When kids come to us, they’ve already experienced some pretty tough conditions- like poverty, poor nutrition, high-crime environments, and low education standards.
But because of your kindness, more children will get what they need to thrive: fresh-prepared meals, caring academic support, comfortable spaces to play, and loving guidance from adults who truly care about their future. Your compassion can make life-changing opportunities happen for these young people!
The Sun Valley Youth Center empowers my family and helps us find success by providing a positive learning experience in and outside of the center. Whether it’s donating food or free tickets to a special event, the SVYC always seems to have resources to help. The SVYC is a positive experience for kids from low income environments.
~Lakiesha McCoy, parent
The Sun Valley Youth Center empowers me for success by giving me confidence in myself from the love and support. My favorite thing about The Sun Valley Youth Center is the respect and care for everyone no matter their religion or color.
~Najah Almafrachi, SYVC staff and parent
The Sun Valley Youth Center has helped me find success in many ways. From making sure we would do our homework after school to showing us the importance of education. The SYVC has been there for me mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. Their doors are always open.
~Nohely, past center youth
Empowering youth, family, and community to reach their God Given Potential.
Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood, encompassing .649 square miles, is nestled immediately south of Empower Field and sits between Federal, 8 th Avenue and the Platte River. For decades, it has been home to immigrants and refugees from around the world, cultivating a rich and vibrant culture. However, it’s also long been known for having high rates of crime and poverty as well as low academic outcomes.
In 1999, Residents and stakeholders completed a community-wide needs assessment to help determine the root causes of these outcomes, as well as options to help counteract them. Assessment results clearly delineated the need for affordable child and youth development programming. The Sun Valley Youth Center (SVYC) launched to help meet this need.
In early 2024, SVYC again modified the license to a Neighborhood Youth Organization in order to serve a greater number of students. We provide no-to-low cost comprehernsive out-of-school-time programs for youth- ages 5-18. SVYC’s primary programs are the After School program, which runs Monday – Friday from 3-7pm and the Summer Program, which is offered Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 6pm.
When SVYC opened in 1999, all high school-aged students in the neighborhood had already dropped out of school. SVYC began tracking its participants’ graduation rates in 2018. Since then, 100% of our students that remain connected to weekly programming graduated from high school, as documented by SVYC’s attendance and graduation records, with many going on to college.
Organization name
Sun Valley Youth Center
other names
SVYC
1998
Tax id (EIN)
84-1471356
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Large Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Child Care Credit
Address
2728 W. Holden PlaceDenver County, CO, US
Phone
720-436-0886
Main Number
303-573-7180
