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.

Thank you to all our Back-

pack Heroes who helped us

get the children of Middle

Tennessee ready for school

this year.

The Backpack Heroes

program provides back-

packs and school supplies

to more than 600 children

in Youth Villages’ group

homes, foster care, in-home

counseling and transitional

living programs.

“Because of what our

partners continue to do for

Youth Villages, these kids

get to attend school with

new folders, paper, pencils

and backpacks like every

other kid,” said Greg Schott,

Youth Villages development

manager. “It shows them

they are important to the

community.”

This year, such commu-

nity partners as Crye-Leike,

Rogers Group, Akzo Nobel,

Victory Church and Informa

Investment Solutions all

stepped up to the plate to

be heroes this year, as well

as many other generous

groups and individuals.

This year was Crye-

Leike’s 11th year in a row to

participate in the program.

“We are thrilled to be

able to continue to support

Youth Villages’ Backpack

Heroes program by provid-

ing so many of our kids in

our community with what

they need to be prepared

and start school,” said

Melissa Spoonamore, public

relations assistant at Crye-

Leike.

If you are interested in

being a Backpack Hero,

contact Greg Schott at

615-250-7262 or email greg.

schott@youthvillages.org.

A team of Panera employees representing different

Panera stores in the Nashville area recently volunteered

as Backpack Heroes to organize school supplies and fill

321 backpacks for Youth Villages’ children in kindergar-

ten, elementary, middle and high school.

In addition to volunteering, Panera organized a Frozen

Lemonade promotion to raise money used to purchase

some of the school supplies.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of

Backpack Heroes,” said Courtney Ricchio, local marketing

manager at Panera Bread Company. “It was truly amaz-

ing to see the amount of backpacks and school supplies

we helped provide for the kids in our communities. Our

volunteers loved it.”

Panera  donates,  volunteers

th  

Target employees from Nashville and surrounding areas

recently volunteered for a landscaping project at Binkley

Group Home. The 29-member group, led by Jenny Webb

and Adrienne Figueroa, is the largest volunteer group for

Youth Villages in Middle Tennessee.

“The turnout of volunteers and energy was impressive,”

Figueroa said. “Despite the heat, this was a fantastic oppor-

tunity for our teams to come together from stores all over

Nashville for a common cause and have fun. I am proud of

my team who worked quickly to do a quality job.”

The Target volunteers tried to beat the heat by coming

bright and early, but temperatures reached 90 degrees

before 10 a.m. But the group did not let sweat get in the way

of weeding and mulching the front and back yards to make

the Binkley Home look great.

“The results were incredible,” Figueroa said. “We were

passionate about providing a great finished result for the

boys.”

In addition to landscaping, the volunteers started a gar-

den of tomatoes, corn, carrots, watermelon, cucumber and

radishes.

For more information about volunteer opportunities at

Youth Villages, contact Lyndsay Berry at 615-250-7323 or

lyndsay.berry@youthvillages.org.

What are your fondest

memories of the holiday

season? They prob-

ably include family and

friends, festive meals

and special gifts. But

many children grow up without ever experiencing these

magic moments. This year Youth Villages will have more

than 800 children and families who desperately need

someone to become their Holiday Hero. As a Holiday

Hero, you can make sure the children receiving help at

Youth Villages get to share in some of these wonderful

experiences and build memories that will last a lifetime.

As a Holiday Hero, you will receive a child’s wish list

of three gifts and purchase those items. We ask Heroes

to spend only $75 per child – if you would like to spend

more, you can sponsor additional children or families.

Please leave each gift unwrapped and bagged together

in a clear sack with a copy of the child’s wish list inside.

We would like to have the gifts delivered to the Nashville

office (3310 Perimeter Hill Dr., Nashville TN, 37211) by

Friday, Dec. 9.

You can make a difference in the life of a child! It is

only through the generous support of community part-

ners that each of these children will receive gifts and

experience the joy and hope of the holiday season. If

you would like to be a Holiday Hero, please contact Greg

Schott at 615-250-7262 or greg.schott@youthvillages.org.

Melinda and Thomas Spiller

adopted Noah June 27. Noah

was placed with the Spillers at 4

months old after suffering abuse.

He received intensive daily atten-

tion from the Spillers after leaving

the hospital and being placed with

them. Although Noah will have

challenges throughout life with

the permanent damages the abuse

caused, he is able to run around

and do many of the things that little

boys do thanks to the loving care of

the Spillers.

Logan was adopted by Beth Bugg, a

Nashville foster parent. Beth and Lo-

gan have been together for two years.

His new adoptive name is Logan Allen

Bugg. In addition to Youth Villages’

foster care staff, Logan’s adoption was

supported by the Rutherford County

Department of Children’s Services.

Sophia found her forever family.

Last July, her adoption was final-

ized. Sophia has been in the care of

Sarah and John Paxson since she

was an infant. Sarah and John are

devoted parents, giving constant

awareness and responsiveness to

her special medical and develop-

mental needs.

Logan

Sophia

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

in November, and his adoption finalized in May.

Whether you’re planning a gift by

writing a will or by setting up a trust

for Youth Villages or another non

profit, Youth Villages can help.

The Youth Villages website has in-

formation on donations and planned

giving that may be valuable to you.

Simply visit youthvillages.org and

click Donate, where you’ll find an

introduction to planned giving. A

category titled “How Can I…,” lists

all the vehicles included in a plan,

including wills and bequests, gifts of

appreciated stock and gifts of real

estate with examples.

In addition, there is a section on

“why everyone needs a will,” a glossa-

ry of terms, an estate intention form

and even a planned giving calcula-

tor to see what a planned gift would

mean in your unique circumstances.

For more information, contact Marler

Stone at 901-251-4820 or e-mail marler.

stone@youthvillages.org.

www.facebook.com/youthvillages

www.twitter.com/youthvillages

www.youthvillages.wordpress.com

The following donors

made gifts to Youth Villages

between Jan. 1 and Aug. 15,

2011. The board of directors

and staff of Youth Villages

gratefully acknowledge

these thoughtful contribu-

tions. If you made a contri-

bution during this time but it

is not listed, please call the

Youth Villages Development

department at 615-250-7207.

3310 Perimeter Hill Drive

Nashville, TN 37211

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDYOUTH VILLAGES