full house, so we recommend coming early, dressing for the weather, and bringing those comfy walking shoes and a sun hat. Speeches and gratitude will begin promptly and are expected to run about an hour.  

More details to come as we count down to this milestone moment. For now, save the date and know how truly grateful we are. This space wouldn’t exist without you, and we can’t wait to show you what you made possible.

Let’s cut that ribbon together! 

Did you know that VOA has a street-based outreach team to connect youth with services? Since 2008, our YouthReach team has been at the heart of Crosswalk’s outreach efforts, meeting youth where they are to provide life-saving resources. Our team doesn’t just bring food, water, or bus tickets, they bring hope. Each interaction is a step toward trust, paving the way for youth to seek safety, stability, and opportunity at places like Crosswalk or YAS (our Young Adult Shelter).

If you see Michael (left) or Brad (right) around downtown, give them a high five. They're pretty great!

💡Upgrading your Washer, Dryer, or window A/C unit? We would love your old one! 

Doing some home improvements this summer? Is a shiny new washer, dryer, or window A/C unit in your future? If you're upgrading your appliances and wondering what to do with the old ones, look no further!

Our foster youth and youth transitional housing programs are in need of gently used washers, dryers, and window air-conditioning units. 

If you have an appliance you’re ready to part with, we’ll make it easy - we’ll come pick it up! 

Use the following link and reach out to [email protected] to coordinate your donation. Thank you for helping us recycle your old appliances into independent living essentials for our youth! We are so grateful for you! 

We are wrapped in gratitude, quite literally, thanks to the incredible generosity of the Washington State Quilters Association (WSQA). For years, this extraordinary group has donated handmade quilts to the youth in our transitional housing programs, and their most recent delivery has left us buried in both blankets and kindness.

These quilts are more than just cozy covers; they’re stitched with love, care, and incredible belief in the young people we serve. Each one is a beautiful reminder that someone out there sees their journey and wants to offer comfort, hope, and a bit of home along the way.

WSQA’s support spans multiple donations each year, and over time they’ve provided hundreds of quilts - each one unique, heartfelt, and deeply appreciated. It's hard to put into words how much their thoughtfulness means to our team and our clients, but we’ll try: thank you for wrapping our community in compassion. You help make the individuals in our programs feel not just supported, but truly special!