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Newsletter for Youth Villages supporters in East Tennessee
Citation preview
Johnson City has backpack heroes ... 7
Cody’s success the result of intense work ... 6
SCS collaborates to help teen through trauma ... 3
Family Victories from Youth Villages East Tennessee Fall 2012
BRIGHT FUTUREJob, college and two children — Stephanie makes it work ... 4
A GRAND OPENINGAfter adoption, family still fostering children ... 5
2 New Heights
A message from our director
You believe children can be helped
For every success story we print, there are always more children who need
help. From young children to teens entering adulthood, many go without the
guidance and mentoring they need to become productive. Children are forced
to grow up at a young age, learning how to live in multiple homes, maybe suf-
fering abuse and neglect, coping by using whatever behavior defends them the
best.
They lash out in anger, verbally and physically. Some harm themselves or
disrupt classrooms. In some cases, they act out toward those who care for them
most – leaving loved ones in despair.
Many times, youth leaving foster care face further difficulty. Applications for
jobs, school, insurance and homes are intimidating; they don’t know what to do.
Compound that with the natural insecurity of many at that age, and you find a
person who has to fight twice as hard to achieve simple things their peers and
other adults may take for granted.
You believe, as our staff and partner agencies do, that all children matter and
can be helped. No matter the age, the resiliency and determination of a child
are extraordinary. Given the tools and support, their doubt and anxiety trans-
forms into determination. They have goals. They have plans. Most important,
they want to be somebody.
Your support makes that change happen. You help a young mother go to col-
lege. You help a young boy with a serious history learn to succeed in school and
Boy Scouts. You help create homes for children who need them.
These aren’t just stories in this newsletter – they are real children who now
have a chance for a bright future. They are safe, happy and on a journey where
they get to determine what they want to do and who they want to be.
Your support means we can reach more children and create more futures.
Thank you for making that possible.
YOUTH VILLAGES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTACT US
Mike Bruns, ChairmanBryan Jordan, Vice ChairmanJimmy Lackie, SecretaryPaul Bower, TreasurerJim Barton Jr.Eric BoltonMarietta DavisJudith EdgeNicholas R. EhlenJoanna JacobsonRev. Robert Earl JonesKarole LloydMark MedfordJohnny PittsRay PohlmanRonnie RandallPat RitzMichael RoseMatthew TarkentonScotland ThedeDavid Tyler
Patrick Lawler, CEO
Chattanooga5741 Cornelison Road6400 BuildingChattanooga, TN 37411phone: 423-954-8890 fax: 423-954-8880
Johnson City3915 Bristol Hwy #101Johnson City, TN 37601phone: 423-283-6500 fax: 423-283-6550
Knoxville9111 Cross Park Drive, Suite E475Knoxville, TN 37923phone: 865-560-2550 fax: 865-560-2580
Morristown225 West First North Street, Suite 302Millennium Square BuildingMorristown, TN 37814phone: 423-522-2200 fax: 423-522-2180
Memphis
Jackson
DyersburgParis
ClarksvilleNashville
Cookeville Johnson CityMorristown
KnoxvilleColumbia
Dickson
Linden Chattanooga
Memphis
Jackson
DyersburgParis
ClarksvilleNashville
Cookeville
Columbia
Dickson
Linden
Johnson CityMorristown
Knoxville
Chattanooga
Amanda Tillman
Director of East Tennessee
865-560-2550
New Heights 3
STATEPROGRAM SUCCESS
The graph above represents the status of East Tennessee youth at one year after discharge through June 2012. Figures include only youth who received at least 60 days of service and reflect a response rate of 53 percent.
OutcomesAt one-year post-discharge
0
20
40
60
80
100
85% 84%92%
At hom
e with fam
ily
No involvem
entw
ith the law
In school or graduated
*82.7% of youth were in state custody at admission to the program.
Program SuccessAs a national leader in the field of behavioral health, Youth Villages has measured outcomes of children and families participating in its programs since 1994.
Earlier this year, a young girl in East Tennessee found
her father dead from an apparent drug overdose. The
mother’s whereabouts were unknown, and the father’s
family would not provide a place for the teenager to stay.
Youth Villages’ Specialized Crisis Services responder
Cathy Witmer went to see the girl at their county’s justice
center. When Cathy got there, she found the girl had
several medical issues and a pending surgery. Cathy
helped ensure the girl received proper treatment and
care at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and then
responder Milly Douglas followed up with the child to get
more information. During the course of nearly a week,
the two responders and the crisis department monitored
the girl’s situation and made sure her unique needs were
met.
