This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Family Victories from Youth Villages Middle Tennessee
2
A message from Our CEO
The work we do can have a tremendous effect on youth in Middle Tennessee,
but that work falls short without the help of the community. Individuals and
businesses volunteer countless hours to help us and youth in our programs,
and the benefits go far beyond simple help — not only are young people in our
programs shown real-life skills and prepared for the future, they’re shown that
a community is invested in their success.
Our transitional living program is an effective way to help young people ag-
ing out of foster care by teaching them independent living skills — things many
take for granted — like budgeting money, finding a place to live, getting insur-
ance and health care, filling out college applications or finding a job. But our
community takes that to another level. For instance, Middle Tennessee State
University recently hosted an orientation session for some in our TL program.
In addition to a tour of the school, they also let the young people know about a
school program specifically for former foster youth to help them through the
intimidating first year of school. In addition, Bridgestone Americas recently
hosted a job camp for our TL youth, where they shared tips on interviewing
well, dressing for success and resume building. Our youth were able to conduct
mock interviews with Bridgestone employees, and received feedback on what
they did well and what they need to improve upon. In fact, a few in attendance
were identified as candidates for internships.
A mentor recently was also honored as a nominee for the Catherine Strobel
Award. Monica and her husband, Jerrion, mentor two youth who’ve been through
Youth Villages’ programs, and the mentees have thrived in their relationships. It’s
inspiring to see how a community rises to help those in need. In Middle Tennessee,
volunteering is a tradition, and the community reaps the rewards in a future of
children who’ve seen first-hand how much a community cares.
Thank you for your support,
Mike Bruns, ChairmanRonnie Randall, Vice ChairmanJimmy Lackie, SecretaryPaul Bower, TreasurerJim Barton Jr.Eric BoltonKenneth CampbellTerry CrossMarietta DavisNicholas R. EhlenLewis Holland Sr.John HutchinsJoanna JacobsonRev. Robert Earl JonesBryan JordanKarole LloydMark MedfordJim ParrishJohnny PittsRay PohlmanJennifer QueenPat RitzMatthew TarkentonScotland ThedeDavid TylerBetsy WalkupGeorge WhitePatrick Lawler, CEO
Bill Hamburg, Co-Chairman
Betsy Walkup, Co-Chairman
Karen Baker
Judy Caplan
George Cate Jr.
Tarsha Clemons
Mary Cooper
Vaughan DePillo
Bob Grimes
Mary Grochau
Julia Ann Hawkins
Chris Kimler
Brent McIntosh
Elena Perez
Laura Perkins
Louisa Pruitt
Lisa Small
Kevin Thompson
Lele Thompson
Pat Wallace
Jeremy Werthan
Youth Villages recently was featured
in a five-part documentary series on
WNPT Nashville Public Television
about children’s mental health issues
in Nashville. WNPT hosted the first
viewing of the documentary, “Chil-
dren’s Health Crisis,” and followed the
viewing with a discussion by a panel of
Nashville-area experts in the mental
health field.
The documentary followed Sarah
Baker, Intercept family intervention
specialist in Nashville, on one of her
home visits with a family.
“It was exciting to have the opportu-
nity to show people what I do at Youth
Villages and to share a success story
that shows what we do here really
works,” Sarah said. “The family was in-
credible. They spoke about their posi-
tive experiences with Youth Villages
and shared their story for other people
to see and know help is out there.”
In the documentary, Sarah and the
mother of the family explained how
Youth Villages’ in-home program
helped her son
address his ag-
gression issues
and gave her
family a more
peaceful house-
hold.
The goal of
the documentary is to raise aware-
ness of mental health issues and start
a community-wide conversation about
the increasing health problems of
Nashville’s children, including pre-
mature birth, childhood obesity and
untreated mental health issues.
The documentary showed Tennessee
ranks 42 out of 50 states in health and
well-being for children.
3
ChristieCare of Oregon and Youth Villages celebrated
their merger June 1 during ceremonies at the organiza-
tion’s Lake Oswego campus.
The new organization, called Youth Villages-Chris-
tieCare of Oregon, offers intensive in-home services to
families in Clackamas and Washington counties, while
continuing ChristieCare’s 150-year history of providing
residential and other services to troubled children and
youth throughout the Pacific Northwest.
