Some of the activities that take place regularly in our region include:
· St. Louis YAs visit teenagers at a Juvenile Detention Center. The YAs meet the teens and discuss various topics with them.
· In Lexington, YAs are visiting shelters for troubled youth and offering advice, support and guidance to the young people staying there.
· Memphis YAs have taken a big part in developing and running the center's Sai Spiritual Education program.
· In Kansas City, YAs created a clothing drive that aims to collect 760 pounds of clothing for those in need in celebration of Swami's 76th Birthday.
· In Louisville, the YAs have initiated three main projects: horse riding for disabled children, an earthquake relief project and a computer-training program. Others around the region are also interested in developing a computer program.
· Furthermore, YAs throughout the region are participating at the center level with soup kitchen and nursing home projects. The goal of these service activities is not to simply hand out food but to take an interest in the individuals that we are serving. Sometimes managers and clinicians, assigned to take care of so many people, cannot meet all the variety of needs of people at shelters and nursing homes. We can help by giving more one-on-one attention. For example, we were able to find a few homeless men jobs simply by taking the time to talk to them about what their skills were before coming to the shelter.

Our region has weathered some "passing clouds," as Swami would say, with the passing of our beloved Mid-Central Region President Kathy Feely. She was always a great supporter of the young adults and inspired us more than she could ever know. We aim to take that inspiration and funnel it into developing and expanding active Young Adult programs throughout the region. We are embarking on a plan to establish leaders in each group and then form a solid communication plan to help us keep up with each other. It is a useful way to share successes and seek advice for stumbling blocks. We see our region in an era of rebirth and are putting all of our efforts in becoming Swami's shining instruments.