ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
A native of Southwest Kansas, Chayli Duerson has worked in many different capacities over the years, including as the donor relations director for the Meade-based Christian radio station KJIL.
Duerson has likewise worked as the area coordinator for the Operation Christmas Child holiday shoebox drive, and until recently, she was a member of Liberal’s New Beginnings Church.
Duerson said she simply enjoys helping those in need.
“I love working with non-profits, and I love to see the support of people in this area for those who want to share the love of Jesus,” she said.
Now, Duerson is taking the experience she gained from her time at KJIL to a national level to work as the national director of financial development and donor relations for the faith-based non-profit Teen Reach.
Duerson said Teen Reach serves at-risk teens, primarily those in foster care from age 12 to 15 and does so through Adventure Camps and trauma-informed mentoring programs.
Duerson, who will now be based out of Missouri, said her work will involve working with current and new donors and supporters of the Teen Reach ministry throughout the U.S.
“We’re in 22 states with the goal to be in all 50 states by 2032,” she said. “We are a movement partner with this new movie, ‘Sound of Hope: The Story of Possom Trot.’ It is amazing how people are having the desire to serve the foster population.”
Duerson said she loves showing foster youth how much care they can receive
“There is an amazing video that talks about all of the foster youth who go missing each year from foster care,” she said. “About 100,000 youth go missing from foster care across the United States, and our program allows those teens to have a relationship, especially a mentor, outside the foster care system to help them build their self-esteem and develop skills like team work and build their self-worth and help them get ready for their next stages in life as they go into their late teens and adulthood.”
Duerson said much of the work she does is drawn from the Book of James in the Bible instructing Christians to visit orphans and widows in distress and keep one’s self from being polluted by the world.
“I have the experience in fundraising and working with donors and donor relations, and that’s what I wanted to do,” she said.
Duerson added she is excited to work on a national level with donors from across the country and their specific experiences and reasons they have reaching foster youth.
Duerson said her work in radio gave her a great experience working with people who have a heart for ministry.
“KJIL does reach five different states, working with people with different backgrounds,” she said. “It was a great experience, but it was time for the next thing God was calling me to do. I always say when you work in a ministry, you don’t get to pick how long you go and where you go, but God is leading us to that. What we’re doing is following His leading.”
Also driving Duerson to do what she does is her desire to experience Jesus just as she has.
“No matter what you’ve been through or what you’ve done, He is there for you, loves you and is waiting with open arms for you to accept Him and join Him in the family of God,” she said.
Duerson also recently adopted a child from India. She said though it may seem difficult raising a child and pursuing a career simultaneously, her journey has been somewhat easier.
“What God calls us to, He will always carry us through,” she said. “It’s nice working remotely because I’m able to have a flexible schedule to do the things he needs because he has so many special needs.”
Duerson said the non-profit sector is able to do what no one can, and huge missions such as those Teen Reach provides cannot be accomplished by just a few people.
“It’s a team of people who want to see the world change for the better,” she said. “That’s why we do what we’re do. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing as a non-profit sector, not just what we do, but all the non-profit organizations can come together and create lasting change.”
Since its beginnings in 2001, Teen Reach has reached thousands of youth, and Duerson said the program continues to grow with each passing year.
“Since it started in 2001, we’ve heard the stories of teens whose lives were changed,” she said. “One of the stories that touched my life was a teen who said they knew they were here for a reason, and they were no longer contemplating suicide because they found hope from camp.”
Duerson emphasized the at-risk and vulnerable teens Teen Reach works with are primarily those in foster care.
“We also work with teens who have experienced trafficking or those kinds of traumatic events. We base our camps on TBRI, which is Trust-Based Relatable Interventions,” she said. “It helps them work through and process their story. It helps them to connect with others who’ve been through something similar and to know they’re cared for and valued. There’s so many reasons a child or a teen could come into foster care.”
Duerson’s role in Teen Reach is donor supported, so it takes the generosity of others to make her role possible.
“If someone is interested in supporting me, they can visit www.teenreach.org/donate and then choose Teen Reach Adventure Camps: Chayli Duerson in the drop-down designation, or send a check made out to Teen Reach with my name in the memo to P.O. Box 1589, Sherwood, OR 97140.”
