Carl House, the administrator of Youth for Christ, created The Link to show everyone how welcoming his religion could be. The Link is a small building only a few blocks away from Natrona County High School (NCHS) grounds, famously known for its free meals and a large quantity of food as well as an open gym for skateboards and sports. Every attendant, specifically young adults, gets served a full meal every Tuesday-Friday that is accompanied by several desserts, beverages, and other snacks – none of which have a limit on how much each person can take. 

Carl was the first person in Casper that had created a small area for the youth to connect with each other, spreading the idea over to many other companies after the effects were so visibly seen. Students from NC share many stories they have of going to the link. Mr. and Mrs. House, for instance, loved to tell their recollections of how many teenagers had commonly come up to tell Carl House of their alignment with the LGBTQ+ community. There were even teens coming up and explaining their own beliefs. Mrs. House had always laughed, teasing how Carl had always simply accepted it, assuring that they were still loved by his God, and then gave the teens plates of food. 

“He loved feeding people,” Mrs. House recalls with a laugh.

It was difficult to discover Carl had passed away in his sleep on November 1st of 2021 at the age of 67. 

Carl House and his wife, Hope House, both were administered to the Douglas hospital after unexpectedly catching Covid-19. While Mrs. House has survived the illness, Mr. House had fallen too ill. 

Youth for Christ has always been known as a group that takes in those in need and provides – especially the House family. One former NC student, only a few years out of school, had shared her story at an event held one week before Christmas. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said members of the church helped pull her back up when she was crumbling under the weight of a bad drug addiction. They helped by giving her supplies such as blankets, food, a roof over her head, and another family. 

The Houses were especially known for helping large numbers of people and involving other community members. At an event already hosted and completely covered by the Link at La Cocina, had handed out huge Christmas presents to everyone who attended the event – official members and simple visitors. The large gift bags contained essentials like socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. Inside the bag were also large, fluffy, decorated blankets that came with little accessories such as journals, gift cards, pens, and so much more. The entire group had taken up more than half of the dining area of the restaurant, but every kid and adult got their present. Carl made sure of it – walking around and triple-checking everyone got whatever they wanted and even trading kids if they wanted something from different bags. 

Even during normal lunches held at the small church, Carl had always provided by giving large stacks of essentials and doing present draws for everyone at the link. Every Christmas, Carl had assured every member of the church went home with something to unwrap under their Christmas trees and stockings on their walls. 

While the recent passing of Carl House is painful, the organization’s legacy will continue to be preserved by Rich Rob, who was trained by Carl and who will continue the important work of feeding and nurturing the younger generations. However, Rob promises a few changes in the way of the church, leaving the Link open from noon to 8 pm – allowing kids to visit 353 W A St for an open gym and provided meals.