Please read Sarah’s response to the application. Please vote yes or no for inclusion to the board as a follow up to this post. If you have additional comments or concerns, please do not use this platform, but rather use email or face to face for those thoughts.

Name: __Sarah Finnell_____
Mailing Address: _555 Fairbanks St., Fairbanks, AK 99709
Email Address: _sarah.finnell@gmail.com
Smartphone: no smart phone, but my cell phone is (907) 378-1938

1. We use email or our board website for most of our business. Will accessibility or
technological ability be a problem for you?
No, not at all. I am very computer savvy.

2. Have you read and can you agree with the Bylaws as written? as well as our Board
Member Responsibilities, Code of Ethics, and Job Descriptions?
Yes.

3. Why are you interested in serving on the board of Fairbanks Youth Advocates?
I would like the opportunity to stay involved in homeless youth advocacy, without working full-time in that particular field. I would also like to be able to use the skills & knowledge I gained while working with homeless youth to hopefully contribute to the well-being of our community’s struggling population.

4. What is your professional experience with leadership and/or your accomplishments in
business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector:
I have very little experience in business, government and philanthropy, but I spent 8 years working with non-profit agencies in Tacoma, Seattle, and Fairbanks. These include Seattle Children’s Theater, Fairbanks Counseling & Adoption, and Interior AIDS Association. The last 3.5 years of that experience were spent coordinating a program that reached out to runaway and homeless youth.

5. Briefly outline your volunteer service for other organizations:
In 2003, while pursuing my Undergraduate degree in Theater, I volunteered for Bridges: A Center For Grieving Children, where I taught theater games to youth ages 4-18 who had experienced the loss of a loved one. In late 2007 & much of 2008, while my program could not afford to pay me, I volunteered up to 10 hours per week doing my Street Outreach job. I also held a volunteer position on the Community Organizing & Social Justice sub-committee of the Board of
Directors for Calypso Farm & Ecology Center. I once volunteered as a field trip docent for Calypso as well.

6. What are some specific skills and strengths that you can bring to the Board?
I think the most important strength I can bring to the Board is my experience in the field.  The training and education I received while running a Federally-funded Street Outreach Program has equipped me with an understanding of Best Practices, trends, and successful interventions in Homeless Youth Advocacy. Through my previous experience, I also gained an intimate knowledge of the perspective of homeless & runaway youth in Fairbanks. I was welcomed into a complex sub-culture of our community and would be able to share that knowledge when planning ways to engage with the target population.  In addition, I believe I am in a position that would benefit Fairbanks Youth Advocates. As a teacher, I have free time during the summer months to volunteer my time. I am also in touch with a large community of artists and activists and can use those connections to benefit FYA. I am young, energetic and comfortable with the new digital tools that can be used towards community building & advocacy. I am creative and have a positive attitude and I would love the opportunity to serve on your board and continue to be a part of the cause towards helping our community’s most vulnerable youth.