Monica Elenbaas has joined Youth Eastside Services (YES), which has an office in Redmond, as director of fund development and community relations.

A three-decade nonprofit professional, Elenbaas has served in a variety of leadership roles in program delivery, community outreach, public relations, special events and major gifts. For the past 19 years, she has worked with the YMCA in Olympia, greater Seattle area and most recently at the national headquarters in Chicago.

“I am excited to return to the Eastside and help YES with fundraising and community outreach. My experience, local contacts and knowledge will benefit the organization and those we serve,” she said.

Elenbaas is a founding board member and former consultant for the Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network. As a volunteer she has served on numerous other boards and task forces, including Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra, the North American YMCA Development Organization, Seattle Women’s Chorus, Campfire and Girl Scouts.

“Monica is an excellent addition to our director’s team and we are excited about her ideas to help YES rise to the challenge of meeting the growing needs in our community,” said YES Executive Director, Patti Skelton-McGougan. “We conducted an exhaustive search and find her strong background in fundraising, communications and strategic planning, as well as her knowledge of the Eastside community an excellent match for YES.”

Elenbaas and her husband Jamie Elenbaas are both graduates of the University of Puget Sound. They live in the North Rose Hill neighborhood of Kirkland, and their grown son and daughter are Lake Washington High School and Western Washington University graduates.

YES is a nonprofit organization and provides of counseling and substance abuse services to youth in the region. Since 1968, YES has offered treatment, education and prevention services to help youth become healthy, confident and self-reliant and families to be strong, supportive and loving.

While YES accepts insurance, Medicaid and offers a sliding scale, no one is turned away for inability to pay. For more information, visit www.YouthEastsideServices.org.