Community Feature
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
New Wave Components
At NWC, we are committed to our community. We care with our actions, we serve with our time and we give with our resources. Operating with the belief that company success and social responsibility go hand in hand, we have committed our time and 10% of our annual profit to efforts that give back to our local and international communities. Each quarter we highlight a charity or organization that is important to our company in our Commitment to Community Feature. To see archived features click here.
NWC Commitment to Community Feature: Young Life
NWC is excited to support Young Life as our current Commitment to Community feature. Young Life is a nationally based non-profit 501c3 that focuses on building meaningful relationships with high school students so that they develop, thrive and grow. Young Life is a non-denominational Christian organization found in high-schools and communities
across the country and internationally. Teenagers live in a world full of mixed messages, tough choices and a culture crowded with media messages and peer pressure. Young Life carries the message that everyone is welcome to live the life they were created for. By welcoming everyone to participate – athletes, musicians, academics, dancers, book-worms, science gurus, mechanics, kids who are not involved with anything and kids who are involved with everything – Young Life breaks down barriers and gives kids a shared experience to connect on. To reach a world of kids, Young Life enlists volunteer adult leaders who go into local communities to build relationships with young people through a variety of activities. In addition, Young Life relies on a strong group of parents and adults in the communities where Young Life exists who care deeply about kids and understand the role of Young Life in helping kids thrive.
Learn more about Young Life in our Commitment to Community section or by visiting younglife.org
NWC supports Young Life because it is an organization that reaches out to teenagers and meets them where they are with support and guidance as these teens navigate the transitions that take place in high school. Key to the work of Young Life are the volunteer adult leaders who can be found going to games, meeting up with teens for lunch and 
movies, volunteering in schools and just hanging out with teenagers. In addition to building personal relationships and earning the right to be heard, leaders reach out to high school students to get them involved with “Club,” a regular gathering throughout the year known as an “organized party.” At Club, kids play games, do activities, watch leaders perform skits and hear a brief message from one of the leaders that reflects something they have learned on their faith journey. In addition to Club, Young Life takes kids to Camp twice a year, once in the fall for a weekend and once in the summer for a full week, at one of Young Life’s world class camping locations found all over the United States and Canada. By being involved in young people’s lives, Young Life leaders have the opportunity to share the gospel message that God loves us all, and is offering grace, mercy and forgiveness in a world of messy situations and difficult choices.
Young Life was founded in 1941 by Jim Rayburn of Gainesville, TX. Today, Young Life works with teens in more than 800 communities across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Recognizing that today’s youth are tomorrows innovators and workers, NWC has supported Young Life financially on a Regional level for the past six years.
We Serve
Currently there are opportunities to serve in local Young Life areas around the country. As a leaders and committee members, volunteers are the backbone of the organization.
Leaders are the people who go out to do direct contact work with high-school students, while committee members serve as the driving force for vision and strategic planning, including leader care and fund development. Visit www.younglife.org for more information about Young Life nationally and internationally.
Headquartered in Eden Prairie, NWC is excited to see Young Life back in Area MN93. Young Life existed in Eden Prairie from 1995 to 2004; during that time, NWC employees Josh Dirlam and Brian Sparby were regular Young Life club kids. Between 2005 and 2006 Dirlam served as a leader with Edina Young Life in Minnesota. With support from individuals and businesses in the area, including New Wave Components, Young Life reestablished itself in Eden Prairie, Minnesota during the 2010-2011 school year. The area continues to build and grow a strong Young Life presence and is excited to be back! Learn more at edenprairie.younglife.org.
