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T-Project donates movie passes, McDonald’s gift cards to DYS emergency shelter
T-Project CNMI and Dep. of Community and Cultural Affairs representatives share a photo together after T-Project donated movie passes and McDonald’s gift certificates to the children within the DCCA- Division of Youth Services’ emergency shelter. Included in this photo are DCCA secretary Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, DYS director Vivian Sablan, and T-Project founder Tyra Sablan. (Contributed Photo)
Non-profit organization T-Project CNMI recently donated 12 movie passes and 12 McDonald’s gift cards to the children temporarily staying at the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ Division of Youth Services’ emergency shelter.
DYS director Vivian Sablan said in an email last week that T-Project donated the passes and gift certificates on Jan. 19, thanks to the ongoing partnership between T-Project and DYS. Sablan said that T-Project “has worked alongside DYS in numerous community outreach events and is now working on furthering its partnership.”
Currently, T-Project and DYS personnel are working together to assess DYS program forms and identify staff training to be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community in the implementation and delivery of DYS’ programs and services, said Sablan.
“We look forward to a continued partnership in providing equal opportunities to our children and families served,” she added.
When reached for comments yesterday, T-Project founder Tyra Sablan spoke of the importance for programs to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ youth, saying that T-Project’s partnership with DYS “only makes sense.”
“LGBTQ+ youth show a higher risk of being maltreated, abused, etc. due to family rejection [and] bullying, and are [at a] higher risk of suicide, substance abuse, [and] high levels of depression. Our partnership with DCCA DYS for the sake of those youths and all youth in general only makes sense. …We are grateful to have leadership in the agency that is open, loving, and inclusive, and we look forward to the future of our collaboration,” said Tyra Sablan.
