Grant Summaries
Amount Needed to Fund all of the Requested Grants – $96,823
Eugene Young Life (YL) $27,823 Grant Requested
Young Life began its ministry in Eugene in 1957 with a simple vision to go where kids are, build authentic relationships, and share God’s love and the gospel of Jesus in a way they can understand. Over the years, we’ve grown to include ministries in multiple local schools, which currently include Sheldon, Marist, Cal Young, Monroe, and a growing presence at the University of Oregon. We reach middle school, high school, and college students through fun and engaging clubs, small group Bible studies (Campaigners), camps, and consistent one-on-one mentorship. Our team is composed of trained volunteer leaders, many of whom are college students or young and older adults, committed to walking alongside youth in their daily lives.
We are requesting funding to restore and enhance the outdoor space at the Eugene Young Life House located near UO campus – a central and historic hub for all of our ministry activity. The house currently serves as the Young Life office, the residence for several of our female leaders, and the hosting space for nearly every core aspect of our ministry: Leader meetings and training, Campaigners for high school and college students, College Club, College worship nights, strategic planning and pastoral support for Eugene-area ministries. We want to utilize the yard/outdoor space more intentionally as our college ministry grows. With a safe and functional outdoor space, we can host bonfires, worship nights, barbecues, game nights, and small group gatherings that help foster connection, belonging, and faith exploration. We envision this space as a beacon on a lonely campus, where students can encounter the Gospel of Jesus in a welcoming, home-like setting.
This grant would fully fund the restoration of the Eugene Young Life House’s outdoor space – completing a long overdue and dreamt for project that will expand and enhance our ability to host ministry events, especially for college students. It will preserve a historic hub of ministry while creating new space for discipleship, community, and outreach to thrive.
Lane County Youth for Christ (LCYFC) $20,000 Grant Requested
Lane County YFC was established in 1947 with a vision to see every young person – regardless of background or circumstance – have the opportunity to make an informed decision to follow Christ and to become part of a local church community. Today, our dedicated leaders continue this mission by mentoring students and running activities through our Campus Life and Parent Life programs.
LCYFC is requesting $20,000 to purchase a late model van to safely transport students to/from our Campus Life and Parent Life programs, as well as other ministry events. This vehicle will help remove barriers for young people to participate in our programs enabling consistent access to mentorship, community and opportunities to grow in their relationship with Jesus. Unlike our larger buses, this van would not require a CDL, making transportation easier and more flexible for our leaders to meet students where they are and expand our outreach to more youth.
Agape Families – Agape Girls House $14,000 Grant Requested
Agape Families was founded in 2012 in response to the estimated 22,000 kids in Oregon that have a parent that is incarcerated. Our mission is to provide hope and stability for these kids and their families through summer camp experiences and family events, programs and training throughout the year. In 2024, Agape partnered with Thrive Housing Network, a nonprofit that owns and operates various housing programs in Eugene for women in difficult situations, to open the Agape Girls House. This newly built duplex in the Ferry Street Bridge area provides young female participants of Agape programs with housing stability, Christian discipleship & community, and practical skills training during their 18-24 month transition to independent adult life.
Our request will enable us to cover the housing and related program costs for one Agape girl in the Agape Girls House for one year.
Christians as Family Advocates (CAFA) – Safe Families Plus Program $20,000 Grant Requested
CAFA is a non-profit mental health agency dedicated to making the world safer for children by equipping the adults in their lives with knowledge and skills to better partner, parent, and live. We are committed to bringing the healing power of Jesus to individuals, families, and communities through counseling, education and support programs.
In 2015, we launched Safe Families for Children (SFFC) program to serve as a lifeline for vulnerable families in crisis, to help reduce homelessness, child abuse & neglect, and the number of children entering the child welfare system.
In 2023, we launched Safe Families Plus (SF+) in response to the alarming rise in youth homelessness in Lane County. SF+ serves youth ages 14-24 by providing a gospel-centered network of support of trusted adult mentors and temporary host families designed to prevent youth from experiencing trafficking, substance abuse, incarceration and homelessness. Recruiting these mentors and host families, however, is a challenge.
To address this SF+ is expanding our partnerships with churches to include training of youth pastors, youth workers and Christian educators to become better equipped to recognize mental health concerns, signs of grooming and risk factors for trafficking and instability. They will learn practical techniques to build trust, relate more effectively to youth, and offer meaningful support. In addition, they will have direct access to consultation from CAFA mental health professionals and have a streamlined referral pathway to SF+ services. In turn, they will help connect SF+ to potential host families and Circle of Support volunteers from within their churches, which are key components to expanding and sustaining safe housing options.
Our grant request from Brighter Days is critical to advancing this church-based expansion of SF+, by funding a focused initiative to equip youth pastors, recruit new volunteers and ensure more youth are safely housed and consistently mentored within a gospel-centered support system. This grant will significantly deepen the Church’s role in prevention, restoration, and care, extending the love of Christ to the young people who need it most.
REBOOT Recovery $15,000 Grant Requested
REBOOT Recovery is a trauma healing ministry that provides a small group specialized curriculum for military personnel, first responders, and individuals with unaddressed trauma. It serves individuals in multiple locations across the nation and internationally. REBOOT Recovery’s vision is to become the largest peer-led response to suicide and trauma ever seen through our 12-week, faith-based, and peer-led trauma healing groups. Our courses are not just support groups—they are structured journeys towards healing. The standardized curriculum guides participants through important topics of guilt, shame, betrayal, grief, decision-making, and building a safe support system.
Lane County is currently home to 3 REBOOT locations. Each location is led by a small team of volunteer leaders who are the primary evangelists and disciple makers in their group. Each leader goes through our established Leadership Academy prior to facilitating any courses, which includes outreach, evangelism, group facilitation, and discipleship. Every leader must be actively involved in a local, Bible-believing church. Our leaders utilize components of the 5 Finger Method, the Romans Road, The Four Spiritual Laws, The Bridge to Life, and personal testimony to share the gospel and lead people to Christ. Our discipleship process continues by teaching participants how to spend time with the Lord daily and deepen their lifelong relationship with Him. Besides this, we offer a “Phase 2” course for those who have completed our basic courses called “REBOOT Advance” which focuses on how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the context of trauma healing. In addition to the dedication of our leaders, a noteworthy statistic is that 42% of program graduates express a desire to become volunteers within our movement. Just as the early church reached out to the lost, REBOOT empowers every graduate to share the love of Jesus with others on their journey to healing from mental health challenges.
Our grant request would enable us to expand our reach by adding 3 additional new course locations in Lane County, with a focus on rural, underserved populations. It would provide funding to train 12 new volunteer peer-leaders, trained to serve in their own communities, bringing ~195 additional individuals through the 12 week REBOOT trauma healing course, annually.