Category Archives: Thank you to our supporters

BB&T Hunt Valley hosts picnic for foster youth and families

Activities for the youth, Thank you to our supporters, , ,

IMG_0082BB&T Hunt Valley partnered with Hearts & Homes for Youth’s Damamli/Therapeutic Foster Care Program to host a picnic at Gwynn Oak Park for the foster youth and their families.

Volunteers from BB&T Hunt Valley branch reserved the park, decorated the pavilion, and cooked a fantastic BBQ lunch! They played games with youth on the field. The atmosphere was fun and lively! The kids, young mothers, foster parents, and staff had a great time.

“We are so grateful to BB&T Hunt Valley branch for choosing Hearts & Homes for Youth for their Lighthouse Project,” said Jessica McKinnie, Foster Care Program Administrator. “We can’t thank BB&T Hunt Valley enough for putting on this special opportunity for the youth to create great, new memories.”

History of Gwynn Oak Park

Gwynn Oak Park was once a popular amusement park in western Baltimore County until it closed in 1972 after extensive damaged caused by Hurricane Agnes. Gwynn Oak Park is a special landmark of the civil rights movement. On July 4, 1963, a number of people held a protest demanding desegregation of the park. The protest was successful and on August 28, 1963 the park officially desegregated.

Pictures from the picnic

Helen Smith girls cheer on the Nationals

Activities for the youth, Thank you to our supporters,

image (8)Recently, residents from our Helen Smith Group Home for Girls attended a baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, courtesy of tickets provided to Hearts & Homes for Youth by Most Valuable Kids. The girls were very excited to attend and thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Most Valuable Kids (MVK) is an organization that provides children’s organizations access to professional and collegiate sports and entertainment events through an online ticket donation and reward system. MVK overcomes the financial obstacles associated with live events by distributing unused tickets to children that would enjoy the opportunity to go to an event, but would otherwise not be able to because of the high costs associated with tickets. MVK values the positive source of inspiration provided by live sports and entertainment provide for children in a world where there are many negative alternatives.

image (1)For two of the girls in the Helen Smith Group Home program, it was their first time attending a baseball game. For another, it was her first time in Washington, DC.

All of us at Hearts & Homes for Youth are grateful to MVK and all our supporters who make outings like this possible! Often, the youth in our care are first timers with the experiences! Unique opportunities and experiences are a critical part of the healing process as youth heal, grow, and being building brighter futures.

Jumpstart gets spruced up by BB&T

Thank you to our supporters, Volunteering

IMG_0220BB&T Bethesda employees volunteered for a day at Hearts & Homes for Youth’s Jumpstart Group Home. The volunteers repainted the front and back porches, and added mulch, removed weeds and planted a beautiful row of flowers in the yard.

“BB&T is extremely proud to support Hearts & Homes for Youth again this year through our annual Lighthouse Project,” said Thomas Ransom, BB&T Market President and Hearts & Homes Board Chair. “The organization’s mission of empowering our young population by providing them with a homelike environment, supportive services, and social, recreational, health and fitness, arts and learning activities should be applauded. Their mission to foster respect, independence and personal growth for each individual is vital to the community. We’re proud to team up with them and help in any way we can.”

Chloe Perez, Hearts & Homes for Youth CEO and President said the improvements were greatly appreciated.

“This is a big project  that requires a lot of supplies and time,” she said. “It is invaluable to have a group of volunteers help us spruce up the residence, so we that we can continue to be a warm and homelike environment for the youth in our care.”

Valerie Snogren, the agency’s Chief of Staff, agreed. “It’s a big help for us. The house looks refreshed and the porch is beautiful,” she said.

Caitlin Ward, the agency’s Director of Community Relations said she appreciated the new look. “I think the result of their efforts is incredible and will have an impact on the kids because they will understand that the volunteers were here to support them and make their home beautiful.”

BB&T Market President Thomas Ransom has led BB&T Lighthouse efforts with Hearts & Homes for Youth for a number of years. For example, last year, BB&T hosted a Summer Bash and Barbecue for youth from all of the Hearts & Homes for Youth programs at a park in Montgomery County. In addition to great lunch and games, BB&T provided the youth with sports equipment and school supplies.  In previous years, BB&T Lighthouse Project has also come to our Harriet Tubman Emergency Shelter and Helen Smith Group Home for Girls to paint the homes, spruce up the yard, and donate household items.

“BB&T is always glad to support great organizations like Hearts & Homes for Youth” he said. “It feels good to be out in the community making a difference.”

