How NLYM Mercer Island is shaping young men through service, leadership, culture, and character

On Mercer Island, service is more than a value, it is something neighbors can see in action. At the Mercer Island Thrift Shop, the Farmers Market, the annual Christmas Tree Lot, and community events throughout the year, local residents regularly spot young men stepping up to help. They are loading trees, assisting vendors, welcoming visitors, and quietly contributing wherever they are needed. Behind many of these moments is the Mercer Island chapter of the National League of Young Men, better known as NLYM.

NLYM is a nonprofit organization that partners mothers and their high school sons in a four-year experience centered on community service, cultural enrichment, protocol, and leadership development. At the heart of its mission is a simple but powerful belief: one of life’s greatest rewards comes from serving others. Through NLYM, young men are encouraged to discover that truth for themselves, building both courage and compassion as they engage with the world around them.

Founded in 2014, the Mercer Island chapter has become a respected and active part of the local community. Its programming is built around four foundational pillars, leadership, service, culture, and protocol, and those principles are woven into every aspect of the year, from class meetings and speaker events to formal dinners and hands-on volunteer projects. The result is a program that offers structure and purpose while helping young men grow into confident, grounded, service-minded leaders.

The scale of that commitment is significant. Last year alone, members of Mercer Island NLYM volunteered nearly 3,000 hours across a wide range of local philanthropies and nonprofits. While much of that service is visible right here on the Island, their reach extends well beyond it. Members have volunteered with organizations including Food Lifeline, Imagine Housing, The Rivkin Center, the Alzheimer’s Association, and many others.

As Sue Poulsom, NLYM’s Vice President of Philanthropy, explains, “Philanthropy in NLYM is about more than service hours. We work to provide young men with meaningful opportunities to serve others, with the goal of inspiring a lifelong commitment to generosity, empathy, and community impact. These experiences not only improve the lives of those we serve on Mercer Island and beyond, but also challenge the young men to step outside their comfort zones, work alongside others, and discover the value of giving back.”

That idea, that service is not merely a requirement, but a pathway to empathy and maturity, is central to why programs like NLYM matter so much today. Teenagers are navigating an increasingly complex world filled with academic pressure, competitive sports, and an ever-shifting social landscape. Yet there are fewer spaces intentionally designed to help young men build the broader life skills and character traits that will serve them far beyond high school.

NLYM fills that gap by giving boys real responsibility. Each class, including the graduating classes of 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029, elects its own officers and takes ownership of planning events, managing budgets, running meetings, and presenting in front of others. Along the way, members learn practical life skills such as how to run a meeting, participate in a formal dinner, write a proper thank-you note, or even change a car’s oil.

Current NLYM President Kendra Turba believes that kind of formation is especially valuable now. “Programs like NLYM are especially important today because they provide structured opportunities for young men to develop character, responsibility, and a sense of purpose outside of academics, athletics and other extracurricular activities,” she says. “In a world where many teens lack consistent mentorship or community engagement, NLYM offers a framework for leadership, service, culture and protocol. It helps young men understand the importance of giving back, builds empathy through volunteerism, and reinforces values like accountability, respect, and integrity, qualities that are essential for both personal and professional success.”

Leadership development is not abstract within NLYM, it is practiced. The program is intentionally structured as a four-year progression, giving members increasing levels of responsibility as they move through high school. A defining feature is that the boys themselves lead many aspects of their experience. They are expected to step forward, make decisions, speak publicly, and learn by doing.

One of the signature elements of the Mercer Island chapter is its speaker series. Throughout the year, members hear from an impressive range of local leaders, including business executives managing multimillion-dollar operations, Mercer Island Police officers, mental health professionals, and even the Seahawks mascot. These conversations expose the boys to different forms of leadership, resilience, and professionalism, offering role models with a wide variety of paths and passions.

Public speaking also plays a major role. Young men serve as Masters of Ceremonies, offer class updates, introduce speakers, and lead formal events attended by both peers and parents. They help produce the year-end newsletter, speak at the Senior Tribute, and deliver remarks at the Compass Dinner at the Bellevue Club. These experiences build poise, confidence, and the ability to communicate clearly in front of a room, skills that will serve them for decades to come.

And while the boys are the focus, the mothers are essential to the structure and spirit of the program. NLYM is, by design, a mother-son organization. On Mercer Island, mothers hold every board position, from President and VP of Philanthropy to VP of Culture, Protocol, and Youth Coordinator, while also serving as committee chairs for major events throughout the year. Their work keeps the chapter running smoothly and ensures that its programming remains mission-aligned and meaningful.

Beyond supporting the boys, mothers participate in their own programming as well. Throughout the year, they gather for speaker events and conversations on topics relevant to family life, from navigating social media and preparing for college to supporting aging parents. There are also moments simply designed to foster connection and joy, such as cooking classes or wine tastings. Together, these experiences strengthen community among the mothers while modeling lifelong learning for their sons.

One of the program’s most meaningful moments comes at the Senior Tribute, where fathers or mentors offer personal reflections honoring the graduating seniors. It is a reminder that NLYM is not simply an extracurricular activity. It is a family experience.

The impact of the program is perhaps best seen through one of its longstanding partnerships: Swim Across America. For several years, Mercer Island NLYM members have helped support the Seattle Swim Across America event by setting up, cleaning up, swimming, raising money, and volunteering throughout the day. What began as event-day service has grown into a meaningful annual commitment.

Swim Across America raises funds for critical cancer research, and in Seattle, those dollars go directly to Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Since 1987, the organization has generated more than $150 million to support leading cancer research institutions nationwide.

Beth Hykes, Mercer Island resident and Event Director for Seattle Swim Across America, says, “Volunteers are at the heart of the Swim Across America community. The local NLYM chapter plays a key role helping setup and take down the registration area and swim village, while high-fiving swimmers as they come out of the water in-between. Almost every family has been touched by someone they are close to who has battled cancer. The Seattle Swim Across America event funds high risk, high reward research at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center to find the next breakthrough treatment.”

For NLYM members, that experience makes service feel immediate and real. Sarah Dubois, NLYM President Elect for 2026–2027, explains, “Through this event the young men gave their time to a valuable cause in a fun and uplifting environment where they got to celebrate and cheer on all of the swimmers.”

The students feel that impact too. Spencer Whipple, Class of 2026, says his favorite project has been volunteering at Food Lifeline in Seattle. “The hands-on nature of the work, sorting and packing food for people in need, made the impact feel immediate and real,” he shares. “Working alongside my peers toward a shared goal also reinforced how much a group can accomplish in a short amount of time.”

For James Kern, Vice President of the Class of 2029, NLYM has broadened what service can look like. “As a Boy Scout, service for my society and giving back to my community are not novel things to me, but NLYM has helped me stay in touch with a more individual scale of service,” he says. “I love nature conservation projects, but I am also glad that with NLYM I can help others more directly.”

Sometimes, the most lasting lessons come from unexpected places. One Mercer Island mother, Jessica Crump, reflected, “I came to NLYM for the service and have been surprised by how much both of my sons gained from the protocol aspects of it. We are not particularly formal at our house and learning how to handle yourself in formal settings is something that is not easy to gain except by experience. So, thanks to NLYM I know both of my sons can handle themselves at an interview, a dinner or some other suit related activity that we were not bringing into their lives.”

That may be the clearest picture of what NLYM Mercer Island does so well. It teaches young men how to serve but also how to lead, how to show up, how to carry themselves, and how to understand their role in a larger community. In doing so, it is helping raise not just capable students, but thoughtful young men prepared for life.