The National Runaway Switchboard would like to honor the organizations and/or individuals which are taking action to prevent runaways. A committee will judge entries based on the degree to which the activity meets the goals of National Runaway Prevention Month:
1) To raise awareness of the issues facing runaway youth,
2) To educate the public about solutions and the role they can play in preventing youth from running.
Community Contest Winners will be awarded commemorative plaques and prizes. Submissions must be received by January 31st and may be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the Outreach Coordinator.
Download the Community Contest form.
Also, take a look at what past years winners have done to raise awareness and educate the public about issues facing runaway youth.
2009 Winner
Hudson River Housing, a multi-service provider of housing and other services in Poughkeepsie, NY recognized NRPM with several planned events during the month of November. The campaign kicked-off on November 1, 2010 by lighting the Mid-Hudson River Bridge green as a part of their Green Light Project. The Hudson River Housing staff of River Haven and their Youth Advisory Board members also handed out green light bulbs to people in the Poughkeepsie community. On November 13th, the River Haven staff and volunteers provided outreach materials at a special teens-only night event. In addition, Hudson River Housing participated in a Thanksgiving Day Food Drive and a coat drive with "One Warm Coat" and Old Navy stores. All coat donations were distributed to Hudson River Housing residents. Food baskets were delivered to families in the Hudson River Housing Permanent Housing programs.
Hudson River Housing was established in 1982 to address the merging homeless problem in Dutchess County, NY. It has developed 39 affordable homeownership opportunities, over 600 emergency, and transitional and permanent housing units. Hudson River Housing also provides shelter, case management, crisis counseling, and street outreach to over 200 homeless and at-risk youth every year.
2008 Winner
The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), Division of Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs, Office of Homeless Youth Services in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Prevention Initiatives, Title X McKinney Vento Homeless Education Programs, and other prominent community agencies worked together to promote National Runaway Prevention Month. The month long list of activities included a statewide kickoff event where Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper issued and signed proclamations, and 180 green light bulbs were distributed.
Additional activities included: a Homeless and Runaway Youth provider training forum where NRS Prevention Specialist presented the Let's Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum training; a film screening and discussion on GLBT youth living on the streets, service learning projects in 3 local high schools, and more.
2007 Winners
H.O.P.E. (Helping Overwhelmed Parents Educate), a support group for parents who are seeking help with problems associated with their children in Oxford, CT, launched an awareness campaign that focused on both goals for NRPM. They raised awareness of the issues facing runaway youth by purchasing 1,000 green light bulbs and teamed up with NEC Unified Solutions Make-A-Difference program to pass out green light bulbs and literature to their employees. H.O.P.E. coordinated an awareness poster contest for youth in their local middle schools to promote runaway prevention month. The 1st prize winner of the contest received an Apple i-Pod engraved with the NRS 1-800-RUNAWAY hotline number on the back. The winners were revealed at the Oxford Center School where a speaker panel was present to speak out on runway prevention and educating the public about solutions.
Family Connection, Inc. in Saginaw, AL, curated activities like educating the public about prevention and solutions through distributing outreach materials via internet, news media, and partnerships with local businesses and schools of Shelby County, AL. They also partnered with other Safe Place sites to distribute NRPM resource and awareness materials trhought all 13 public libraries in Shelby County, AL. Through Family Connection's NRPM awareness campaign, 843 youth were presented with information about NRPM, the dangers of running away, as well as local and national resources for help.
2006 Winners
Huckleberry House launched an awareness campaign to bring attention to National Runaway Prevention Month 2006 by leading a green light project. We distributed 8,000 green light bulbs in Columbus, Ohio during the month of November along with educational materials and other premiums to educate the community about issues that homeless and runaway teens face. Huck House also partnered with five other agencies across the state to foster the green light program across the state of Ohio.
Mecosta Osceola Youth Attention Center, Inc., based activities around the theme "Runaway Reach Out." Mecosta Osceola worked to reach out to the press by submitting press releases and holding interviews with reporters – this resulted in two articles being published one in The Pioneer and one in the weekend paper.
Mecosta Osceola also organized two contests; art and writing in 21 area schools. The entries had to display the dangers and/or disadvantages of running away from home as well as alternatives for prevention.
Youth & Family Services, Inc., sent press releases to all local papers (El Reno, OK) this resulted in articles printed in the Yukon Review as well as the El Reno Tribune. We posted homeless and runaway prevention posters in YFS offices. We distributed content appropriate runaway prevention information to area public schools (youth guides and school curriculum), public libraries (youth guides & bookmarks), waiting rooms (parent guides), and police departments (COPS guide). We also posted news releases to statewide youth services list serve groups so that others would be aware of NRPM and distribute in their parts of Oklahoma.