A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona, Klaus Axen heads Innovative Senior Living Inc. as its chief executive officer. To give back to the community, Klaus Axen donates to several different local and national organizations, including Youth On Their Own (YOTO). An Arizona-based organization, YOTO works to prevent school dropout among homeless, unaccompanied young people.This past spring, YOTO met with a local nonprofit consulting firm that specializes in organizational development to craft a new strategic plan that will guide its growth for the coming three years. YOTO organized focus groups for students, donors, and volunteers to hear their opinions of the program and learn what could be improved. The results of these discussions are five new main goals for the organization. First, the organization will improve and streamline service delivery so that youth receive the greatest benefit possible. Second, YOTO will provide more meaningful opportunities for volunteers to develop a robust volunteer network. Also, the organization will strengthen relationships with donors and improve communication with all stakeholders. The final goal involves expanding facilities to allow for additional programmatic growth.
A Tucson entrepreneur, Klaus Axen serves as the CEO of Innovative Senior Living. In addition, he owns crowdfunding site Fundreasy.com. Klaus Axen supports a number of charitable organizations including Youth on Their Own.Since 1986, Youth on Their Own has provided a support network to Pima County, Arizona, teens who are homeless. The organization works to equip these teens with the resources they need to graduate from high school. Statistically, Arizona has the fifth-highest occurrence of youth homelessness in the United States. Without help, teens who are homeless are unlikely to graduate from high school and often find themselves living in poverty during adulthood.In an effort to address these concerns, Youth on Their Own provides a number of services to teens who are facing homelessness. In addition to offering a monthly stipend based on school grades, the organization helps provide for basic needs, transportation, and guidance services, such as housing assistance, counseling, health care, and mentoring.Each spring, Youth on Their Own hosts a fundraiser to help fund these services. The organization’s 2017 fundraiser will take the form of a luncheon where teens who have been helped by the organization can share inspiring stories of success in the midst of adversity. The event will take place at the Tucson Marriott University Park on Thursday, March 30.
