Fireworks with a purpose: Local youth group raising funds to keep kids drug-free

IDAHO FALLS — A local youth group is in the midst of its annual fundraiser of selling fireworks, with the goal of funding parts of its programs.

Community Youth in Action, founded in 2018, has evolved from its initial goal of keeping local youth drug-free to include the LIV Teen Center and a Safety, Prevention, and Resource Center. These services are free to the public.

According to CYA’s website, the Liv Teen Center, named after Olivia “Liv” Johnson who passed away from an vehicle crash, gives teens a space to hangout after school, meals, tutoring and other enrichment classes. SPARC aims to help youths from ending up to in the juvenile justice system and child welfare system.

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This will be the 8th year in which CYA has been selling fireworks.

Program Director Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, told EastIdahoNews.com that the funds raised stay within the community and help CYA and its other programs, which in turn benefit local youths.

While CYA and its other programs get grant funding to keep the lights on, there are other components that they use the money from the fireworks stand to fund.

“For example, food for when we feed kids, or when we take teenagers on a trip,” Erickson said. “A lot of businesses give us discounts, but that stuff is what gets covered by these fundraisers that we do.”

Apart from selling fireworks, Erickson said the stands also serve to help some youths become leaders through its Summer Leadership Series program.

He said some of the funds go to those within the program to fund trips that CYA does during the summer, which take these teens to places like Six Flags or more educational locations, such as museums or aquariums.

“Some of those kids have never done that in their lives,” Erickson said.

For those teens participating in the program, he said they learn about salesmanship, communicate with community members, and understand how to run a business. Erickson said these things help them later in life, as they are skills that can be listed on resumes or job applications.

“That’s the beauty of coming to our stands, and the money stays with our local community and teenagers,” Erickson said. “We push them to use their leadership skills to benefit our community in general.”

Those interested in buying fireworks from CYA can find their stands at the following locations. Each of the stands is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

• Walmart, 500 South Utah Avenue in Idaho Falls.

• Broulims, 2730 East Sunnyside Road in Ammon.

• Albertsons, 1901 South 25th East in Ammon

• Broulims, 570 South State Street in Shelley.

On the Fourth of July, Erickson said most stands will close by 4 p.m. The stand on Utah Avenue will stay open until midnight. On July 5, the stands will be open, but they will close in the afternoon.

To learn more about CYA or it’s firework stands, visit it’s Facebook page.