It was a cool late September night.

The team at Project Reach Out was finishing its weekend shift, when a new volunteer suggested the outreach bus swing by Pinetree Way Elementary.

They had heard there had been a lot of activity at the school recently after dark.

So members embarked on a walkabout, when they came upon a girl lying down in a field.

She was out cold, lying in a puddle of her own vomit.

The team called 911 to get help. It turned out the 14-year-old had a blood alcohol level five times the legal limit.

Ambulance crews told the volunteers if the teen had been left out for a couple more hours, she probably would have died.

That was just one of a couple of incidents in the last month involving Project Reach Out that took on a serious nature.

It's that kind of work that fuels the folks at PoCoMo Youth Services in the Tri-Cities.

On Friday, Oct. 19, the organization will celebrate its 20th anniversary at a fundraising gala at the Red Robinson Show Theatre in Coquitlam.

For Jerome Bouvier, executive director of the PoCoMo Youth Services Society, the recent incidents handled by the Reach Out team are proof the service and organization are needed now more than ever.

"What would have happened had we not gone into the park?" he asked.

Bouvier suggested there are more and more kids out there dealing with adult issues at a young age and an organization like PoCoMo can be a trusted place for these teens to turn.

He sees an increasing energy on the streets at night among the youth, he said, and warned it would likely continue with the construction of the Evergreen Line, which is set to open in 2016.

"As a community to think we're immune to it . that we live in certain areas that this is not affecting us - well it affects all of us because this is our community," Bouvier said.

The lynchpin of the PoCoMo Youth Services Society is the Reach Out bus.

Every weekend, a team of volunteers travels around the Tri-Cities to spots where teens hang out to provide information on issues like sex education and drugs.

But mostly, the bus is a place where teens can feel safe to discuss their problems.

Earlier this year, Project Reach Out was taken off the roads for a couple of months to give the society a chance to retool and streamline the program.

The bus was back on the road in the summer, while the program also expanded to Langley for the first time.

But like many non-profit societies, it's a constant struggle to get funds to keep the program running.

"It's very hard to maintain our service without the support, and we need it or else we're not going to be here," Bouvier said.

The society hopes Tri-Cities businesses and residents step up and help fund their programs through An Evening of Inspiration, which kicks off Friday at 6: 30 p.m.

The keynote speaker will be Vancouver Canucks alumnus John Craighead, with special guest Jasmin Glaesser.

There will also be two youth speakers and live entertainment.

For tickets, visit www.pocomo.org.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com