Youth Sing Praise Foundation, Inc. – Alumni and Friends of YSP

We have some great auction items from very generous donors! Here is a sampling:

A one day pass (including equipment) to Climb So iLL indoor climbing gym
Handmade Hair bows and Tutu from Little Star Boutique
Muny Tickets
St Louis Symphony Tickets
St Louis Rep Tickets
Tax Preparation Services
Salon Services Gift Certificate
30 X 30 Quilted Wall Hanging
Guiness Beer – straight from the factory in Dublin
Beautiful letter press First Edition of poems from Architrave Press
Design consultation for business cards
Six Month enrollment in Dessert of the Month
Reserved Seating for the YSP Performance (with concierge service!)
YSP Package – including hotel stay, restaurant gift certificate, valet parking, reserved seating, and concierge service
Dinner by Brad – Gourmet Dinner (and wine!) for 8 hosted by Director Brad
Picnic in the Park (or Gardens) Picnic for up to 8 with wine, cheese, nosh,  dessert, and reserved space with clean up for Shakespeare in the Park or Whitaker Music Festival
Bar Basket
Glee Basket
Spring Basket
Cookie Basket
Bonnie Bell Basket

To request an invitation or to RSVP: email youthsingpraise@gmail.com or call 314-NOW-4YSP

YSP Event Committee is excited to announce the Sing into Spring Gala, on Saturday evening, May 5th. Held at the Tavern of Fine Arts in St. Louis’ Central West End, the Gala will be a place to meet old friends and new to support this year’s Youth Sing Praise program. The evening will be filled with entertainment performance by past YSP participants and will feature live and silent auctions, hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. Tickets are $25/person or $45/couple. To request an invitation, please email youthsingpraise@gmail.com. Dress is nice-casual. 

Hi! We’ve gotten lots of great applications and are really looking forward to the audition-watching marathon with our theatrical staff. We’ve heard from choir directors and youth ministers who would like to extend this opportunity to their students, SO…THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED to May 1! Keep spreading the word and completing those applications. If you have any questions about the process of applying, please don’t hesitate to email us at youthsingpraise@gmail.com.

Hello friends -

Let’s put it out there. YSP is happening this summer! We’ve gotten many applicants and expect many more. Keep spreading the word. Current participants, remember: the YSP Ambassadors program gives you $25 rebate for each friend you bring to YSP (limit 3), so make sure you bring some friends along with you–you’ll all have a great time! Parents and alumni, make sure your parish youth minister, pastor, high school choir teacher, voice coach all know about YSP.

The cost to attend YSP is $495. That’s a pretty good deal when you consider you’re getting 8 days of lodging, food, transportation during the week, production materials, professional voice and dance coaching, professional ministers, and a spectacular program. The ACTUAL cost of attending YSP is twice that amount. We don’t want to make tuition unattainable. We don’t want to make this life-changing program accessible only to wealthy families. This ministry is for all. Alumni, friends, supporters of the arts and ministry: PLEASE GIVE.

We anticipate a need of raising $10,000 to fund this summer’s program. This is a small budget, made possible by the sacrifice and devotion of many of our staff who will work pro bono this summer (and have been working all year to keep things going).

We’re wrapping up our Gooey Louie cake fundraiser. We’re planning an auction gala in May. Please help by donating (look at that fancy button to the right!), by giving gifts or services for our auction, by spreading the word, by holding bake sales, car washes, garage sales, or dress-down days in your community, by praying for the continued success of YSP.

Bless you for your friendship!

A blessed Advent to all our friends! We set an immediate goal of raising $120 in order to submit our paperwork and fees to become a 501c3 non-profit charity. Thanks to our beloved and generous friends and alumni, we received $75 last week! THANK YOU! We are still $45 shy of meeting our goal and we cannot submit the paperwork until we have the whole $850 fee. If you can give–even $5 or $10–please send your check to:

YSP Foundation, Inc.
4240 Castleman, 3rd Floor
St Louis, MO 63110

Donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Thank you for giving!

Also, we know this is a wonderful time of year to share your gifts with the community–making merry and showing Christ’s charity and love to neighbors. Consider hosting a Caroling Christmas-Gram fundraiser in your neighborhood. Remember what Buddy the Elf says: the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Finally, sometime over Christmas break we hope to move our YSP assets (prop, costumes, set pieces) from the Shrine’s Pole Barn to their new home in the Luetkenhaus Barn. If you can help out on either the loading or unloading process (or both!), please check back for the date and time. Loading will take place in Belleville, IL and unloading will take place in Moscow Mills, MO. Thank you!

Happy Holidays and Christ’s blessings this Advent!

Great news! Though we are still in the process of submitting our paperwork–and hefty processing fee–to become a non-profit 501c3, we are able to accept donations AND they are tax-deductible! We found out that donations will be retroactively given tax-deduction status to the date we incorporated (Sep. 1, 2011). So if you’ve been waiting to donate, you don’t have to anymore! You can take off any donations to YSP on your 2011 taxes if they were made on or after Sep. 1.

That said, the processing fee is around $850 (ack!) and we are still short about $200. Are there eight of you out there who can spare $25? Or maybe even $10? Every little bit counts.

And remember, your donation is tax-deductible! Hallelujah!

Mail payments (we’ll be getting PayPal soon!) to:
Youth Sing Praise Foundation, Inc
4240 Castleman, 3rd Floor
St Louis, MO 63110

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! YOUR Christ-like friendship and support make us constantly ask: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING?

The YSP Board celebrates as we begin solidly planning for 2012. (That’s Arnie, the genius behind all things form and document and filing related.)