Robb Sloan Anderson and Ron Anderson
Making it their mission to get the word out about David’s Place.
“Everyone knows about Daybreak, but many people still don’t know about David’s Place, but they will,” says David’s Place founding donor and Daybreak’s newest board member, Robb Sloan Anderson. David’s Place founding donors Robb and Ron Anderson are doing just that—spreading the word about Daybreak’s newest program, David’s Place and spreading awareness about homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
“David’s Place hits near to my heart because when I was a young adult, I was homeless because my parents threw me out of the house for being gay,” says Robb, “So what David’s Place does everyday hits home for me.”
“The gay community needs to hear about the challenges homeless LGBTQ+ youth face because we can so closely identify with the youth. The gay community is like an extended family. When we all met at Salar two years ago for the fundraiser to launch the program, the gay community really came together.”
Now Robb and Ron both serve as table captains at Daybreak’s annual fundraiser, Champions For Youth. “Champions For Youth helps get the word out about Daybreak and David’s Place. The people who attend may know someone who needs help, or maybe they get involved as donors. It’s important for those who attend to hear the stories of the youth because sometimes they may have personal experience with homelessness and you just don’t know it yet,” says Robb.
“The more people hear about Daybreak and David’s Place, the more they want to help. When people are asked to help they say ‘yes!’,” says Ron.
Daybreak is lucky to be within a community that is home to so many people that want to help homeless youth, and particularly homeless LGBTQ+ youth. “We’re so blessed in this community to have David’s Place. As a community, Dayton is very open and encouraging of the services David’s Place provides. Unfortunately, a lot of communities don’t have what Dayton has.”
This summer Robb became a member of the Daybreak Board of Trustees. For Robb, his motivation to join the board ultimately was to help change the lives of homeless youth, “For someone who was homeless and kicked out by my parents, I want to make a positive difference for someone who may also be experiencing that. I have a lot of experience fundraising, so I’m hoping I can help with that. If I can make a difference in one youth’s life that would be everything to me.”