Hearts & Homes for Youth is participating in WTOP’s Click for a Cause contest! WTOP will give money to the top three causes that people vote for. Visit http://wtop.com/click-for-a-cause and vote for Hearts & Homes for Youth!
You can only vote once, between Sept 14th and 25th, and winners will be announced the following week! Help us win $12k to support our programs that support the youth in our care!
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:
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:
We are excited to announce the Honorees who we will be recognizing this year at our annual HONORS 2015 gala at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on October 8th. This year we will be conferring awards to Rob Chasteen-Scheer, Markita Bryant, Sergeant David Jenks, Alan Schulman, and a Hearts & Homes staff member.
Rob Chasteen-Scheer will receive the Rex Smith Legacy Award. Rob is the founder of Comfort Cases, an organization created to bring comfort to thousands of kids in the foster care system by providing them with suitcases full of basic necessities. Rob, a foster parent and former foster youth, has dedicated himself to the community and to making sure that foster youth receive something that comforts them, something of their own and they realize how important they are.
Miss Rhode Island United States Markita Bryant will receive the Avis Birely award, conferred in honor of Avis Birely who was a devoted advocate for Hearts & Homes for Youth and grand public servant in the community. For the past 3 years, Markita has made an effort on numerous occasions to build support for Hearts & Homes for Youth in the community and get other people involved in our organization. The most outstanding contribution from Markita has been at the Princess Party, where she encourages our young women to embrace and express themselves.
The CEO’s Volunteer Service Award will be given to Sergeant David Jenks of the U.S. Marines who has above and beyond to support Hearts & Homes for Youth and deserves to be recognized apart from his peers. Sergeant Jenks does not seek recognition but his example continuously delivers a powerful message that encourages others to take action. Sergeant Jenks has set an example for all of us by his consistent positive energy, leadership, and dedication to the community. We are humbled that in addition to serving our country, Sergeant Jenks has devoted his time to serving our community and specifically the youth in our care.
The Chairman’s Award will be conferred to board member Alan Schulman for his outstanding dedication and commitment to our agency and mission. Alan Schulman has been exemplar of the dedication all organizations seek from their board members. For years, Alan has been tirelessly dedicated to drumming up support in the community for our events, activities for the youth, and general support for and understanding of our mission. His leadership, engagement, and oversight have contributed enormously to the success of our events. Alan is extraordinarily generous with his time, wisdom, and financial support while ensuring that the events remain committed to our mission and guiding values.
Click here for more information about HONORS 2015 gala!
Thanks to an anonymous donor, we have over 100 black patent leather shoes for the young men in our care! Our boys are excited and proud to have these nice shoes for events and interviews!
If you are looking to donate, we are in need of the following items:
If you have any of these items to donate or would like to hold a drive to collect these items for the youth in our care, please contact Caitlin Ward at cward@heartsandhomes.org
We are looking forward to honoring four individuals at HONORS 2015 on October 8th at The Fillmore in Silver Spring at the spectacular event! We will be presenting the following awards:
The Rex Smith Legacy Award is conferred to an individual whose life embodies the spirit of our former CEO Rex Smith. Rex dedicated his life to public service, juvenile and criminal justice, and giving young people second chances. The recipient of the Rex Smith Legacy Award is an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to success and dedication to making their dreams a reality.
Avis Birely was a devoted advocate, giving selflessly of her thought, time, and energy to the establishment of Hearts & Homes for Youth during its development in 1964 and through the rest of her life. It was Avis, as president of the Montgomery County Council, who shepherded the very first County grant to a nonprofit agency, Hearts & Homes. The president of Rockville Crushed Stone was so impressed her with efforts and tenacity that he matched the $25,000 grant. Avis Birely remains an icon in the long, rich history of Hearts & Homes and the community, for which she was a grand public servant. The recipient of this award embodies the spirit of Avis Birely.
The Chair of Hearts & Homes for Youth Board of Directors confers this award to an individual for their outstanding dedication and commitment to our agency and mission. Their support combined with their other good works in the community has enhanced our standing as an organization and has helped us to significantly improve the lives of children.
The CEO’s Volunteer Service Award is given to an individual who deserves to be recognized apart from his or her peers. This individual does not seek recognition but their example has delivered a powerful message that encourages others to take action. The recipient has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the community and Hearts & Homes for Youth through volunteerism and service.
The Hearts & Homes Staff Award is given annually to an outstanding staff member who has made a unique contribution to the organization and has demonstrated exceptional reliability, quality of work, initiative, and professionalism.
Click here to see more about HONORS 2015!
Hearts & Homes for Youth is excited to have Leon Harris emcee our HONORS Gala again this year!
Click here to see more about the event!
HONORS 2015 will be hosted at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Thursday, October 8th, 2015 from 6pm-11pm. The annual event is held to raise money and awareness for our organization’s life-changing programs for youth in Maryland. The event is dedicated to celebrating special individuals who have selflessly dedicated their lives to the betterment of children’s futures. We are looking forward to this fun and exciting night!
