All posts by Hearts & Homes for Youth

Do Good Shopping and Searching!

Hearts & Homes events

We have partnered with Goodshop and Goodsearch so that now you can feel great about your online shopping and web searches!

Goodshop gives you the best coupons for thousands of stores like Target, Apple, Amazon, Petco and more AND a percentage of what you spend on virtually every purchase is donated to our cause! Plus, with the Goodshop app for iPhone and iPad, you can shop, save, and give on the go. Save money and help a good cause every time you shop! Check it out: www.goodshop.com. Goodshop is a great way to support the causes you care about while shopping online!

How to GoodShop:

  • Visit goodsearch.com and select a cause from the hundreds of thousands of participating organizations.
  • Register and create a user profile which will allow you to keep track of your individual amount raised.
  • Use the Goodshop tab at the top of the homepage or go to Goodshop to visit our online shopping mall and browse through thousands of partner stores, including top brands in clothing, office supplies, gifts and more.
  • Click through to the store and shop as you normally would. You pay nothing extra, but a portion of all qualifying purchases will go to your cause.
  • 100% of the donation amount displayed on merchant’s Goodshop page will go to the charity or school of your choice!

Goodsearch is a patent-protected, Yahoo!-powered search engine that you use exactly as you would any other search engine. The difference is, and here’s the exciting part, each time you do a search, about a penny is raised for your favorite non-profit or school! The more you search, the more you earn for your cause and combined with millions of others in the Goodsearch movement, your searches can make a real impact. Put simply: you search, they give!

How to GoodSearch:

  • Visit www.goodsearch.com and select a cause from the hundred thousand participating organizations.
  • Create a user profile that will allow you to keep track of your individual amount raised.
  • Use the search box on our homepage or download a Good To-Go add-on to search the Internet just like you normally would, with the added bonus that you are earning a donation for virtually every search.

 

The 2015 Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area

Thank you to our supporters

cfc_pantoneDear Federal Employees,

It’s time to feed the hungry, treat the sick, and protect the vulnerable!

Through the Combined Federal Campaign, you can truly make a difference. You can give a little bit each week through payroll deduction or give a one-time cash, check, or credit card donation to support your favorite charities. With over 20,000 approved local, national, and international organizations, you can easily and efficiently support your favorite causes.

You can make your CFC pledge online at www.cfcnca.org or contribute using a paper pledge form that you should receive from your Keyworker.

No matter how you give or how much you give, you are truly making it possible!

Please think of Hearts & Homes for Youth – our CFCNC code is 36735. Thank you for your time and generosity.

Click here to learn more about the CFCNA campaign and consider showing your support to Hearts & Homes for Youth! 

How to Use Amazon Smile to Donate!

Thank you to our supporters

53d85dc5e4b095510e2c5eefAmazon is one of the most widely used websites in the world and, effective October 2013, customers can elect to donate 0.5% of their purchase to the charity of their choice! This is all made possible by shopping on smile.amazon.com.

If you already shop on Amazon, or if you’re looking for the perfect gift for a loved one, we invite you to shop at smile.amazon.com and chooseHearts & Homes for Youth as your charity of choice. Below you can read about how to use Amazon Smile.

How Does it Work?

1. Visit smile.amazon.com.

The entire shopping experience is the same and most products available on amazon.com are available at Amazon Smile.
search for Amazon Smile

2. Sign in and Choose Your Charity

The screen will look slightly different depending on whether your not you’re already signed into Amazon. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see a screen like the one below. Simply search for “Hearts & Homes for Youth Inc” or the charity of your choice and proceed to step 3.
Sign into Amazon Smile

If you’re not signed, enter your email and password. Then proceed to step 3.
Login to Amazon Smile

3. Select “Hearts & Homes for Youth, Inc.”

After signing in, search for “Hearts & Homes for Youth” or the charity of your choice.
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When you search for a charity, such as “Hearts & Homes for Youth” you will be given a list of possible matches. Select the charity of your choice to continue.

Once selected, you will receive an email confirmation and you can begin shopping.

4. Begin shopping!

Once you’ve selected your charity everything else functions the same. Shop for your favorite products or the perfect gift. Most products are eligible on Amazon Smile–if not, you’ll be notified. You can checkout normally as well. No extra cost is passed onto you–Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to Hearts & Homes for Youth!

Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 2.48.26 PM

Get Started

We applaud Amazon for their efforts to support charities. We hope you will take the opportunity to support Hearts & Homes for Youth with your eligible purposes on smile.amazon.com.

Shopping for a Cause!

Thank you to our supporters

urlOn Saturday, August 29, 2015, Macy’s hosted its 10th annual Shop For A Cause, benefiting charities nationwide. Hearts & Homes for Youth was one of the participating charities. We sold savings passes for $5 each and raised $285! Hearts & Homes for Youth will keep 100% of the proceeds, which will go directly to support our programs for the youth in our care. Thank you to all of our supporters in the community for investing in our mission!

Individuals who bought savings passes received 25% off on regular, sale and clearance merchandise, including designer brands you love, throughout the store, as well as 10% off electronics, furniture, mattresses and area rugs on Saturday, August 29, 2015, Shop For A Cause day. Thank you Macy’s for hosting Shop For A Cause!

Youth get a fresh look for the new year

Thank you to our supporters

Over the past few weeks, the youth in our various programs have been treated by local hair stylists and salon artists to hair cuts and designs. The fresh look is a great way to start off the school year and help the youth build their sense of confidence and self worth.

Our young women from Helen Smith Group Home recently visited a few salons in the area where friends of Program Manager Cedric Gordon paid for haircuts for the girls. Their support was overwhelming and very much appreciated! We would like to publicly thank Kimberly Rice, Joan White, Deborah Knight, Kamilah Akilah-Kynard, and one special personal who wished to remain anonymous. The young ladies are starting school feeling good about themselves and we all know self esteem is vital to success!

Thank you so much to Master Barber Stylist Loretta Thorpe who styled the hair of our young men from Avis Birely Group Home and Harriet Tubman Emergency Shelter a couple weeks ago before the Kings of Style event . She came back to Hearts & Homes again last night and gave our boys from John C. Tracey Group Home a fresh look for the school year! They all loved her and love their new ‘dos!

We also have a spouse of a U.S. Marine from Fort Meade to thank for going to Jump Start Transitional Living Group Home and giving our young men fresh hair cuts and styles.

Thank you to everyone in the community who came together to help our kids develop their confidence and esteem!

GoFundUs! Our Rally to Empower Youth!

Activities for the youth, Thank you to our supporters

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Hearts & Homes for Youth has launched a GoFundMe campaign to ask for your help to raise money to create a job readiness program and hire a full-time vocational coach who would spend time with the youth at our group homes and the young mothers in our care, to provide them with resume building assistance, vocational training, mock interviews, professional etiquette workshops, job search assistance, educational guidance, computer literacy training, and career advice. The vocational coach would build and maintain relationships with local employers who are willing and able to hire the youth in our care. We need to raise at least $35,000 to hire a full-time vocational coach for one year.

Click here to donate to our campaign to hire a Vocational Coach!

GoFundMe2

The intended outcome of the job readiness program is for the youth in our care to develop their vocational skills and attain gainful employment. When the youth identify their career interests, the vocational coach would ensure they complete the appropriate industry recognized certifications, such as Certified Control Systems Technician, Certified Automation Professional, Certified Welder, and other certifications to enhance their career capabilities.

The job readiness program would help us advance the mission of our organization, to empower youth and prepare them to make positive life decisions and become independent adults.  A job training program would better enable us to help the youth attain gainful employment, reduce the symptoms of mental health issues, and set them up for success. With a steady income, an improved sense of self worth, and vocational training, the youth will be less dependent on public assistance, more capable of moving out of the realm of poverty, and better able to afford food, shelter, and basic needs.

The Target population is on average 16.9 years old and roughly 69% are male. Our youth come from across the state of Maryland; 36% of the youth come from Baltimore, 25% from Prince George’s County, and 16% from Montgomery County. 82% of the youth are African American, 8% are Hispanic, 7% are Caucasian, and 3% identify as Other/Bi-racial. 100% of the youth in our care are low income.