“That was not our usual type of crisis call,” said Milly, a
former child abuse investigator. “It is a good example of
how we work with partner agencies and work together to
make sure decisions are made in the child’s best inter-
ests.”
Most of the time, crisis calls involve behavior problems
or self-harming.
Throughout Tennessee, the Youth Villages Specialized
Crisis Services staff provides assessment and evaluation
of children and youth up to age 18 who are experiencing
a psychiatric emergency. In February, SCS responded to
more than 1,200 calls.
The responder’s assessment may include interviewing
other children, family, extended family, community mem-
bers, teachers, counselors and first responders – anyone
who can provide salient information regarding the crisis.
They also assess the child’s history and any factors that
may have led to the crisis and how to avoid future issues.
Also, the responders coordinate with other agencies and
facilities to help ensure the child is placed in an appro-
priate environment, whether that is treatment at home,
group therapy or counseling, or hospitalization.
The program employs more than 80 staff who work
from 13 Youth Villages offices and satellite locations
across the state to provide faster response times.
Milly Douglas, Youth Villages Specialized Crisis Services responder, worked with partner agencies and the SCS department to help ensure a child’s needs were met following a family tragedy.
COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION HELP TEEN THROUGH DIFFICULT TIME
4 New Heights
Stephanie’s not a normal 18-year-
old.
She has a home, a job, two small
children and takes business classes
at a local college. She juggles all of it
with minimal support.
“I had to grow up early,” she said.
“Because of my responsibilities, I can’t
do the things most 18-year-olds do,
and I don’t want to.”
Stephanie was placed with her chil-
dren in foster care following the death
of her grandfather. She didn’t have a
good experience in foster care, and
after turning 18, was recommended
for Youth Villages’ transitional living
program.
Because her children were in state
custody with her, she needed to
provide a permanency plan and go
through a 90-day home trial.
“I was extra motivated to do it on my
own,” Stephanie said. “I was ready to
get out of the foster home and find my
own home.”
Stephanie found an apartment and
learned quite a bit while in the TL pro-
gram. She found a job after submitting
more than 50 applications, got a driv-
er’s license and vehicle, and learned
about money and time management.
Youth Villages, through a grant from
The Day Foundation, began a transi-
tional living program in 1999, to help
children like Stephanie get a good
start on adulthood in the crucial years
between ages 17 and 22.
Transitional living counselors help
young people learn to deal with the
minor and major problems that come
with adulthood.
“She worked very hard
to find the first job,” said
Paige Keisler, Youth Vil-
lages TL clinical super-
visor. “Because of the
economy, it was very
tough to find the first job,
but she didn’t give up.”
Stephanie regained full custody of
her children, and during the hearing,
she the judge praised her.
“The judge said Stephanie’s ability
to maintain housing, complete her
GED and maintain transportation at
her age should be an example to par-
ents in their 30s and 40s,” Paige said.
“He told her and the court that her
success would be the standard others
would be judged by that day.”
Stephanie recently retuned from
Florida, where she participated in
child development training for her job
at a day care facility. She’d like her
own home and plans to continue her
college education. She’s determined,
but patient – she has a lot to do now
but when she discusses her future, she
gets more excited.
“I’ve always done things on my own –
it’s what I’m used to. I’ve got a routine
now where everything sort of falls into
place,” she said. “I’m content now to
see where things take me, but I want a
home. I want to have my own business.
It will happen.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE OF HER OWNYour support has allowed the most statistically
vulnerable youth in the nation today make
a positive start on adulthood. Since 1999, more
than 4,700 teens earned jobs, found homes and
provided for their families thanks to your help.
The Youth Villages transitional living program pro-vides young adults leaving state
custody the intensive support and guidance they need to make a suc-cessful transition to adulthood. The program helps young people learn to deal with the minor and major problems that come with adult-
hood. They help participants find housing and health services, learn how to access transportation and
meet their basic needs. Specialists teach life skills like time manage-ment, budgeting, menu planning
and grocery shopping.
Through assistance from the Youth Villages transitional living program, Stephanie has found a job and a good home for her two daughters. She has plans for a future.
New Heights 5
Bobby’s day usually begins
around six in the morning,
preparing meals and get-
ting the children and her
husband, Johnny, ready for
their day. To say her home
is a whirlwind of activity for
most of the day is an under-
statement.
For Bobby and Johnny, it’s
a mission of sorts. They both
had children from previous
marriages, but their union
was more than a simple
marriage. It was the grand
opening of their home.
“It wasn’t like ‘those are
your kids and these are
mine,’” Johnny said. “It’s all
of us together. We’re all in it
together.”
