Bright orange volunteer t-shirts flooded the FEDEX Forum Sunday, February 10, kicking off the Youth Villages 19th Annual Soup Sunday. Volunteer shifts starting as early as 7AM helped coordinate and jumpstart this massive event that raised a record $75,000 for the non-profit group. More than three dozen of the best restaurants in the Memphis/Mid-South area set up over 60 booths and served up all-you-can-eat steaming hot soups, specialty breads, mouth-watering desserts and other delicacies to over 2,500 hungry people who lined up early and stayed late. Live entertainment was provided by the Memphis Doctors Dance Band and a special children’s area was set up for playing, entertaining and, of course, the much anticipated Oreo-stacking contest. 

Cornerstone Systems, a proud sponsor of Youth Villages, once again rallied to the call for volunteers. Leann Sowell (Cornerstone) and husband Brad, along with Dawn Clark (Cornerstone) and husband David were food servers at the Dixie Café booth. They worked the afternoon shift serving and replenishing soups. Mary Beth Marino (Cornerstone) worked the afternoon shift serving sodas from a fountain area in the Forum. Sheryl Barton pulled the morning shift and worked as a floater…running soup and helping out as needed. Frances Stuckey (Cornerstone) worked both morning and afternoon shifts setting up vendor tables, coordinating decorations and helping the band (The Memphis Doctors Dance Band) with their stage set up. “I was having such a good time volunteering”, stated Frances, “that I stayed longer than my scheduled shift.”

Youth Villages’ commitment to helping troubled children and their families spans over 20 years and includes a comprehensive array of programs and services: home-based counseling, residential treatment, treatment foster care, adoption services, community-based services, transitional living services, family-based care for children with developmental disabilities, specialized crisis services and intensive residential treatment. Nearly 1,300 counselors, teachers and skilled support staff provide Youth Villages’ services in 44 locations throughout seven states and the District of Columbia. Youth Villages is a non-profit organization, a member of the Child Welfare League and a member agency of the United Way of the Mid-South.

www.youthvillages.org

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