By James Feichtner

The children are our future, but sometimes they may need a little help from the community to prosper. Fishers Youth Assistance program is one of the organizations that is aiming to do just that. When some students or kids start to struggle either in school or life, FYAP steps in to impact those “youth” needing “assistance.

“What a lot of it is, is students or kids that are on the path of getting into trouble; might be going towards a life in juvenile detention,” FYAP Board Member Derek Todd said. “They’re picked out by their school staff or by probation officers and kind of suggested to check out Fishers Youth Assistance Program.”

The FYAP takes various directions in helping kids in the community. Recently, FYAP held a putt-putt golf tournament fundraiser at Ben and Ari’s. Other endeavors include scholarships, resources and funds to provide kids trips to camps.

“We might get a scholarship donation or someone might pay to have a student  attend a camp,” Todd said. “If it’s a situation of domestic violence or the family is having money issues and the kids’ educations are suffering because of that it will be directed towards resources that can help them get the food and the clothing or the financial help they need.”

While much of Hamilton County already has YAP’s, Fishers is younger than others at only 18 months. Because of this, the nonproft FYAP is still being developed and in need of more support.

“In Westfield, and I think in Noblesville, the program I believe is subsidized by the cities,” Todd said. “They help promote it and they help raise money for it and I think potentially pay for some of the staff on varying levels. Fishers doesn’t do that so that’s just been one of our issues we’re trying to get over is to get some extra money to provide tutoring and mentoring.”

To learn more or help support FYAP, visit http://youthassistance.org/fishers/