BB&T Hunt Valley paints an impact at Hearts & Homes for Youth!

Thank you to our supporters, Volunteering, , , ,

group 2Volunteers from BB&T Hunt Valley Branch teamed up with Hearts and Homes for Youth earlier this month to paint housing units for young mothers (age 14-20) in the Damamli Mother-Baby Independent Living program. Associates from BB&T Maryland Commercial Real Estate and Appraisal divisions volunteered on June 3rd to help prep new housing units for move in.

BB&T will be joining Hearts & Homes for Youth again on June 24th to throw an end of school year picnic for the youth in the Therapeutic Foster Care program to kick off the summer and celebrate the accomplishments of the school year for those in the program. The picnic will include food, crafts and games all sponsored and administered by the volunteers from BB&T.

“We are grateful to BB&T for repainting our young mother units,” said Hearts & Homes CEO and President Chloe Perez. “We were elated when they reached out to us! BB&T embraced the idea of doing something special for the young mothers and foster youth in our care. The results so far have been incredible and we can’t wait for the picnic later this month!”

Hearts and Homes for Youth and BB&T invite other members of the community to join them as they work to provide unique opportunities and experiences for the youth in the organization’s care, to help them build brighter futures. To volunteer or for more information, contact Jessica McKinnie, at jmckinnie@heartsandhomes.org.

“We wanted to work with Hearts and Homes for Youth because of the great work they do for foster youth and young mothers in Baltimore,” said Candace Zang, Commercial Credit Underwriter. “We’re proud to team up with them and help in any way we can.”

The BB&T volunteers are taking part in the company’s eighth annual Lighthouse Project. The teams have each selected a project to assist a nonprofit agency to complete between April and June to make a positive impact on the lives of people in need. BB&T hopes their efforts encourage others in the community to volunteer their time and support organizations such as Hearts and Homes for Youth.

Since the inception of the BB&T Lighthouse Project in 2009, BB&T associates have completed more than 7,700 community service projects, donated more than 385,000 hours in volunteer service and touched the lives of more than 11 million people. Associates overwhelmingly voted to bring back the initiative this year. For more information about the Lighthouse Project, go to www.bbt.com/bbt/lighthouseproject/.

UPS plants trees at Hearts & Homes group homes

Thank you to our supporters

On May 3, 2016 volunteers from UPS Burtonsville planted Flowering Dogwood trees at five of our group homes, located in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. The Flowering Dogwood trees were donated to UPS by the Arbor Day Foundation in celebration of National Arbor Day, the tree planters’ holiday, which takes place every year on the last Friday of April.

The effort is part of the UPS Global Forestry Initiative to plant, preserve and protect trees in the United States and around the globe. Trees provide the community with many benefits including energy savings, improved air quality and reduced storm-water runoff.

Hearts & Homes for Youth is grateful for the newly planted trees that were planted with care by the wonderful volunteers from UPS Burtonsville. We are excited to see the trees grow and flower!

 

Howard County Chamber & YPN support Hearts & Homes’ young mothers

Thank you to our supporters

13133320_2791697151317_7098169597191062187_nThank you to the Howard County Young Professionals Network who will be featuring Hearts & Homes for Youth at their mixer tonight! They have invited guests to donate diapers for our young mothers and we are grateful for their support!

Diapers are expensive! This is an incredible way to support our young mothers! See here some of the diapers collected by ADG Creative!

Thank you to Howard County YPN, the HoCo Chamber of Commerce and HoCo Chamber President Leonardo McClarty for drumming up support for this diaper drive – a cause you can really get behind!

Where is Greg now?

Thank you to our supporters

AAEAAQAAAAAAAAIUAAAAJDQzYzg5YTIzLTFiYjgtNGMxMi04MmEyLTBkNjJhZmU5NzA4YwA few months ago we asked for your help to Give Greg a Boost. Greg, a high school senior in our foster care program, needed financial support to pay for tutoring services, his upcoming prom, graduation fees, and driving school. Thanks to you, we received a total of $1,060 for Greg!

Greg has been receiving tutoring in Algebra and his grades have improved dramatically! Greg has been doing well in all of his classes and earned a 3.0 on his last report card! Now that Greg has brought up his grades, his next step is driving school, which he will begin next week. Thanks to you, we have also paid for his Senior dues, cap and gown, prom ticket, a cell phone, and we have begun the search for the perfect prom outfit.