During the past four
years, they’ve opened their
home to more than 10 foster
children, recently adopting
three – Chase, 15; Jada, 8;
and Joseph, 3. Both coming
from abusive and neglect-
ful childhoods, Bobby and
Johnny decided their home
was going to be a haven, a
safe place for children who
needed attention, care and
love.
“I’ve always wanted to
protect abused children,”
Bobby said. “I wanted to
help children who’ve been
mistreated.”
Chase was removed from
his home because of abuse
and neglect. He was also
physically and verbally
aggressive. His first foster
placement didn’t work well,
but Bobby and Johnny were
patient and Chase slowly
transformed. He’s part of
the family, and helps care
for his younger sister and
brother.
Joseph was born to a
drug-addicted mother. He
cried and wailed incessantly
while his body weaned
itself from the narcotics. He
had to be soothed and held
constantly. His sleep was
erratic. Bobby and Johnny
never wavered.
“We just held him and
loved him,” Johnny said.
“There wasn’t anything else
we could do.”
There are no signs of
those troubles now, as
Joseph and his freshly cut
Mohawk hairdo speed from
room to room and down the
hallway with his sister. He
laughs and plays just like
any other 3-year-old boy.
Bobby runs children to
doctor’s appointments and
other things. In addition
to the adopted children,
they’re still foster parents
to three other children. She
calls them all by pet names
and maintains an unending
supply of affection and ener-
gy. To nearly everyone who
goes in and out their front
door, they’re called Mamaw
and Papaw. But there are
still standards.
“Oh yes, we’ve got rules,”
Bobby said. “We expect good
grades in school, manners,
and being respectful of
adults and other children.
They all have chores to do to
help around the house. We
expect them to mind.”
The children’s bedtime is
usually around 8 in the eve-
ning. Bobby and Johnny end
the evening cleaning and
straightening up the circus
of the previous 14 hours.
Most days, Bobby’s evening
continues through to the
wee hours of the next day.
“Having foster children is
like this: It’s a lot of news,
and it can be bad one day,
good the next day and
then great another day,”
she said. “It’s a lot of work
and you have to be flexible.
But we love all of them. It’s
difficult sometimes when
they leave – you want them
to go home to their fami-
lies, but you get attached
and you’re sad to see them
leave.”
And then the next morn-
ing begins the daily routine.
Bobby and Johnny said
they’d take in more chil-
dren if they could.
The children are safe.
They’re loved. Most impor-
tant, they’re happy.
THE JOYFUL LABORS OF A VERY HAPPY HOME
Foster parents Bobby, right, and Johhny, left, with Jada, Chase and Joseph
Foster parents make a home
where children feel safe
6 New Heights
Miss Beulah and his family interven-
tion specialist, Mindy Fuller, report
that Cody has come a long way.
Cody was able to attend his first
Boy Scout camp recently and looks
forward to attending middle school, a
long way from myriad residential cen-
ters, including Youth Villages’ Center
for Intensive Residential Treatment
and the Bartlett Campus.
“Cody’s a lot different now,” Mindy
said. “He’s able to help out at home
and is doing well in school.”
Cody, 12, has lived with his great-
grandmother, Miss Beulah, since he
was 5. She now has custody of Cody,
who exhibited behavior issues from
an early age. In addition to being
physically and verbally aggressive,
Cody coped with a difficult childhood
through self-harming behavior, theft,
substance abuse, school problems and
other legal issues. He’d lash out when
he didn’t get his way, whether at home
or at school.
For years, Cody has
been in and out of resi-
dential facilities, but they
were ineffective in chang-
ing his behavior. Youth
Villages seemed to work.
“Since Cody’s residential treatment,
we were able to take what he learned
from there and implement it in the
home,” Mindy said.
And Cody responded positively.
“He gets along with his younger
brother much better now,” Miss Beu-
lah said. “Youth Villages seemed to
work best for him. They did more to
help him than any other place.”
After Cody discharged from Youth
Villages’ Bartlett Campus, he par-
ticipated in Youth Villages’ Intercept
intensive in-home program. Youth
Villages’ goal is to return children
to a less restrictive environment
to continue their progress through
intensive in-home services, with their
family when possible, or therapeutic
foster care when it is not. Intercept
provides treatment to troubled chil-
dren and families in their own homes
at times convenient for the families.
All treatment is family-centered and
includes strength-based interven-
tions. Our comprehensive treatment
approach includes family therapy,
mental health treatment for caregiv-
ers, parenting skills education, edu-
cational interventions, development
of positive peer groups, and extensive
help for families and children in ac-
cessing community resources and
long-term, ongoing support.