The youth in the care of Hearts & Homes for Youth have overcome adversity and have been referred to us by the Department of Juvenile Services as an alternative to detention, or by the Department of Social Services to remove them from an unsafe environment. Our mission is to empower and support these survivors, help them build a community of support and acceptance, and help them make positive life decisions so they can become independent adults and reach their fullest potential. A critical component of youth having the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential is an understanding of their ability to provide for themselves.

By attaining practical work experience, the youth will be prepared for the current needs of the labor market, link their competencies with employers’ needs, build a supportive community for themselves, and develop a sense of worth, motivation and responsibility. By helping the youth develop an understanding of the value of their time and work, the vocational education may minimize the dropout rate, increase financial independence, and set the youth up for success in the long run.

Please help us provide this life changing program for all of the youth in our care!

Ready, Set, Back to School!

Activities for the youth

Earlier this week, Hearts & Homes for Youth hosted our annual Back to School Picnic for youth and the Hearts & Homes family to kick off the school year! Once again, Social & Scientific Systems provided Hearts & Homes with top quality new backpacks for our kids, filled with school supplies. For years, Social & Scientific Systems have provided the youth of Hearts & Homes with the tools they need to start the school year well prepared.

Held shortly before school starts, the picnic is a chance for the youth to meet each other and all the staff at Hearts & Homes, get school supplies for the new school year, and enjoy the outdoors.

This great event is hosted by Hearts & Homes Senior Counselors with support from Group Home Program Managers. The Senior Counselors led the fun and welcoming celebration, full of games, sports, activities, and smiles!

 

The First Annual Kings of Style Party!

Activities for the youth

11880376_10153612173622112_8141458474374216998_nHearts & Homes for Youth’s 1st annual Kings of Style party was a great event thanks to our incredible supporters and our incredible young men! On Friday, over 50 young men from our group homes and shelters, and from our sister organizations, came to the Kings of Style party and saw some of the many people who believe in and are invested in their success.

We are grateful to Prince George’s County Clerk of the Circuit Court Sydney Harrison, our dedicated friends from the U.S. Marine Corps at Fort Meade, Markita Bryant, Telly Lovelace from Governor Larry Hogan’s office, Katrina Owens from Congresswoman Donna Edwards office, City of Laurel Mayor Craig Moe, our former CEO Rex Smith, City Council Member Fred Smalls, our supporters from the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, and many more!

We are grateful for the support from Prince George’s County Clerk of the Circuit Court Sydney Harrison! He shared his story of success with our young men and encouraged them to embrace the positive in life and believe in themselves! He also gave up his own belt to one of our young men. It was very impactful for our youth to have someone from the court there to give them hope and encouragement. He told them “you can overcome anything…each of your has something special…life should be your inspiration.” He encouraged them to learn to trust and love: “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

 

Simply the Best Painting Company paints Shelter

Thank you to our supporters

default_stbpainting_nimva_logo_270x97pxToday Simply the Best Painting Company combined painting with philanthropy by donating their expertise and supplies to paint one of Hearts & Homes for Youth’s shelters for vulnerable youth.

The project at Hearts & Homes for Youth’s Helen Smith Residential Group included painting the trim throughout the house, the ceiling, two stairways, and all the radiators!

As the name suggests, the group was Simply the Best and completed the project in a half a day!

“The company wanted to give back to the community and chose to donate their services to Hearts & Homes for Youth,” said Hearts & Homes President and CEO Chloe Perez. “It is critically important that the youth in our care who have experienced abuse, neglect, homelessness, or another form of trauma, live in a safe and beautiful environment where they can develop their sense of self-confidence and self-worth. We are grateful for this gift from Rob Garretson and his team from Simply the Best Painting Company.”

“We did our small part to help make a difference in these kids’ lives,” said Simply the Best Painting Company CEO Robert Garretson, “we love giving back to the community and we are invested in the welfare of these kids.

Hearts & Homes for Youth is grateful to Simply the Best Painting Company for donating their time and exceptional painting services! This project was a great experience from start to finish. Simply the Best is very professional and delightful to work with. The planning process was great, they helped us pick the right paint for the house, and the project was well planned. The painting is exceptional, they did great work and very quick and CLEAN. Rob Garretson was a great communicator and kept us posted on every step of the way. Great work!