Category Archives: In the community

Students organize drive for Hearts & Homes for Youth!

Hearts & Homes for Youth is grateful to three high school students who rallied support and collected donations for the youth in our care!

Tyrek, DaRae, and Aaron were considering a list of volunteer opportunities for Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day provided by their high schools, but decided to create their own project to directly help others in need.

Tyrek and DaRae attend Wilde Lake High School together, and Tyrek and Aaron have know each other for over ten years; they have played football together since they were six years old, and have become best friends, like brothers. Tyrek’s mother encourages him to seek volunteer opportunities throughout the year and he often encourages his friends to volunteer as well.

The three friends researched shelters and group homes, and came across  Hearts & Homes for Youth. They valued the variety of programs provided and the wide range of counties across Maryland where Hearts & Homes provides services.  The students reached out to learn about our current needs and decided to host a drive for socks and toiletries. The team created their plan, developed roles, and began contacting potential donors.

The entire experience was very fulfilling for the students, in particular, knowing that they were helping children close to their own ages, in need.

Hearts & Homes for Youth and all the youth in our care are grateful for Tyrek, DaRae, and Aaron’s support and all the donations collected!

Share-A-Haircut – Feb. 6th and 7th!

We are excited to announce that Hair Cuttery is conducting its annual Share-A-Haircut program to provide haircuts to youth in the care of Hearts & Homes for Youth! A fresh haircut can help our children and teens shine from within and feel more confident with a new style!

For every haircut purchased on Monday, February 6th and Tuesday, February 7th Hair Cuttery will donate a free haircut certificate to Hearts and Homes for Youth!

When you share a haircut, the youth in our care appreciate your generosity and compassion. A small thing like a haircut means a lot to the young people in our care!

Thank you Leadership Montgomery 2017 Core Class!

15977211_10154012210867294_8502586346358554220_nThis morning Leadership Montgomery 2017 Core Class came to Hearts & Homes for Youth Avis Birely Group Home to spruce it up with a new coat of paint!

The boys will be surprised and overjoyed when they get home from school and see the beautiful colors! Thank you Leadership Montgomery 2017 Core Class for choosing Hearts & Homes for Youth for your Nonprofit Project!

Hasan Family hosts Holiday Donation Drive for Hearts & Homes

All of us at Hearts & Homes for Youth are grateful to the Hasan family for hosting a Holiday Donation Drive in their neighborhood! The family set up boxes on their porch – one box for new items (including PJ, blankets, socks, underwear, and toys), and another other box for gently used shoes, long sleeve shirts, warm pants, coats. They spread word about the opportunity and neighbors and friends were very supportive!

We are grateful to the Hasan family and all of our supporters for helping make the holiday season very special for all of the youth in our care!

Real Estate Agents host gift card collection drive!

14938323_10155508960132516_6563102661769437233_nReal Estate agents Danielle Mannix of RE/MAX Realty Group, Josh Greene of Eastern Title and Settlement, and Chong Yi of APEX Home Loans are hosting a gift card collection drive for Hearts & Homes for Youth! From November 15-30, the agents will be collecting gift cards to Target, Giant, Walmart, local restaurants, recreational activities (movies, rock climbing, etc.), as well as Visa/Mastercard gift cards in the amounts of $20, $25, $50, and $100! Their goal is to collect 50 gift cards!

Danielle, Josh, and Chong  will be collecting gift cards at Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge on 11/15 and 11/29 from 5-8pm. Please contact them to arrange for other pickup.

Danielle Mannix of RE/MAX Realty Group – agentmannix@gmail.com – 301-370-6505
Josh Greene of Eastern Title and Settlement – josh@easterntitle.net – 240-876-0642
Chong Yi of APEX Home Loans – cyi@apexhomeloans.com – 301-332-1810

The gift cards will directly benefit the youth in the care of Hearts & Homes for Youth, many of whom are foster youth and have, for much of their lives, received donations. While they are grateful for the items, gift cards give them the opportunity to pick something out for themselves, that they want or need. Please help us brighten the day of a child in need! Your donation is tax deductible.

 

Thank you Sheridan School!

img_2929For a number of years, Sheridan School parents and staff have invited the students to donate some of their Halloween candy to Hearts & Homes for Youth! We are grateful again this year to everyone at Sheridan School for selecting Hearts & Homes for Youth again this year to receive the donation of Halloween candy from your students!

img_2930Our agency prioritizes ensuring the youth feel care for and feel welcome the moment they arrive. This welcome is warmly complemented by a bag of candy that we can give to each youth that is theirs. It is a great, small gesture to show each child and teen that we care about each and every one of them.

Some of the candy is kept at our main office and put in a bowl in the kitchen that we invite the youth to help themselves to when they come to the office. Again, it is a small gesture, but the kids respond positively to it and are very appreciative!

 

Celebrate the Holiday Spirit – Adopt a Wish List!

1This holiday season you can make a difference in a child’s life by answering their holiday wish list!

By answering a wish list, you can make a child or teen at Hearts & Homes for Youth feel cared for and supported as they work toward building a brighter future!

To learn more or to sign up to make this holiday season very special for a young person contact Hazel Eguia at 301-679-1283 or heguia@heartsandhomes.org!

Helpful Tips

  • Do not feel obligated to fulfill the entire wish list, anything you can get to help the youth in our care will be greatly appreciated!
  • Please do not wrap the gifts, but gift bags are greatly appreciated! Please label the items with the child’s name and program name
  • If you bundle gifts into boxes or plastic bags, you can use one label for all
  • If you are donating gift cards/certificates, please put them in a sealed envelop
  • We can arrange a pick up of the gift donations if needed. If delivering gifts, please bring them to:

Hearts & Homes for Youth
3919 National Drive, Suite 400
Burtonsville, MD 20866

  • All donations should be received by Thursday, December 15, 2016. If this is not possible, please let us know!

#WednesdayWisdom Success Story!

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!

Developing a young workforce

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!