“Cody missed his family while he
was in residential care,” Mindy said.
“Sadly, he’s a child who’s been in and
out of state custody so much, he knows
what it takes to be stable in the home.”
Mindy, partnering with Brandi
Jones, Cody’s transitional counselor,
established a more structured envi-
ronment for Cody, including using
behavior charts with rules, rewards
and consequences. His behavior
changed at school, and he learned
coping skills such as deep breathing
to manage those times when his anger
and frustration would formerly get the
best of him.
He’s very energetic and strong-
willed, which can create its own set of
issues, but Cody’s learned to operate
in a structured environment. He has
chores to do at home, and works at
turning his energy toward positive
endeavors.
He recently purchased his own
bicycle, then fixed it up and painted it
himself. He has a long way to go, but
things are in place for Cody to grow
and be successful. He’s even thinking
about his future.
“I’d like to go in the military,” he
said. “That way, I can travel and see
other places.”
“Cody’s been through a great deal
of trauma in his young life, and it will
take some time for him to process and
overcome some of those struggles,”
Mindy said. “But Youth Villages has
stepped up with positive role models,
as well as his scout leaders and his Big
Brother.”
Increasing pressure for fiscal accountability nationwide has driven much of the interest in Youth Villages’ Eviden-tiary Family RestorationTMapproach, because the approach ensures that any public or private resources expended deliver proven social outcomes. Data-driven and outcomes-focused child services are moral obligations not only
to the children served, but also to the public and private dollars of which states, agencies and providers are stewards. For families and funders both, EFR provides a single source of accountability for a family’s success.
CODY OVERCOMES HIS PAST AND LOOKS TOWARD A FUTURE OF PROMISE
New Heights 7
Staff members
of BlueCross
BlueShield of Ten-
nessee gathered
at Youth Villages’
Johnson City office
to fill backpacks
with supplies for
area kids. More
than 15 volunteers
filled backpacks with pencils, pens, glue, erasers, lunch boxes
and more. The company also donated $10,000 at the Johnson City
office.
Along with filling about 60 backpacks, volunteers also placed
handwritten notes to go with the backpacks.
There are numerous ways to help. Mentor,
foster parent, volunteer or financially donate to
our programs. Your support can have a di-
rect impact on the future of the more than 450
children we help every day in East Tennessee.
Please call or e-mail Youth Villages to find out
how to help.
JOIN OUR EFFORTS
Become a force for families
9111 Cross Park Drive, Suite E-475
Knoxville, TN 37923
865-560-2550
There are as many differ-
ent ways to support Youth
Villages as there are needs
for your support. If you
are new to the concept of
planned giving, please click
Donate on www.YouthVil-
lages.org and then go to the
Planned Giving website for
information on wills and
bequests, gifts of appreciated
stock, real estate, charitable remainder trusts,
gifts of retirement assets, life insurance and
charitable lead trusts.
Resources there include definitions, wording
for wills, stories of how instruments are created
and much more.
You may want to visit the planned giving cal-
culator to see what a planned gift would mean
in your unique circumstances. For more infor-
mation, contact Marler Stone at 901-251-4820 or
e-mail [email protected].
Thinking of a planned gift?
Stay in touch online
www.facebook.com/youthvillages
www.twitter.com/youthvillages
youthvillages.wordpress.com
www.youthvillages.org
Marler Stone
JOHNSON CITY FINDS ITS BACKPACK HEROES
Robert went back home
to his foster family for the
summer.
About a year following
the death of Larry Plai-
sance, the family continues
to move forward and help
teenagers. In fact, the fam-
ily welcomed an additional
youth.
Robert did well during his
first year of college. He’s in
the YV Scholars program,
where Youth Villages pays
his tuition and college costs
provided he maintains cer-
tain academic and commu-
nity service standards. He
was also the first-ever freshman editor of his school newspaper.
He even took a few upper-level courses.
The family is known for fostering young people who are tough
to place. In fact, Devan, the family’s biological son, said his mother
and father took the children no one else wanted. After Larry’s
death last year, Devan returned home to help his mother, Nancy.
And the youth in the home took to Devan, who runs a martial arts
school in the area and is a mixed martial arts fighter and teacher.
Devan is also studying to become a firefighter. In addition to
Nancy’s regular job, she’s also taken up making jewelry in her
spare time. There’s quite a bit happening at the home and with
the children. One of the children trains regularly with Devan and
plans to compete soon. Another was recently awarded all-district
honors in wrestling at his school.
ROBERT’S MAKING THE MOST OF COLLEGE
5
LEGACY OF CARING LEFT FOR FAMILY AND FOSTER YOUTH“Whatever happened before, it won’t
happen here.”