“What we need in Oregon are proven, cost-effective al-
ternatives to more expensive foster care and residential
services, as well as prevention services that allow us to
preserve and strengthen families before they fall apart,”
said Lynne Saxton, executive director of Youth Villages-
ChristieCare. “That’s exactly what we are now able to
offer to Oregon’s children and families.”
Youth Villages was highlighted in a recent PBS documentary and panel discussion in Nashville.
OutcomesAt One-Year Post-Discharge
0
20
40
60
80
100
83% 81%90%
At home w
ith family
No involvem
entw
ith the law
In school or graduated
The graph above represents status at one year after discharge through June 2011. Figures include only youth who received at least 60 days of service and reflect a response rate of 55 percent.
As a national leader in the field of behavioral health,
Youth Villages has measured outcomes of children and
families participating in its programs since 1994.
Jenna Marquardt-Coleman, left, and Sarah Baker
4
MTSU’s Next Step program offers assistance, support for former foster youth
Youth in the transitional living program recently toured Middle Tennessee State University and learned about the school’s Next Step Program, which supports entering students who were in foster care.
Middle Tennessee youth in the
transitional living program re-
cently visited Middle Tennessee
State University for a campus
tour and to learn more about the
university’s Next Step program.
Attending college is a life-
changing event, and Next Step
eases the transition from foster
care to more independent col-
lege life. MTSU, in conjunction
with the Tennessee Depart-
ment of Children’s Services and
the Tennessee Youth Advisory
Council, created the program
where student mentors assist
incoming students with admis-
sions, financial aid, housing,
academic advising and student
support.
These mentors are part of the
Next Step program and come
from foster care or similar situa-
tions. Many of the youth partici-
pating in the tour plan to attend
MTSU, and were able to meet
with school officials to learn
more about class scheduling,
admissions and housing.
“This complements what the
TL program is doing with our
young adults,” said Joanna
Dixon, Youth Villages Middle
Tennessee education/vocation
coordinator. “This is a great
service for our youth. Entering
college is a great time, but it’s
also intimidating.
“It’s critical for our young
adults to have that extension of
support when they need it.”
Youth Villages has 150 youth
in the TL program in Middle
Tennessee. Of that, 59 are em-
ployed and 40 are in college
or pursuing post-secondary
eduation.
5
Bridgestone Americas
Inc. recently hosted an
open-house and career
coaching lunch-and-learn
for more than 50 Middle
Tennessee young adults
in the transitional living
program.
In addition to a tour of
the corporate office and
learning about Bridges-
tone’s history, the youth
also heard inspirational
stories from some of the
Bridgestone staff, where
they shared life experi-
ences and the obstacles
they overcame to achieve
success in their careers.
After a brief lunch,
the youth were escorted
through workstations on
proper dress, social
media awareness and
job interviews.
The mock job inter-
views were conducted
by Bridgestone staff,
who offered immedi-
ate feedback on
each youth’s per-
formance.
“It was a great
experience for
our young adults
in the TL program,”
said Joanna Dixon,
education/vocation
coordinator for the TL pro-
gram. “Having profession-
als give feedback on what
went well and what needed
work and how our youth
can enhance their presen
tation skills when they
go on job interviews was
invaluable.”
In fact, Bridgestone
identified a few youth as
candidates for internships.
Bridgestone Americas recently hosted a job prep training day for young people in Youth Villages’ transitional living program that in-cluded participating in mock job interviews.
6
Dell Inc. volunteers closed out the summer by providing a
cookout for the girls at the Wallace Group Home. The dedi-
cated group from Dell grilled turkey burgers and shishka-
babs, and provided fruit and corn on the cob for the Wallace
girls and staff.
“It was great to be able to do something delicious and nu-
tritious for the Wallace Home before they have to focus on
going back to school,” Tarsha Clemmons, Dell team leader,
said.
In addition to the cookout, the Dell volunteers sponsored
the girls for their school uniforms.
The entire staff at the Wallace Group Home and
Youth Villages would like to thank the Dell volun-
teers for their continued support for Youth Villages’
group homes.
