National Nonprofit Day Spotlight: Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Services

August 17 is National Nonprofit Day, an opportunity to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the positive impact of nonprofits.

Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Services is an alumni-operated nonprofit based in Savannah, Georgia that serves runaway, homeless and at-risk youth aged 11 to 21. Since 1984, it has improved the lives of more than 6,500 young people. We spoke with Julie Wade (AB ’97, JD ’00), a dedicated alumna and executive director of Park Place Outreach, to learn how her nonprofit is making a difference.

What is Park Place Outreach’s mission?

Park Place Outreach is committed to leading and serving. The nonprofit strives to provide services to at-risk youth and their families, increase their functional level and reunify families whenever possible.

What resources does Park Place Outreach offer?

Park Place Outreach is proud to provide programs and services to at-risk youth and their families in the Savannah area. Since Wade’s appointment as executive director of Park place Outreach, she has initiated programs that raise awareness for homeless youth and advocate for safe, affordable housing.

“These are good kids in bad situations with no place to call home. With our help, we can change their legacy,” said Julie.

Park Place Outreach offers four main programs which include:

• The Transitional Living Program (also designated as a Child Caring Institution by the state) provides temporary shelter to run away and homeless youth, victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking, and other youth in crisis.
• The Street Outreach Program works to prevent the exploitation of youth living on the streets or in unsafe living conditions. The program’s mobile unit engages with homeless youth or those who are at-risk for homelessness or human trafficking to deliver care packages containing food and hygiene materials, as well information on safety and local resources.
• Family Preservation for Teens works with teens and their families to receive case management services, support services and placement prevention services to help teens remain safely in their homes to sustain and maintain family stability.
• Rapid Re-Housing Services mitigate homelessness by helping families and individuals find and stay in housing.

How has Park Place Outreach grown over the years?

Park Place Outreach made the 2021 Bulldog 100, a list of the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. Julie Wade and her team at Park Place Outreach are curious and innovative, tenaciously searching for better answers and more impactful solutions.

Park Place Outreach expanded into a new facility with increased living and working spaces for their programs. The newly remodeled youth emergency shelter allows team members to provide a safe environment for vulnerable youth in the Savannah community. The nonprofit has also grown environmentally conscious, having recently received a LEEDs Green Building certification.

What led Julie Wade to Park Place Outreach?

Julie Wade demonstrates the value of a degree from the birthplace of higher education. After graduating from the UGA School of Law, Julie clerked for a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, practiced law at various firms and served on the Board of Education for Savannah/Chatham Public Schools. Julie joined Park Place Outreach in 2017, applying her legal background to child advocacy.

Julie has been honored by the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 for leading the pack in the nonprofit industry. She is dedicated to creating better communities around the world and empowering the next breed of Bulldogs to continue that tradition.

“Together we can make this a better world. Park Place Outreach is in the business of changing lives, giving hope and improving odds by ensuring that youth have access to safety, guidance and caring adults.”

How can Bulldogs support Park Place Outreach?

Park Place Outreach relies on charitable donations to provide programs and ensure a safer tomorrow. Julie and her team invite you to join them on their mission to protect those most at-risk in our communities, the children.