We are always looking for ways to fulfill the monumental task of giving our young people every opportunity possible that will prepare them for self-sufficiency at age 21.  One of the keys to being prepared is, not only earning money, but understanding how money works and managing it effectively.

Recently, Hearts & Homes for Youth connected with Making Change, a nonprofit organization helps people learn to manage their money and thereby empowers individuals and families to achieve financial stability.
Our partnership with Making Change will launch in February 2017 with a tax preparation workshop as well as free tax prep services for our young ladies in the Damamli Mother Baby Independent Living Program. The workshop will cover the challenges and common mistakes that occur when filing taxes. The team from Making Change will also provide coaching to help plan for how the refund will be spent, such as to cover security deposits, vehicle payments, childcare, and other critical items and services needed in order to maintain employment and stability.

We are also developing a program with Making Change, focused on providing financial literacy workshops for the young people in the Therapeutic Foster Care Program. Stay tuned for updates!

Last week, the Old Navy store in Laurel partnered with Hearts & Homes for Youth and provided a job readiness day for the youth in our program!

At Camp Old Navy, youth from our programs spent the day learning the ins and outs of the popular retail chain. They learned what it’s like to have a job in apparel retail and experienced hands-on training in retail management, sales and merchandising, working the sales floor alongside actual employees. Just like regular employees, the teens learned the specifics of how “their” store works and is laid out, and learned a little about what the company expects from its employees and how it wants its stores run.

Camp Old Navy is a partnership between Gap Inc. (Old Navy’s parent company) and local youth development programs. The program brings teens into Old Navy stores for a half-day job shadow experience that helps them develop job readiness skills and explore career opportunities. The teens get to experience firsthand what it’s like to work in retail and to try out new experiences like searching for merchandise using  a retail computer system and learning how to work a cash register to make transactions, all in a supportive, educational environment.

Old Navy in Laurel partnered with Hearts & Homes for Youth last year and youth who participated had a great time!

Youth in our care are working hard this summer at school and their jobs! At Avis Birely Group Home three youth are attending summer school. Another young man has been staying active in a football league, attending practices and scrimmages, looking forward to the regular season kicking off. Another young man is getting ready to enter an acting program where he will develop his performance skills.

At our Jumpstart Semi-Independent Living program, one young man is working at an auto shop, one is working at a bowling alley, and one is working with A Wider Circle. One young man has a summer job through The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), a multicultural community-based organization dedicated to empowering a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multi-cultural, comprehensive, and innovative programs that address youths’ social, academic, and career needs. Two young men are currently job searching.

At our program for young mothers experiencing homelessness, all four of the young mothers are building brighter futures for themselves and their babies. One young mother is in a GED program in Baltimore. Another young mother is completing an internship with Baltimore Community College and will be beginning her next internship at John Hopkins IT Department. Another young mother who recently gave birth will begin GED classes in September. The fourth young mother in the program is currently working as a Medical Assistant in an office outside Baltimore.

This summer has been fun and full of activity for the young people in our care! Many have been working summer jobs that they hope to continue into the school year and some have focused on their studies.

Thanks to partnerships with some great organizations and companies, Hearts & Homes for Youth has also been able to provide unique experiences for the young people in our care. For example, in August the Old Navy store in Laurel provided a job readiness day. At Camp Old Navy, the youth shadowed their “sellebrities,” learned about the workforce, and developed their professional skills!

In July, BB&T Hunt Valley hosted a picnic for our foster youth and their families. Volunteers from BB&T reserved space at Gwynn Oak Park, decorated the pavilion, and cooked a fantastic BBQ lunch! They played games with youth on the field and the atmosphere was fun and lively! The kids, young mothers, foster parents, and staff had a great time! BB&T Hunt Valley also came in June to paint housing units for young mothers (age 14-20) in the Damamli Mother-Baby Independent Living program.

Also in July, Church of the Nativity Youth Group partnered with Painted Palette to paint beautiful and inspiring canvasses that we have used to decorate the homes!

Thanks to Most Valuable Kids, residents from our Helen Smith Group Home for Girls attended a baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The girls were very excited to attend and thoroughly enjoyed the game! For two of the girls, it was their first time attending a baseball game. For another, it was her first time in Washington, DC.

July was also made special when the Prince George’s County Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) invited Hearts & Homes’ youth to attend the 3rd Annual Flag Football Game they hosted at a school in Upper Marlboro, MD. DJS provided food, beverages, enlightening speakers, and a fun day for the youth!

In June, we held the annual Princess Party for the young women in our care. The event would not have been possible without support from volunteers and donors such as Susan Davis, Biani Seested, Markita Bryant, Squisito Pizza and Pasta, and many more!

BB&T Bethesda employees also made the summer special when they 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.

Youth who entered our programs this summer were able to get new or gently used clothing from our storage closets, thanks to generous donors and supporters like you! We were also able to provide the youth with backpacks and duffel bags filled with necessities such as pajamas, slippers, soap, shampoo, other toiletries, coloring books, stuffed animals and blankets, thanks to Comfort Cases!

Thanks to all of our supporters and partners for making this a great summer! We can’t wait to see what the school year has in store!