For over 20 years the Winnetka Youth Organization has been taking groups of local teens on annual week long summer volunteer trips all over the United States and this year the WYO has announced that it will be traveling to Duluth, MN to work on a sustainable building projects with Habitat for Humanity. In addition, teens will have the opportunity to tour an ambitious green building project in Chicago and speak with a LEAD certified architect before embarking on the trip.

New this year will be a scholarship awarded to a student who has demonstrated a commitment to academics and community service. The scholarship will cover all of their expenses for the trip as well as qualify them for the WYO’s annual Coleman Social Service Award scholarship given out each spring to a teen to ease college costs.

The WYO is now spreading the word about this volunteer opportunity to area teens, parents, teachers, and businesses. “Traditionally the group that attends the social service trip has been our regular teens, but this year we would like to advertise it to the wider community and get some new high schoolers and sponsors involved,” said Joanna Swift, the WYO’s Program Director, “It is really an amazing experience.”

The trip itself will take place from July 26th – 31st and the WYO will be hosting an interest meeting on Thursday, May 28th at 7pm at the YO. For directions to the YO visit www.winnetkayo.org/contact.html, or call 847.446.0443 for more information on sponsorship, donating, or volunteer opportunities to support this amazing program. Teachers are encouraged to nominate students for the scholarship by contacting Joanna Swift at programs.wyo@gmail.com