Greg has an interview coming up with a government agency for a paid summer internship – please send your good vibes! He has also begun an application to be an Americorps Public Ally in the Fall, which would be a ten-month placement in a nonprofit setting. The program focuses on developing leadership skills.

Greg has progressed by leaps and bounds since he first came into our care. Greg was originally was referred to our Harriet Tubman Emergency Shelter as an alternative to detention. From there, Greg transferred to our Therapeutic Foster Care Program and was placed in a foster home. His dedicated Social Worker at Hearts & Homes for Youth continually provides Greg with therapeutic services to help him deal with day to day issues such as school, employment, placement, society, anxiety, family, and past trauma.

We have been able to provide Greg with the help and therapeutic services he has needed because of your support for Hearts & Homes for Youth!

Wrapping up at Kemp Mill

Thank you to our supporters, Volunteering

For the past five months, our incredible volunteers from Coakley Williams Construction, Fort Meade, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and UPS in Burtonsville have helped us renovate our Kemp Mill Group Home in Silver Spring. The project began in the fall when Coakley Williams came and remodeled our kitchen, including new appliances and a fresh paint job. The difference is incredible! Weeks later, Coakley Williams came again and helped us collect branches, sticks, and leaves in the front and back yard and brought new shrubs and flowers to plant.

For the following few months, we spent countless weekends with our friends from Fort Meade, ripping up the old carpet, removing nails and staples from the floor, and then sanding, staining, and finishing the floor. This involved moving a lot of furniture!

Our volunteers from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and UPS in Burtonsville teamed up with our volunteers from Fort Meade and helped us repaint the interior. Every space in the house has a fresh coat of paint and all together, the house looks completely transformed! It was a large undertaking and the results speak for themselves. Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who came together and made this possible!

We are also grateful to Bob’s Furniture for the beautiful new furniture they donated to us last summer and to one of our supporters for the stunning new curtains!

The Matworks Company gives big donation to Hearts & Homes for Youth

Thank you to our supporters, ,

IMG_1466Hearts & Homes for Youth has received over 5200 sq ft of new carpet from The Matworks Company to help maintain a beautiful, safe, and homelike environment at our program facilities that benefit the youth in our care.

The donation was orchestrated by Huseyin Koca, Director of Sales and Marketing Support at The Matworks Company.

It will go to two program facilities, one of them being our Jumpstart Semi-Independent Group Home in bustling and artistic Hyattsville, Maryland. This group home offers support for up to eight young males between the ages of 17 and 20 years old from all parts of Maryland. Young men in this program typically spend up to 6 to 9 months in our home.  

IMG_1468This home provides a structured, rigorous, and goal-oriented program for young men ready to embark as independent, mature community members.  With professional staff providing 24-hour supervision and behavioral role modeling, this program provides the consistency and continuity that allows our young men to develop skills necessary to become productive, responsible, and engaged community members.

IMG_1467The Matworks Company was established in 1966, and their philosophy has remained consistent and simple: they work with national retailers to identify, install and manage the very best flooring solutions. Matworks is an innovative leader in the flooring industry, providing both product and service. Their Comprehensive Model has a proven track record working with national retailers in key areas such as improving the customer’s experience, improving employee satisfaction, improving workplace safety, and reducing operating costs.

JWCCC Unearthing GEMS at Helen Smith Group Home

Thank you to our supporters, Volunteering

1AA9897112The Junior Women’s Club of Chevy Chase (JWCCC) has had an incredible impact on the girls in our care at Helen Smith Group Home! In particular, Hearts & Homes for Youth would like to recognize one of the JWCCC members who has been tutoring one of youth for Algebra 2 and helped her raise her grade from a D to a B in a week!

The tutoring sessions are one of many ways the JWCCC has engaged with our girls at Helen Smith. Through their GEMS mentoring program, the JWCCC has been extraordinarily dedicated to the personal well-being and development of the girls at the Home. The JWCCC spends time with our girls once a month, each time hosting a different activity and teaching a different lesson. In February, the JWCCC taught the girls how to make jewelry. In previous visits, JWCCC has also baked with the girls and done other arts and crafts projects.

On March 16, the Junior Women’s Club of Chevy Chase will be hosting a self-defense class for our young ladies at Helen Smith Group Home for Girls. The goal is to teach the girls about self awareness and personal safety.

Hearts & Homes Helen Smith Group Home has been part of JWCCC’s GEMS program for a number of a number of years and the women continue to have a positive influence on the work that we do and the lives of the girls in our care.