Members of the Young Men's Service League (YMSL) DougCo Chapter spent two weekends in September tackling long overdue projects for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver through the chapter's Ultimate Gift, an annual signature service initiative that lets YMSL chapters go beyond their regular volunteer commitments.
This year's Ultimate Gift focused on supporting people facing housing and food insecurity. 168 members, high-school-aged young men and their mothers, spent over 350 hours completing wish-list items for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. Members also collected over 470 pounds of food for Help & Hope Center and decorated bags for Project Angel Heart.
"2026 is the 25th anniversary of the YMSL Ultimate Gift and our chapter wanted to make an extraordinary impact through our service and member participation for our Ultimate Gift project this year," said Jaime Babcock, DougCo's Ultimate Gift Chair. "Our members were eager to roll up their sleeves and make a visible impact for Habitat and their community."
What volunteers did at Habitat for Humanity
At Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, YMSL volunteers worked on the landscaping and parking lot areas outside the organization's Denver ReStore: weeding, picking up trash, adding landscape rock, painting over graffiti on the parking barriers, and cleaning up and painting the loading dock area.
Photo: YMSL DougCo Chapter
"We were honored to be selected as the recipient of YMSL's Ultimate Gift project. Their partnership and support allowed us to transform the outside of our Denver ReStore, a project that we had been wanting to tackle for a long time. Our team loved working with their volunteers and complemented their hard work and positive attitudes. And the new and improved look has already garnered many compliments from customers and staff," said Abby Krstulic, Volunteer Manager for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. "We are hosting a Large ReStore Symposium for ReStores across the US later this year and can't wait to show off the amazing work the YMSL volunteers accomplished."
Food drive for Help & Hope Center
Alongside the Habitat for Humanity work, members collected over 470 pounds of food donations for Help & Hope Center and decorated bags for Project Angel Heart. All three organizations play a role in providing housing, meals and nourishment to people in need.
Photo: YMSL DougCo Chapter
YMSL members regularly volunteer with all three organizations, plus 19 more. The annual Ultimate Gift lets the chapter take on a bigger project than usual, the kind that traditionally wouldn't get done otherwise.
About the chapter
The DougCo Chapter was founded in 2024. Since then, its members have volunteered over 7,945 hours in the community, including nearly 2,000 hours since May 1, 2026. The chapter currently counts 171 mother-son members who support the work of more than 22 local philanthropies. It's one of six YMSL chapters in Colorado, each built around the same model: mothers serving, leading and growing alongside their sons.
YMSL DougCo's annual membership drive opens in January. Mothers with sons currently in 8th grade can request more information through the chapter's Membership Committee at [email protected], or learn more at chapters.ymsl.org/chapter/dougco.
YMSL is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings mothers and their high-school-aged sons together in service. With more than 100 chapters nationwide, it runs a four-year program combining structured volunteer opportunities, leadership development and life-skills education. More at YMSL.org.
Related: Nonprofits in Douglas County — more local organizations making an impact · Turkey ROCK Trot — another Douglas County event benefiting Help & Hope Center.
Source: YMSL DougCo Chapter press release, "YMSL Mobilizes Teen Boys and Their Moms to Complete Projects for Local Organizations Supporting Those Facing Housing and Food Insecurity," dated Oct. 8, 2026. Contact: Kristi Calfee, YMSL DougCo Chapter Vice President of Communications.