Larry was a salesman for more
than two decades when he was
diagnosed with cancer. He wasn’t able
to keep his job through the treat-
ments. Unable to work, he confessed
to his wife, Nancy, that he would go stir
crazy if he didn’t find something to do.
Nancy, a medical coder, heard a spot
about Youth Villages and the need
for foster parents on a local Christian
radio station.
“I told him about it and he called,”
she said. “I guess the rest is history.”
There are three boys in Nancy’s
home, ages 16, 17 and 18. They all have
difficult pasts. They’re just three of the
more than 30 teenage boys Nancy and
Larry have fostered over the years. Lar-
ry, the oldest of eight children, wanted
to help the toughest ones. Larry and
Nancy’s biological children didn’t mind.
“The teenage boys, that’s who Larry
wanted to help,” Nancy said. “They
seemed to be the best fit for us. We
fostered juvenile justice children for
a very long time. Some of them were
very difficult.”
Devan, their youngest biological son,
was more succinct.
“We got the kids nobody else want-
ed,” he said. “Dad was strict, but he
was fair and honest.”
Larry told the youth when they first
came to the house that everyone was
treated the same. The first priority
was safety and security.
“I’d show them their room and
sometimes they’d come right back
out, sometimes they’d stay in there
for a while,” Nancy said. “Then we’d
tell them, ‘You’re safe here. Whatever
happened to you is in the past, and it
won’t happen here.”
“When you’re family, you pull
together.”
Larry passed away last summer. His
last years were spent helping foster
teenage youth and assisting his young-
est son, Devan, with a mixed martial
arts training center. The foster chil-
dren also helped with the business,
some even participating in the classes.
Devan runs the center, trains and
fights professionally.
Just a few short months after Larry’s
death, his imprint is left on the youth
he helped and the children he raised
with Nancy. Devan returned home to
help.
“I couldn’t ask for better parents,”
Devan said. “Mom and dad were al-
ways taking care of people, and there
was always someone at the house
when I was growing up.”
At the heart of their success were
Larry and Nancy’s complementary
strengths, and love.
“What made us a good team was
that he was very strict, but fair and
consistent with all the children,”
Nancy said. “He wouldn’t lie to them.
Granted, we had older boys, but they
respected him for the way he treated
Robert’s had a big summer.
He attended a leadership forum at Disneyworld, attend-
ed his high school prom, became a Christian and gradu-
ated high school. He’s also narrowed his college choices for
the fall.
Robert has been staying with Nancy and Larry for the
past few months. Their home had a big effect on him.
“Before, I wasn’t really confident,” he said. “But they ac-
cepted me and I felt more at ease. I could be myself.”
Larry recently passed away, and Robert’s more commit-
ted to helping the family stay successful, including helping
ROBERT PREPARES FOR COLLEGE
continued on page 6
continued on page 6Robert with his TL specialist, Cassie
Robert and his foster family were first featured in the fall 2011 New Heights.
YOUTH VILLAGES9111 Cross Park Drive, Suite E475Knoxville, TN 37923(Address Service Requested)
A private nonprofit organization, Youth Villages serves more than20,000 children and their families from offices in the following cities:Alabama: Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan, HuntsvilleArkansas: Jonesboro, Little RockFlorida: Lakeland, Miami, TampaGeorgia: Atlanta, DouglasvilleIndiana: Bloomington, Jeffersonville, MadisonMassachusetts: Arlington, Lawrence, Plymouth, Springfield, Woburn, WorcesterMississippi: Biloxi, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, TupeloNew Hampshire: ManchesterNorth Carolina: Asheville, Boone, Charlotte, Concord, Greensboro, Greenville, Pinehurst, Raleigh-DurhamTennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City,Knoxville, Linden, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, ParisWashington, D.C.
NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDYOUTH VILLAGES
Founded in 1986, Youth Villages is a private nonprofit organization with a national reputation for offering the most effective programs and services to help emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families live success-fully. The organization helps more than 20,000 children and families each year from more than 20 states and Washing-ton, D.C. Youth Villages’ Evidentiary Family Restoration™ approach involves intensive work with the child and family, a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever safely possible, and providing unprec-edented accountability to families and funders. The EFR approach produces lasting success for children, with success rates twice that of traditional services at one-third the cost of traditional care.
Please call 865-560-2550 to have your name removed from our mailing list.
New Heights East Tennessee is published by Youth VillagesManaging Editor: Amanda Tillman Associate Editor: Chris Pennington
BRIGHT FUTURE