Einstein Bagels is rounding up change to support a group that is facing multiple sexual assault and EEOC claims

Einstein Bagels asks people to round up their purchase to the next dollar to donate to a Christian missionary youth group that has been charged with widespread sexual assault, misconduct and harassment.

Einstein Bagels in Grand Junction is asking customers to round up their change to support Young Life, an evangelical Christian missionary youth group that is currently facing a slew of sexual misconduct lawsuits by former club participants across the country and at least four Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints for racial discrimination, improper termination and other sordid allegations.

Young Life came under federal investigation in 2021 after students, members and volunteers across the country reported they had experienced unwanted sexual advances and solicitations, racially discriminatory comments and treatment, and verbal harassment consisting of sexual innuendoes, comments, jokes, inappropriate texts and social media messages, grooming, inappropriate physical touching, sexual assault, racially discriminatory treatment and retaliation against volunteers who reported such events.

People forced out of Young Life for reporting sexual misconduct

A sign in Einstein’s window urges people to round up their change to support Young Life

After Becca Wong, a Young Life student leader in Michigan, reported an incident of forced oral sex on another member to the organization’s leadership, the leadership forced her out of the organization “in direct retaliation” for reporting the assault, Wong says. In an interview to Michigan Daily, Wong said,

“It’s a very harmful experience but when you’re in (Young Life), you really drink the Kool Aid and you really believe everything they’re doing… Leaving Young Life was a very eye-opening experience, and you can’t really see the problems in Young Life until you’re out of it.”

Laureana Arellano brought a lawsuit after she was racially and sexually harassed at a Young Life summer camp in Colorado in 2019. Arellano said in her legal complaint that a coworker assaulted her by “shoving his hand down her apron and groping her genitalia.” Court paperwork says that when she reported it, a manager told her it was “God’s plan.” Arellano reached a settlement agreement with Young Life, the terms of which are undisclosed.

Brie Boatman, a former staff member who left YoungLife in 2018, said

“Women are not safe in this ministry if Young Life is going to listen to our stories and do nothing about it.” 

CMU and many local businesses continue to support Young Life despite allegations, lawsuits & complaints about misconduct

A host of prominent Grand Junction businesses support Young Life by participating in a discount card program the organization uses to raise money to send youth to Young Life camps. The organization also flourishes on college campuses, including at Colorado Mesa University, which welcomes the group in spite of its fraught reputation.

Young Life is a $500 million, Colorado Springs-based organization that works to lure young people into Christianity. It starts recruiting kids as young as middle school, is present in all 50 states and in over 100 countries around the world.

If you have experienced sexual assault, harassment or other misconduct while in Young Life, you can report it to Business Insider, which is compiling reports on such incidents, at rpremack@protonmail.com, or contact the Denver-based law firm, Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, that is handling many  cases against Young Life already, at 303-578-4400 or fill in the contact form at their website. 

This photo from Colorado Mesa University’s website shows the university promoting Young Life, a nationwide Christian missionary youth group based in Colorado Springs that has been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and racial discrimination

 

Grand Junction businesses that support Young Life despite sexual assault allegations

A host of Grand Junction businesses endorse Young Life, which has been charged with sexual misconduct against members and volunteers, doing nothing about it, and even working to cover it up

  24 comments for “Einstein Bagels is rounding up change to support a group that is facing multiple sexual assault and EEOC claims

  1. The shadow of one’s flesh is pushed down and will shine a light where it has been blocked expression. That is bringing up an innocent or vulnerable young person to believe they are sinners, should be shamed by nakedness, the ‘Garden’, are disgraced by the natural body adding fear and punishment to follow. If our culture treated the flesh like a natural beautiful part of creation then maybe this kind of shit show would not be sensationalized and abused.

  2. See the southern and northern studfish are gop fish they are rightwing and alternative. This is a big debate on who’s fish is more aggressive over territory.

  3. What yall need to know is I’m a democrat I voted for biden and kamala Harris. I have a pet male pro-democrat paradise gourami fish named BLUETIGER2 . he represents taiwan he will be bred with a secret female fighter plakat bettafish to make a new generation of paradise fish. The only rival to my fish is the purebred republican northern and Southern studfish if you have one as a pet remember that’s the rival to my fish.

  4. It’s hard to know what to do. I don’t want to promote divisiveness by, say, boycotting Enstrom’s (a serious sacrifice), but I don’t want to support extremism either. It’s like the way I want to get along with my neighbors even though they’re so different from me–and we manage to do that, though it’s not what you’d call friendship. It is what you’d call tolerance, though. I wonder if through tolerance we can all temper our views some, find a place in the middle. Anyway, maybe I’ll write Enstrom’s a letter instead of boycotting them. Thanks Ann.

    • Karen. Thanks for a thoughtful comment. I don’t believe that boycotting a business which supports an abusive group is a divisive action.

      In addition, there is no need to revile a destructive person or company. But it is fair game to distance oneself or to protect oneself from abuse.

    • Tolerance for people who openly preach intolerance is never successful. You could ask Neville Chamberlain about that.

          • What is it about you rough, tough, manly-man self-described “Alpha Male” (Oath Keeper) types that makes you so obsessed with other men’s genitalia?

            Who do you think you are, Madison Cawthorn?

          • seamy, got a single reference source for any of those 5 claims ?

            of course your description is 4 of 5 correct or close enough
            but not a word of it was ever printed nor needed to be said. by me, anyway.
            Thanks for being perceptive. You must be the ‘sensitive’ type.

            now slaver (lol !sorry!, thats your trademark) , now slither back to your micro****-energy inane poster career.

          • Touched a nerve, did I?

            I’m not the one that started this conversation about male genitalia, then squealed in indignation when I brought up the (Oath Keeper) vow of, “No (Young) Man’s Behind Left”, or something like that. Do you all have to wear the cute little eyepatches during your “Honey, I’m going off with the guys to do…Godly guy stuff” weekends, or just the leather vests?

            Keep that Oath.

  5. Problems with Young Life go back decades. I met a young women in 1986 who left one of their camps in 1986 and would not tell anyone what happened, but was clear she was treated very badly. She acted traumatized and terrified.

    • Religious youth groups and camps are prime hunting grounds for people who prey on kids; they have a large group of potential victims, and the power of God to use against them:
      The promise of God’s blessing to manipulate them,
      God’s permission to molest them,
      and the threat of God’s punishment for going to any authorities.

      Praise Be, huh?

  6. Thank you for this article! Sexual assault is a risk factor for suicide.

    It’s important for all of us not to put blind faith in any religious entity.

    If church people who serve others don’t have CBI/FBI background checks they shouldn’t be in a position of power over anyone else.

  7. You can’t honestly think people in the Grand Valley have a problem with sexual harassment, sexual assault, or racism?

    Have you met our congressional representative? It’s part of the reason they voted for her.

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