Formerly Serendipity West Foundation, all-volunteer organization aimed at empowering youth and preventing bullying in Central Oregon is now Younity.
Serendipity West Foundation, an all-volunteer grassroots organization that works to empower Central Oregon teens and to end violence and bullying in schools, has changed its name to Younity to better reflect its mission. The name change was announced last week in downtown Bend at a fundraiser dinner for board members and supporters.
Inspired by the stories of bullied teens and what advocates were doing to help them on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Carol Oxenrider, along with Arlene Gibson, both of Bend, co-founded Serendipity West Foundation in 2007. The local nonprofit provides funds and administrative support, and conducts day programs and experiential workshops that focus on issues of teen bullying, depression, peer pressure, conflict resolution and harassment.
Since its inception and with the help of some 1,900 local volunteers, the organization has reached more than 6,000 middle and high school students in 16 schools across Central Oregon through its Challenge Days and related outreach programs.
“Over the past eight years the Serendipity West Foundation has helped countless Central Oregon teens realize their self-worth and personal power by shining a much needed light on the issues of violence and bullying in our schools,” said Oxenrider. “As we have grown as an organization, so too has our need for a new name that more accurately communicates to the community our mission and purpose and Younity does exactly that. At Younity, we believe the power of bringing people together is the most effective way to put an end to violence and bullying in our community.”
Moving forward, Younity aims to expand its reach beyond teenagers and their parents, bringing its message of compassion and self-worth to professional organizations. www.Younityus.org.
Younity is an all-volunteer run nonprofit organization dedicated to the elimination of bullying in schools and in the the greater Central Oregon community through programs and workshops designed to help people discover their own self-power and to develop more compassion toward others. Since its inception in 2007, Younity has reached more than 6,000 middle and high school students in 16 schools across Central Oregon.
