‘I’m consistently impressed by the kindness of our young men’

Local National League of Young Men members make an impact in the community.

March 15, 2022 3:30 pm
National League of Young Men on Mercer Island members recently volunteered at Mary’s Place in Seattle by cleaning and assembling toiletry care packages. They are, back row, left to right: Cody Fosseen, Matthew Loeser, Graham Givan, Alexander Singh, Jack Sieckhaus, Woody Brown and Douglas Stovall. Front row, left to right: Zachary Geisner, Joe McCormack, Oliver Bellin and Logan Hsu. Photo courtesy of Sharon Singh
National League of Young Men on Mercer Island members recently volunteered at Mary’s Place in Seattle by cleaning and assembling toiletry care packages. They are, back row, left to right: Cody Fosseen, Matthew Loeser, Graham Givan, Alexander Singh, Jack Sieckhaus, Woody Brown and Douglas Stovall. Front row, left to right: Zachary Geisner, Joe McCormack, Oliver Bellin and Logan Hsu. Photo courtesy of Sharon Singh

For the Reporter

Mercer Island members of the National League of Young Men (NLYM) are lending a hand in an immense way locally and beyond.

Last year alone, the Island chapter collectively volunteered almost 3,000 hours in the community at more than 30 different organizations.

Members recently volunteered at Mary’s Place in Seattle by cleaning and assembling toiletry care packages, and they also pitched in at Mercer Island Parks Clean Up at Luther Burbank Park.

“As we hopefully emerge from the pandemic, I am finding gratitude in watching my son and his peers grow into responsible, kind and generous young men and leaders through service to our community,” said Sharon Brown, current president of NLYM, Mercer Island.

Next up, the locals will pair with Bike Works of south Seattle for a donation drive from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 26 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St. People can drop off bikes, parts, racks and accessories for the nonprofit, which promotes “the bicycle as a vehicle for change to empower youth and build resilient communities.” NLYM members will also pick up items for those people who are unable to deliver them to the community center on the event date. For a donation receipt, fill out the form at bikeworks.org/donate/used-bicycle.

NLYM began in 2006 as the Beach City Service League in Southern California and has now grown to a national organization of 16 chapters throughout California, Oregon and Washington. Mercer Island’s chapter of NLYM was established in 2014 and has become a well-respected, involved and committed group that fosters a philanthropic spirit in their young men members within the community.

The local organization is a mother/son partnership and is made up of 120 young men and their mothers. NLYM offers a four-year program promoting the development of young men into community leaders through the four pillars of leadership, service, culture and protocol.

While volunteer activities were initially limited during the pandemic, the young men of NLYM were able to quickly pivot and adapt to new rules in order to support a number of local community service projects, while following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health guidelines. In the last few months, the NLYM Mercer Island chapter has collectively volunteered thousands of hours for a variety of organizations.

The young men rallied during the fall philanthropic events and worked at Food Lifeline. They helped set up and clean up at Seattle Walk for Alzheimer’s and Swim Across America. With the reopening of the Mercer Island Thrift Shop, others have spent many hours sorting donations in support of Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS).

They greeted people with a smile and a squirt of hand sanitizer at the Mercer Island Farmers Market this summer while helping monitor social distancing. They helped people select Christmas trees at the MIYFS tree lot in December. This last year, they collected more than 600 pairs of wool socks to donate to YouthCare, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping homeless youth get off the streets.

Last year, NLYM had seven young presidential volunteer service award recipients, which recognizes incredible individuals who are committed to a high level of volunteer and service. These individuals work tirelessly to help solve some of the toughest challenges facing their communities, and the nation, and commit to more than 100 hours of volunteer work over the course of one year.

In addition to their group and other individual community service projects, the young men have had the opportunity to hear speakers from the business community, civic service, the sports world and many other sectors to develop awareness and understanding of how they can become leaders now and in the future.

“I’m consistently impressed by the kindness of our young men as they find new, creative ways to volunteer and support others in our community,” Brown said.

Added Mindi Pearse, NLYM past president, 2020-21: “I believe this organization provides so many examples and opportunities for Mercer Island moms to work alongside their sons during some extremely formative years in their lives. It gives us a chance to show them how to give back, how to lead and how they can continue to make a difference in our community and the big world around them. My hope is that they will all continue to do that.”

For more information on NLYM, visit https://www.nationalleagueofyoungmen.org/chapter/mercer-island/