Young Life Transylvania County has been serving the county’s middle and high school students for more than 17 years, building relationships with adolescents through consistent, in-person presence at every middle and high school in the county. The organization operates three distinct programs: Young Life and WyldLife, which serve high school and middle school students respectively, and YoungLives, which supports parenting teens — including young mothers and, increasingly, adolescent fathers. Together, four staff members and 26 volunteers — the largest volunteer leadership team in the organization’s history — know nearly 1,000 Transylvania County middle and high school students by name.
The organization’s model is built on relationship rather than programming alone. Staff and volunteers show up consistently in students’ lives, with weekly and bimonthly club gatherings, small group meetings, and camp experiences providing structured opportunities for connection and mentorship. Prior grant support contributed to a 35% increase in high school club attendance, a 50% increase in small group participation across both Young Life and WyldLife, and more than 30% growth in both volunteer leadership and area donors.
Lake Toxaway Charities is proud to support Young Life’s YoungLives program — which serves young mothers and is expanding efforts to reach adolescent fathers — along with leadership training and development for the organization’s growing volunteer base and continued staffing for its area administrator role.
Young Life collaborates with Transylvania County Schools, local churches, SAFE, El Centro, Sharing House, the Health Department, and the Sheriff’s Department to connect students and families with community resources across the county.
