I had almost given up on Campus Life as a viable model to reach teens. Although Campus Life pervaded almost every high school in the 70s, it seriously struggled in the late 80s, and by the 90s it went defunct completely. BUT in 2010 we had one club emerge at Coral Park High that was running strong and what set it apart was that it was held on campus. So I decided to give the Campus Life Model one last try ON CAMPUS!

In 2016 God expanded us from Coral Park, reaching roughly 100 students, to 4 schools, reaching over 400. This year, we added two more campuses. The numbers are incredible! 782 students connected with a YFC leader, and a total of 3,482 attended programs or came to an outreach. 3,482 students
connected last year on 6 campuses!

With newfound belief in the Campus Life strategy, I determined to meet with the Superintendent ofMiami-Dade schools. To my absolute surprise and delight, Alberto Carvalho stated he was “very familiar with Youth for Christ and Campus Life.” As a teenager in Lisbon, Portugal, Carvalho was involved in Campus Life activities for three summers. He was very excited that Youth for Christ was active in Miami and he was supportive of our growth.

We are now asking God to provide a way for Campus Life to happen on 10 new campuses this year, with the potential to reach 5,000 new students! We have taken bold steps to more than double our Campus Life team, growing from 2 part-time and 2 full-time staff to 5 full-time staff and 4 part-time staff! I am now convinced that Campus Life is the answer to the problems of the heart that plague our public school campuses.

We need to reach more teenagers like Damon*, who has attended Campus Life for 2 years. He’s heard the Gospel many times, but always said it wasn’t for him. Just a week ago, at YFCamp, Damon sat alone and told God, “If you are real, if this is all real, I need you to show up.” In that instant, Damon said he felt God’s presence, and tears began cascading down his cheeks. He couldn’t stop crying as he was totally overwhelmed by God showing up personally in his life. The God of the Universe showed up for Damon, and we believe He wants to show up and shake up the lives of many more students in Miami.

Each Campus costs $40,000! That’s $400,000 for 10 new schools. We already have 2 champions that have decided to sponsor a new campus. Please stand with us in this vision for Miami’s teens — pray, volunteer, give! Together we can lift his name high so that all of Miami will know that He is Lord.

Spread the Word,
Bonnie Rodriguez
Miami YFC Executive Director

*name changed