All posts by Hearts & Homes for Youth

Hearts & Homes Partners with Making Change

Activities for the youth

blk-couple-162604671-32b908959st89ylbdt8ljeWe 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.
making-change-roy-yenoli-at-hcc-silas-craft-scholars-9-11-131-32b908959st89ylbdt8ljeOur 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!

Thank you Jones Lang LaSalle for the art supplies!

Thank you to our supporters
Thank you Jones Lang LaSalle for donating art supplies this morning for the youth in our programs!

donations-to-hearts-and-homes3-copy

Art therapy is a critical tool that provides the youth with critical insight into emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Creating art provides an opportunity to be creative, learn more about yourself, develop confidence and self-worth, and feel empowered! Art is also a relaxing and stress relieving activity! #empoweryouth #brighterfutures
art-supplies-donated

Gift card collection drive!

Get to know our programs, Thank you to our supporters

09ljgfbk1xHearts & Homes for Youth is launching a gift card collection drive! Our goal is, with the help of our supporters, to amass 500 gift cards in the amounts of $20, $50, and $100 to places such as Target, Giant, and Walmart where there is a wide selection, as well as Visa gift cards.

Many of the youth in our care are foster youth and have, for much of their lives, received donations. While they are grateful for the items, they also love the opportunity to choose for themselves, something they want or need. The purpose in collecting gift cards is to give the youth in our care the opportunity to pick something for themselves, that they want or need.

We would be grateful for support from individuals, groups, organizations, churches, and businesses! If you would like to get involved, please contact Caitlin Ward at cward@heartsandhomes.org

Bethesda Magazine Shines Spotlight on Youth

Thank you to our supporters

In an article titled “Fostering Her Spirit,” Bethesda Magazine wrote about one of the young people at our Helen Smith Group Home for girls. The article highlights a time she aspired for a dream and the breadth of support she received from the Hearts & Homes for Youth community.

In sharing her story, the article gives the reader a snapshot of the challenges and trauma many of our youth are overcoming, and the difference that your support makes!

Click here to read the article

AOL donates art & school supplies

Thank you to our supporters

img_2597 AOL‘s office in Baltimore hosted an art event last week where employees painted canvasses for Hearts & Homes for Youth’s residential facilities, to complement the homelike environments!

About 30 employees stepped away from work to learn more about Hearts & Homes for Youth and create beautiful art with inspiring messages. The art is being placed at various residential facilities for the youth, to show them the support they have from the community.

img_2596In addition to the beautiful art, AOL also donated boxes of school supplies. Youth are referred to Hearts & Homes for Youth on an ongoing basis – the donation of school supplies is incredibly helpful to ensure the youth have needed supplies for academic success!

The event was organized by Amy Rogers from AOL who provided the art supplies and some of the school supplies out of pocket. Her generosity, the support she garnered from her team at AOL, and the incredible donations from the company are greatly appreciated!

 

What our kids are up to

Get to know our programs

Hq5fjuk9ofhearts & Homes is dedicated to providing the youth in our care with all of the tools, resources, and opportunities they need, to empower them to build brighter futures. We are proud to share updates about some of the kids in our care!

A 15-year old young man in our foster care program was recently hired by a barbershop to take before and after pictures. We look forward to supporting his blossoming artistic career!

A young mother in our Independent Living Program graduated from high school last month and is in the process of enrolling for community college. After earning her Associate’s, she plans to study social work!

One of our young mothers successfully completed the program and has moved into an apartment in Baltimore with her long time boyfriend and two children.

After two years in our program, a young mother was reunified with a family member. The Aunt has welcomed the young mother, her boyfriend, and their 1-year old son into her home. The couple is expecting their second child this month. This young mother received her Nursing Assistant Certification earlier this year and plans to return to school for the Patient Care Technician Certification after her baby is born.

Another young mother is progressing through our Damamli program! she recently signed her own lease and was excited to furnish her apartment. She is attending Community College and working full time with an AmeriCorps program in Baltimore County.

We are so proud of the youth in our care and for all of their achievements!

#WednesdayWisdom Success Story!

In the community

1Recently the Chairman of our Board of Directors had a very special moment during a working lunch with clients! He said, “Last week I was having lunch in Bethesda and I noticed the biggest smile on the server’s face. It hit me that she came through Hearts & Homes and had received a scholarship at our golf event. She was beaming with joy making all of the customers feel welcome. I told my lunch guests that seeing her succeed in the real world is why I support Hearts & Homes.”

It is amazing to see our youth succeed, and it’s because of dedicated supporters like you that Hearts & Homes for Youth will be here to help the next young person start building a brighter future and transition to become a productive member of the community!

Please consider showing your support and learning more about our work and the young people we serve, at our October Gala! Click here for more information!

Thank you to our supporters!

Thank you to our supporters

We are grateful to our donors and supporters who are helping set our kids up for success in the new school year! 

Hearts & Homes for Youth would particularly like to thank Social and Scientific Systems for providing us again this year with new backpacks and school supplies that went to the youth in our group homes and in our therapeutic foster care program! We are also grateful to our friends from A-G Associates for providing us with backpacks and school supplies that went directly to some of the youth in our therapeutic foster care program as well as the children of our teen mothers who are beginning preschool!

We are also grateful to the Visions of the Heart community for providing us with school supplies to outfit youth newly entering our programs, to longtime supporter Kathryn Turner and the Columbia Center for Spiritual Living who both gifted Hearts & Homes monetary donations that went toward beautifying our group homes to create a more homelike environment, to Comfort Cases for a donation of sports attire and equipment for our youth getting ready to begin school sports, and to Reid Temple A.M.E for a generous donation of food and household items for all of our programs.

Thank you to our friends at A-G Associates!

Thank you to our supporters

IMG_2479We are grateful to our friends at A-G Associates for donating brand new backpacks filled with school supplies for various genders and ages! The backpacks went directly to foster youth in our Therapeutic Foster Care program who were grateful for the stylish and colorful new backpacks!

Outfitted with new backpacks and school supplies, the children and teens in our care are set up to have a great start to the school year and given a boost of confidence. These donations help our youth feel encouraged and empowered to succeed.

Developing a young workforce

Activities for the youth, In the community
SWRREC0K3AHearts & Homes for Youth is excited to be working with WorkSource Montgomery Young Adult Opportunity Program, which is focused on matching 16-24 year old youth with job opportunities in Montgomery County! Some of the youth in our programs have already gone through the orientation and will be matched with jobs soon and others are excited to get started!
 
The organization is dedicated to serving young people by providing educational opportunities, employment, paid internships and other resources that they may need to continue moving forward to achieve their goals!