A crucial message is emblazoned on the Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Foundation website: “Together, we support Islanders every step of the way.”

More than 500 attendees did just that at the 23rd annual fundraising breakfast on Feb. 12 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. At press time, the foundation had raised about $416,000 of its goal of $450,000 to support YFS’s critical programs that support Islanders’ well-being.

MIYFS Foundation Executive Director Amy French said the insightful event featured speakers from the foundation and YFS department along with residents who shared their thoughts about how YFS has impacted them. French added that the program also included videos that highlighted YFS’s Northwood Elementary School mental health counselors and the new Hopelink Mobile Market partnership that provides food to more than 100 people twice monthly.

Islander Carin Mack — a retired social worker and senior specialist — took the spotlight when she was named the 2025 Philanthropy Award winner for helping YFS grow and enrich its program offerings for Island seniors, according to YFS Administrator Derek Franklin in his introduction speech.

French is impressed with the time, energy and funds that Islanders put into their support of the MIYFS Foundation.

When the doors to the morning event swung open, people had time to connect and were engrossed in the program, French said.

“I felt it was really great to see a lot of familiar faces,” she said. “I wrote an ode to Mercer Island that I presented at the event. That was fun because I incorporated some of the people that I’ve gotten to know and the places I visited on the Island and kind of the community giving spirit that I’ve come to really appreciate on the Island.”

The event featured 54 table captains who played a vital role in helping fill the gym, copious local businesses were sponsors or provided in-kind gifts and nine Starbucks stores donated and served fresh coffee.

For more information about donating, visit: https://miyfs.org/get-involved/donate/

Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) Foundation board and staff along with YFS Administrator Derek Franklin. Photo courtesy of Steve Sogge