"Thank
you for the awesome weekend my son had up the Boulder
Creek initiation. I thought the first program he attended
was amazing, but this one really put a lot of struggles
behind him (and need to). You've all proving once again
that actually does take a village. I and many other parents
are very grateful that you are there for these young men
and us. Thank you!"
- JG, parent of YMUW graduate
"Everything
I do revolves around the values that I gained from the
YMUW. Now it is a way of life for me. It has given me
a purpose. Today my life is about what I can do for others.
Since my Weekend, I have helped produce six Young Men's
Ultimate Weekends. I also mentor young men on a daily
basis. I am making sure that we, as a society, don't forget
about young men."
- Nick B., YMUW graduate
The mission of Young Men's Ultimate Weekend is to mentor
young men to live life with integrity, to give and get respect,
to master their energy, and to interact with their family
and community by modeling honorable, confident behaviors
so that they can become responsible and moral adults.
History
The Young Men's Ultimate Weekend was founded by Dr. Mark
Schillinger in 2000. Mark was inspired by Brad Leslie
who started a weekend mentoring program for young men
in Vancouver, Canada in 1990. Mark took his son to this
program and when he returned he knew he needed help raising
his son as a single-parent. He put out a call for help
in the Bay Area and with the commitment and cooperation
of dozens of caring mothers, fathers, and mentors, the
YMUW 501(c)3 Public Benefit Corporation was established.
At our first Young Men's Ultimate Weekend in Fairfax California,
over 200 young men showed up to receive their initiation.
Expecting possibly a few dozen young men, that experience
turned out to be an initiation for the board members and
their volunteer mentors as well! Since that event, YMUW
initiations have been held in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento,
Sonoma, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.
In
addition to our own programs, YMUW has made notable contributions
to other organizations as well. In 2002-2003, under the
guidance of Steven Smulewitz, Jim March and Mitch DeArmon,
our volunteers built a log cabin home on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation in South Dakota for Grandpa Chipps, a
descendant of the medicine man for Chief Crazy Horse. In
2003 Corey McKinley, lead our volunteers in a restoration
project at the shelter of the Marin Abused Women's Services.
Later that year, Alan Hill organized volunteers and traveled
to the California Youth Authority in Stockton California,
presenting an unforgettable mentoring program for incarcerated
young men. In 2004, we hosted Operation Elf, which collected
and delivered holiday presents to families in need.
In May, 2006 we had our most profitable fundraiser at the
Marin Civic Center through the efforts of Steve Fox and
his staff. This windfall allowed us to hire the public relations
firm, Kathleen Russell Consulting. In October, with the
collaboration of Dr. Schillinger and Richard Platt, LMFT,
we began our weekly mentoring program for young men. To
realize our goal of spreading YMUW throughout the country,
we added our first affiliate, YMUW of South Bay in November,
2006!
Board Members
The board members of the South Bay and North Bay meet regularly
to oversee the quality control of its programs and make
policies regarding fundraising efforts, volunteer recruitment,
legal issues, and strategic planning.
Women
and men of all racial, ethnic and social classes are welcome
to serve on our Board of Directors. We ask that all prospective
Board members be willing to make a commitment to provide
leadership within our committees and contribute to an environment
of mutual trust and respect to achieve our Mission.
North Bay Board Members
Dave Bohegian - Secretary of YMUW North Bay
Co-owner and founder of Martorana Bohegian & Company,
a commercial real estate consulting firm. Extensive involvement
in Marin youth sports including coaching Girls Soccer, Boys
Soccer, Little League Baseball, and assistant coach for
Tamalpais High School Tennis (Girls and Boys). Past member,
San Rafael School District Facilities Advisory Committee.
Richard Platt, Member of YMUW North Bay
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Professional
Coach.For
12 years he has been helping families deal with the toughest
challenges of raising young men. He co-founded Teen Solutions
with his wife, Lorraine Platt, LMFT.
Dr. Mark Schillinger, President and Co-founder of YMUW
North Bay
Original board member of the non-profit, Performing Stars
of Marin, creator of the Give Thanks Dance Party (benefit
for the Marin Community Food Bank) and founder of the YMUW.
Mark has 2 grown children and has been a chiropractic physician
for 22 years in San Rafael, Ca
Greg
Schweider, Treasurer of YMUW North Bay
Volunteers as Treasurer at Resolve of Northern California
and participated in the YMCA Mentor Program. Greg is married
and is a consultant and CPA of 13 years, and was CFO of
two successful hedge funds.
Steven
Smulewitz, Cofounder of YMUW North Bay
Involved with men’s teams, mentoring young men and
volunteering at various community service projects since
1999. Steve is married with a daughter and is an insurance
inspector.
South
Bay Board Members
Greg
Benton, Secretary and cofounder of YMUW of the South Bay
Involved with men's teams, mentoring young men and volunteering
at various community service projects since 1992. Greg
is married with an adult daughter and is a licensed architect
practicing in the Bay Area since 1983.
Bill
Dameron, President and cofounder of YMUW of the South
Bay
Volunteer for Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project and
Men's Divisions International. Bill is married with a
daughter and is a Senior Process Development Associate
with the Genitope Corporation, a Biotech firm dedicated
to producing innovative therapies for cancers of the immune
system.
Brian
Hunter, cofounder of YMUW of the South Bay
Volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Santa Clara County
Juvenile Probation Restorative Justice Program, Parental/Teen
Stress Hotline and City of Palo Alto - Family Resources
- Mental Health Counseling. Brian is married with two
stepchildren. Brian has 2 degrees: BA in Industrial Organizational
Psychology and a MA in Marriage and Family Counseling.
Dan
Perez, Member of YMUW of the South Bay
Husband and father of 2-girls/2-boys. Involved with men's
teams since 1999 and stays very involved in community
service work. He has been a youth soccer league coach
since 1997 and is the current president of the local league.
He is also a high school soccer coach and booster club
member and a previous Santa Clara County Boy's Ranch volunteer.
Dan has been contributing his time, experience and heart
to YMUW of the South Bay since it's beginning in 2003.
Bo
Janowski, Member of YMUW of the South Bay
Current co-coordinator for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s
Search and Rescue Team, and past Board Chair for Santa
Cruz County American Red Cross. Independent consultant
specializing in corporate finance and business management.
Triathlete with Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team
In Training Iron team, training for Ironman Coeur d’Alene.
Media
Our services and events have been featured throughout the
media. Each piece has practical information, inspiring stories
or inviting images about our experiences with young men
and their families.
Video Enjoy the 5 minute video clip of the Weekend produced
by our volunteer, Navyo Ericson, with original music by
our volunteer, Steve Fox.
Newsletter
Periodically we send out newsletters and announcments, giving
you more information about upcoming events and services.
Any information obtained in the process is secure.
Contact Us
YMUW stands ready to serve the needs of young men, their
families and our communities. You can contact us in a number
of ways. Feel free to call us using our toll free number,
send us mail through the post, or send an email to one of
our office.
YMUW
- NORTH BAY
1050 Northgate Drive, Suite 1 - Patio Level
San Rafael, CA 94903
YMUW
- SOUTH BAY
14275 Branham Lane
San Jose, CA 95124
