All posts by Hearts & Homes for Youth

Youth Newsletter

Words from our youth,

CroppedWe are excited to announce that this summer we are launching the Youth Newsletter! The newsletter will serve as a valuable resource for youth, parents, and all readers who understand the importance of seeing the world through a young person’s eyes. The stories, poems, art, and other reflections in the newsletter will cover topics ranging from mental health, drug use, relationships, college, violence, education, community service, and workforce development.

We are selling annual subscriptions to the Youth Newsletter for $10. Proceeds from your annual subscription will go directly to the youth in our care, to help them afford recreational outings, learning and development opportunities, financial literacy classes, and other unique experiences chosen by the youth.

Sign up here to receive Hearts & Homes for Youth’s bi-monthly Youth Newsletter produced by and about the youth in our care!

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!

A forever home for Antoine

Foster care

3Kids are placed in foster care for a variety of reasons, some simpler than others. Antoine is one of the simpler cases. At age 14, Antoine was placed in foster care after his mother was incarcerated. Antoine was placed in the home of our foster parent Ms. Williams, where he has been now for over seven years! Ms. Williams is always in his corner and has vowed to be there for him always. He fondly refers to her as mom, and she calls him her son.

Through his relationship with Ms. Williams, Antoine has learned how to trust people and has developed an understanding of healthy relationships. Her support has also helped Antoine develop his self-confidence and sense of worth. Antoine is a great kid, currently studying at a community college and working part-time at a clothing store in Georgetown. He enjoys boxing and tried out for the U.S. Olympic team.

Last month, Antoine aged out of the foster care system. For many foster youth, turning twenty-one is not the happy and exciting time their peers experience filled with new things and much desired independence. For many foster youth, turning twenty-one brings up fears, uncertainties and doubts about their future. However, Antoine has built an unbreakable bond with Ms. Williams, and she has given him a forever home.

You can change a life. To learn more about being a foster parent, contact Maureen Rodgers at mrodgers@heartsandhomes.org

A Family of Seven Years and Counting

Foster care

photo-1450088323702-8bce64113310Nine-year old foster youth Adam has been in the same home since he was two. Seven years ago, Adam was referred to Hearts & Homes for Youth with his two sisters. The three siblings were removed from a home where they had experienced severe neglect and abuse.

Thanks to you, Hearts & Homes for Youth was able to place the siblings together in a two-parent foster home and they quickly became a family. Hearts & Homes for Youth provided training, advocacy and support for the foster parents, and the parents continue to do everything in their power to support the children and help them heal.

All three siblings are still under the same roof and Adam continues to receive Hearts & Homes’ supportive services. Adam has fetal alcohol syndrome and experienced traumatic brain injury as a baby, which has resulted in behavioral issues and intense emotional needs. Hearts & Homes Therapeutic Foster Care Program provides support to Adam and his family to help him grow, develop, and learn how to manage his needs.

2FB8C48AD1Adam is in a private specialized school that provides services to meet his educational, behavioral, and emotional needs. He is finishing up third grade at a year-round program where he will continue classes over the summer, and will then transition to fourth grade. Adam is very smart and very talented. When he is not in school, Adam enjoys playing the cello. He loves going to Sunday School and he loves taking care of animals. He and his family live on a farm where they raise goats, chickens and pig. Adam especially loves taking care of the goats and the pig.

Adam is a kind, funny, and smart kid with a great memory. It’s because of amazing individuals like his parents, who welcome foster youth into their homes, that Hearts & Homes for Youth is able to help wonderful kids like Adam!

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!

Hearts & Homes Day at the Park

Hearts & Homes events, ,

i-PbwkLXP-XLOn Friday, July 8, from 6pm-10pm, Hearts & Homes for Youth will be the featured nonprofit of the night at the Bethesda Big Train vs. DC Grays baseball game! Get your tickets and join us for this great game!

Click here to buy your tickets for $10!

Proceeds from the event benefit Hearts & Homes for Youth, which provides quality residential and supportive services to over 150 children and teens who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma throughout the state of Maryland, to empower them to make brighter futures.

A fresh start on solid footing

Get to know our programs

DM8MFOGVFGRecently, a 19-year old young man at our Jumpstart Semi-Independent Living Group Home successfully completed our treatment program. During the time in our care, Andrew made significant improvement in his mental health, ability to manage his emotions, family relationships, and overall maturity.

Andrew came into our care at our John C Tracey Group Home and made a positive transition to Jumpstart where he had a lower level of care with more autonomy. At Jumpstart, Andrew maintained two jobs in the community, completed his GED, saved over $4,000, and secured his first apartment in the community! Going forward, Andrew has plans to pursue a career in plumbing.

We are so proud of Andrew for his amazing growth and success while in our care!

Director of the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement speaks with young mothers

Activities for the youth, ,

1Kisha Brown recently visited with our young mothers in the Damamli Independent Living Program at their weekly Independent Living/Life Skills group to talk about her role as the Director of the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement.

Kisha Brown spoke with the young mothers about employee rights, laws that protect employees and workplace etiquette. She then invited the young mothers to share their ideas on how she could reach more young people to let them know about the resources available in Baltimore City. Kisha Brown also discussed her previous role as a Baltimore City Child Support Attorney.

Hearts & Homes for Youth regularly welcomes professionals like Kisha Brown to speak with the young people in our care about the importance of post-secondary education and the variety of professional opportunities there are across the state. The discussions are a unique, positive learning experience and can spark a new interest if, for example, the youth are hearing about an unfamiliar occupation or career.  The discussion can also be empowering, such as when Kisha Brown as the young women to share their ideas. The career-focused discussions encourage youth to think forward and consider options for a stable future for themselves and their babies.

JWCCC gives Helen Smith girls self defense class

Activities for the youth

In March, the Junior Women’s Club of Chevy Chase (JWCCC) hosted a class in self-defense at their clubhouse for the girls at our Helen Smith Group Home. The instructor taught some self defense moves, and each of our girls partnered with a member of the JWCCC and practiced the moves they learned. Afterward, Hearts & Homes staff member Vicki Valle spoke with the girls about the danger of texting and walking, the importance of staying alert, and using common sense to avoid threatening situations or people.

The JWCCC focuses on supporting initiatives that enhance the quality of life of women and children. The self defense activity is part of the JWCCC’s GEMS project. The GEMS (Girls Empowered Motivated and Successful) Mentoring Project, is one of the JWCCC’s special projects. GEMS is offered to teen girls ages 14-19; in partnership with one of our signature charities Hearts and Homes for Youth. Hearts & Homes serves youth in crisis by providing them with a variety of residential and supportive programs; including therapeutic group homes, foster care and independent living for pregnant and parenting teen mothers. The goal of the GEMS project is the offer the girls emotional support and mentoring; by exposing them to project based learning, teaching them life skills for independent living (cooking lessons, job skills, etc.) and offering them an opportunity to participate in service activities and social events. Our participation and affection for the girls has meant a lot to them and to our club members; already leaving a lasting impression on the lives we have touched.