Award-winning journalist Leon Harris anchors the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts for ABC7/WJLA-TV. He came to Washington after 20 years at CNN’s Atlanta Headquarters, where he co-anchored CNN Live Today and Prime News, and hosted CNN Presents and American Stories.
Harris has covered a wide variety of stories including the September 11th terror strikes, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Asian Tsunami of 2004, the explosion and crash of TWA Flight 800 and the Los Angeles riots. He has interviewed presidential candidates, and reported live from both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Harris’ work has earned him a number of honors, among them multiple CableAce awards for Best Newscaster, and National Emmy Awards for coverage of the September 11th terror strikes, the Oklahoma City bombing and the 2000 presidential election. He was honored, too, with a National Headliner Award and more recently with a National Capital Area Emmy Award for Best Anchor.
Leon Harris is passionate about improving the lives of children. His weekly segment entitled Harris’ Heroes profiles adults helping kids or kids helping their peers in the DC metro region. The series runs every Wednesday evening during ABC7 News at Five. The news segments can also be found on wjla.com.
Harris also works with many charitable groups including For Love of Children, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, Unique Learning Center, March of Dimes and many others.
He is a Cum Laude and honorary doctorate recipient from Ohio University.
Check out pictures from this great event!
Come join us at our BBQ on Friday July 3rd at Cabin John Regional Park Group Picnic Area from noon to 4pm, as we celebrate two youth in Hearts & Homes for Youth‘s foster care programs who who have been accepted as recipients of the Open Arms Scholarship from Honorary Nieces and Nephews, Inc.! The scholarships will be presented by former foster youth and Army National Guard Soldier Joshua Nazario!
These two young people are the first to receive a scholarship from Honorary Nieces & Nephews, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing LGBTQ homeless youth and foster youth with resources, educational support, and opportunities to become self-sufficient adults.
We are glad to bring the nonprofit, foster care, LGBTQ, and military communities together for a very special day! If you would like to join us for this special day, RSVP on our Facebook event page!
Thank you to all of the golfers and sponsors who joined us on Friday for our 4th annual Girls on the Green fundraiser golf tournament at Timbers at Troy! We had a fantastic day and enjoyed a special visit from Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman! Thank you to all of the golfers, sponsors, Hearts & Homes board members, Hearts & Homes staff, and Timbers staff who all made this a great event!
Check out some of the vendors that will be showcasing their products at Girls on the Green!
Cathy Lerario will be at Girls on the Green with handmade sea glass beach jewelry and beach home decor! Check out her products on Facebook at Seaglass, Silver and Shells!
Jessica Durning will be coming from Younique Products with cutting-edge cosmetics! The products contain high quality ingredients that enrich and nourish the skin. The cosmetics are safely compatible with virtually every skin type. Younique Products’ goal is to provide healthy, clean, and pure cosmetics.
Jennifer Kramer will be coming with her products from Thirty One Gifts! Whether you’re looking for style, organization, the perfect giftable item – or a little bit of everything – Thirty-One’s has you covered on trendy and affordable purses, totes, and bags. Just over 10 years ago, Thirty-One was formed with a simple goal of helping women by giving them an opportunity to own their own business.
Morgan Reem will be showcasing Unique Boh’tique clothing from LuLaRoe and a variety of adjustable, non-slip headbands in a variety of colors from Owl Be Sweatin! We can’t wait to see the products at this pop-up boutique!
Julie Snight is bringing a Southern Maryland traveling fashion boutique to Girls on the Green! Click here to check out Explore Couture!
Dianne Brickman will be showcasing the stylish, fun products from The Shine Collection! Launched in 2013, The Shine Collection is a line of resort and lounge-wear made from hand block printed fabrics imported from India. The epitome of effortless chic, Shine features universally flattering styles for sunny days and starry nights. The Shine Collection, based in Bethesda, feels a strong commitment to giving back to the community! Check out her website to start picking out what you’ll buy when you see her at Girls on the Green!
Latecea Brock from It Works! will be a vendor at the Girls on the Green Golf Tournament this June! The staple product of It Works! is the body wrap, which tightens tones, firms and reduces the appearance of cellulite. It Works! also has a skin care line and a wellness line that includes various types of supplements. To top it all off, Latecea is a newly licensed Zumba instructor! Click here to check out her products!
Alex and Debbie Schmidt will be representing Arbonne at the 4th Annual Golf Tournament. Arbonne is a Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Non-GMO health and wellness company that represents beauty from the inside out! Anti-aging is a synergistic approach to what you put on and in your body which includes skincare and nutrition. We have pure, safe, and beneficial products for the entire family. There will be a Free Product drawing and homemade protein bar tasting. Check out Arbonne products here!
Contact Caitlin Buckley at cbuckley@heartsandhomes.org if you would like to showcase your products at our event!