Recycling event brings in the green for Simon Youth Foundation

You've heard it before. One man's junk is another man's treasure. Or is it one man's trash? Either way, that old proverb sums up very well a recent Simon Youth Foundation fundraiser that was sponsored by Northlake Mall, a Simon Property Group mall in Atlanta, GA.

The mall with its partner, Northlake Community Alliance, hosted an Electronics Recycling Day on Saturday, March 20. Hundreds of area residents brought in old TVs, computers and other gadgets from days gone by. The Electronics Recycling Service took the items to dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. In all, some 32,000 pounds of electronics were collected and kept out of landfills.

As patrons dropped of their items for recycling, they also were asked to make a donation to benefit charitable organizations. More than $300 was collected to benefit Simon Youth Academies and Simon Youth Scholarships. A portion of the proceeds also benefited event sponsor Northlake Community Alliance.

Event photos courtesy of Northlake Mall

Simon Property Group regional event sinks big donation for SYF

If the best score in golf is a hole in one, Simon Youth Foundation scored the fundraising equivalent at a recent annual meeting for Simon Property Group's Florida Region.

SYF's administrators were presented with a check for $131,000 dollars during a mini golf and Hawaiian luau themed event that was hosted as part of the two-day meeting.

Florida Region staff worked with more than 60 sponsor companies to raise the funds, collecting donations ranging from $200 all the way up to $10,000. Enjoy some fun event photos in the slideshow below!

Simon malls hop to support SYF dropout-prevention mission

Spring is here and Easter is upon us. The season is a great metaphor for Simon Youth Foundation. Just as the season promises new beginnings, our 25 Simon Youth Academies offer hope for the future to hundreds of high school students at risk of dropping out of school by giving them a fresh start in the classroom. Similarly, our Simon Youth Scholarships over the last 11 years have helped nearly 3,000 students from 42 states begin college careers, many of them becoming the first person in their family to attend a university.

SYF can only extend these second-chance educational opportunities through the financial support of its amazing donor network, including our partners at Simon malls throughout the country and their generous patrons. Simon malls and their shoppers donated more than $1.7 million to benefit SYF schools and scholarships in 2010 alone.

On Saturday, April 2, 2011, the Northshore Mall in Peabody, MA, hosted a breakfast with the Easter Bunny for members of its kids club network. Around 200 parents and kids attended the event, and families donated five dollars to SYF to participate. SYF sponsors the Simon Youth Peabody Learning Academy at Northshore Mall, so the community's support of SYF is really an investment in its own future. You can read more about the event and see more photos like the one above, which is courtesy of Tara Vocino, by visiting the community's Peabody Patch website.