We sent out the following letter to our family and friends a few days ago, so most of you have probably seen this already. Isaac and I (and a group of our friends here in Philly) started a non-profit agency with the objective of raising money to enrich the lives of the youth here in Philly. We are sending a group of 15 kids to EFY this summer, and have already raised 10k! We have been blown away by the generosity of all of you!!

Since sending this email out, we have already had all of the scriptures donated, so I am removing that item from the list below. Please feel free to spread the word to your families and friends, and check out the Philly LDS Youth Blog.

Dear Friends and Family,

On behalf of the youth and officers involved with Philadelphia LDS Youth I would like to personally thank those of you who have already shown us your amazing generosity. You have donated over $10,000, completely smashing our expectations! Thanks to your help, we can now expect to send our youth not only to Utah for EFY this summer, but to regional EFY programs in future years. Countless tears of joy have been shed as we've witnessed your love and watched these youth excitedly prepare. You have done a wonderful service to these exceptional youth, offering them this opportunity to expand their faith and meet other youth from around the country. We love and appreciate you.

If you haven't yet taken advantage of the opportunity to donate to our program, there are several additional ways that you can still help. The following is a list of some items that we hope to provide the youth before the big trip. Following this list will be a description of how you can help provide these items.

-Journals/Scripture Marking Supplies
-Scripture Bags/Luggage
-Clothing/Shoes
-Cameras
-Your Choice
-Logistical Help
-Monetary Donations
-Secure Online Donations Now Available on Website

Journals & Scripture Marking Supplies
In order to allow the youth to record their experiences, we are also in need of journals. Also, as the youth become more proficient with their scripture study, it would be great for them to have appropriate supplies for scripture marking. If you would like to donate journals or scripture markers, you could have them shipped directly from Deseret Book's website or ship them yourself. Please contact me with questions via any of the aforementioned methods.

Scripture Bags & Luggage
In order to offer the most convenient solution for our youth to carry their scriptures with them on a daily basis, we hope to provide them with a versatile shoulder bag or back pack. Additionally, this is a first travel experience for most of the youth, so at least one piece of luggage will be required for each youth. If you would like to help in this area, please consider sending a gift card for Target. This can be done from their website or you may send it yourself. This will be a major help in preparing for the trip.

Clothing & Shoes
As youth leaders we constantly struggle to outfit our kids with church-appropriate clothing. Because, many of the members in our ward similarly struggle, dress standards here are somewhat relaxed. With many youth being new members, they have very little clothing that we would typically consider "church clothes." One concern with our plan to send our awesome youth to EFY in Utah is how they will fit in once they arrive. We believe that ensuring they have appropriate church attire will go a long ways in making them feel more comfortable amongst the new friends they will meet at EFY. If you would like to donate towards our efforts of providing clothing and shoes, feel free to send a gift card for one or more of the following stores that can be found here in Philadelphia.
-Target
-Old Navy
-DSW Shoes
-Famous Footwear

Cameras
We think it would be really fun for the youth to have digital cameras to help preserve their memories of friends and fun activities throughout the trip. If you think this is something you would like to help with, consider looking at Amazon, Overstock, or any other outlet of your choice. Again, please contact me with your intentions to ensure that this need hasn't already been filled.

Your Choice
While we might think that we've considered everything, you may have additional ideas for things our youth will need. Please feel free to offer any suggestions or just surprise us by sending anything that you think will help.

Logistical Help
Our group of 15 youth and several leaders will be flying into SLC on Saturday August 2^nd and leaving on Saturday August 16^th. While the youth will first spend a week at EFY, the remaining week will be spent having fun and learning about LDS history and culture. Throughout this time, there will be various opportunities for individuals, families, wards, and other youth groups to be involved. Aside from transportation and lodging, we are interested in identifying fun and creative ways for our youth to interact with all of you. Some ideas may be a combined youth activity/service project, family home evenings, picnics, short hike, overnight camp trip, etc. As we begin to finalize our itinerary, we would love to include as many activities that involve you. If you have a specific way that you can help, or any ideas for joint activities, please contact me and we can begin planning.

Monetary Donations
Philadelphia LDS Youth will continue to accept monetary donations in order to ensure we have enough funds for 2008 travel expenses and to help fund future EFY trips for these youth. In addition, your continued generosity will allow us to expand our program in the future to include many more youth within the Philadelphia area. Please send checks to Philly LDS Youth at address listed below, or see information regarding online donations.

Secure Online Donations Now Available
There is now a link on our website (www.phillyLDSyouth.blogspot.com) for secure donations using your PayPal account or credit card. If you would like to donate with a credit card, you will need to continue without using PayPal, the link is at the bottom left of the screen.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer the youth that we serve. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or ideas. Also, please spread the word to anyone that might be interested in helping or participating in some way.

The kids are so excited for their trip to Utah, and we can't wait to see what impact this will have on their lives!