At the Tallwood Group Home, our youth work on computers provided by Dell.
Wallace Group Home
Tallwood Group Home
In April, Dell volunteers spent the day weeding, mulching and
establishing a garden full of fruits and vegetables at the Wallace
Group Home.
Dell held a resumé workshop for young adults in Youth Villages’
transitional living program. The group not only worked with Dell
staff to design and construct a quality resumé, they also toured
the Dell facility.
As part of Dell’s YouthConnect grant, Youth
Villages is able to provide laptops for youth in our
programs. Youth in the transitional living program
use the computers for seeking employment and for
educational purposes.
Dell YouthConnect grant
Monica Richardson recently was
nominated for a Mary Catherine
Strobel Volunteer Award, hosted by
HandsOn Nashville. Mary Catherine
Strobel was a community volunteer
who led charitable efforts to serve
others who were less fortunate. The
awards were created in honor of
Strobel.
“There were so many amazing
people there with amazing stories,”
Monica said. “I was so honored to be
there.”
Only a few years before, she had
little interest in being a mentor.
Monica was a foster parent trainer
and recruiter for Youth Villages in the
Clarksville office. She now works with
Phoenix Homes adoption services in
Nashville.
“At Youth Villages, being a mentor
was talked about a lot,” she said. “But
I kept telling myself I
didn’t have the time.”
She’d only been with
Youth Villages for a few
weeks when she was
warned to be on the
lookout for a girl who’d
run away. The story, as
Monica tells it, begins
when Crystal, then about
13, showed up at the
Clarksville office.
“She needed a mentor,” she said. “We
kind of connected right there.”
“Monica’s like a big sister to me,”
Crystal said. “She helps me out with
everything.”
They’ve had to scale back their visits
to once a month because they live so
far apart. But they stay close by phon-
ing weekly, sometimes more. They’ve
been together going on three years.
Monica says her personal and spiri-
tual journey is about learning. And in
dealing with others through social
services and mentoring, she has great
opportunities.
“I’m able to learn so much from
others and their stories,” Monica said.
“Even as Crystal has matured and
become more of an adult, I still learn
about what’s important to her and what
her priorities are.”
7
Monica, right, with mentee Crystal
Lateria spent five years
or exactly 70 months in
state custody before find-
ing a forever home with
her aunt.
Lateria lived in foster
care, the Wallace Group
Home and the Girls
Center on Youth Villages’
Bartlett Campus.
“When I first met Lat-
eria, she was pretty lost.
She had no anger manage-
ment skills and had ag-
gression issues,” said Tyler
Banks, Intercept supervi-
sor. “Now, Lateria is funny,
gets along with others, is a
pleasure to work with, and
has developed great criti-
cal thinking and judgment
skills.”
When Lateria was living
in Wallace, she qualified
for Youth Villages’ inten-
sive family finder pro-
gram, which connected
her to her maternal aunt.
Youth Villages’ family
finder program searches
for biological family mem-
bers for the children Youth
Villages is trying to place
in “forever” homes.
Lateria’s aunt was grant-
ed subsidized permanent
guardianship and last fall,
Lateria was able to go to
her aunt’s house and was
reunited with her cousins.
This June, the adoption
was made official and La-
teria has found her “for-
ever” home.
In the left photo, Lateria, in blue, spent five years in state custody with no family. Youth Villages searched and found a maternal aunt who expressed a desire to adopt her. Late last year, Lateria was reunited with her aunt and cousins, above. In June, her adop-tion was made official.
Sophia, in John Paxson’s arms, surrounded by mom Sarah Paxson and her new sisters. Join-ing them is Williamson County Circuit Court Judge James G. Martin.
Rutherford County Chancellor Robert Ewing Corlew stands between Thomas and Melinda Spiller, who re-cently adopted Noah, being held by Melinda.
Logan, center, with mother and grandmother Beth and Myra, with Rutherford County Chan-cellor Robert Ewing Corlew.
AmbroceSince 2005, Ambroce has been in foster care or participating in Youth
Villages’ programs. Ambroce transitioned to Chad and Ruby Gantt’s home