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8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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Draygonexcels
Through MST,youth improves
at home andat school
Also inside:
Back to school tips
Holiday Heroes ramps up
amily Victories from Youth Villages, North Carolina Fall 2011
Sisters of Mercy Foundationsupports Youth Villages ... 4
Congratulationsto our recent graduates ... 5
Day Foundation invests$42 million in YV ... 5
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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2
A message fromOur director
A commitmentto serving the statesmost vulnerable youth
Its no doubt that uncertain times lie ahead as state and local governments,
corporations, oundations and individuals strive to do more with less.
As a provider that produces outcomes nearly twice the national average
while operating at a reduced cost, Youth Villages continues to successully
serve youth and amilies no matter what the economic outlook. In act, our
strongest partnerships are oten ormed when the demand or proven, cost-
eective services increases.
This growing desire or impactul, ecient services is evidenced by the suc-
cess o our transitional living program, a service unded primarily through
private dollars.
We recently received a generous git rom the Sisters o Mercy o NC Foun-
dation (page 4) and will serve more than 80 youth across the state this year
(read the inspiring story o Gem, a TL participant, on page 4). In addition,
Youth Villages was awarded a grant o $42 million rom The Day Foundation
o Memphis, Tenn. A large portion o this git, which requires matching unds,
will support the TL program.
As a Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency, Youth Villages continues to
grow our evidence-based intensive in-home model, Intercept. Ater maintain-
ing a ull team in our Raleigh-Durham area, we are expanding this service to
our Greensboro oce in the coming months, with plans to eventually deliver
Intercept throughout North Carolina.
While the months ahead may seem ever changing, what remains constant
is Youth Villages commitment to serving our states most vulnerable youth
and amilies through cost-eective programs while helping them nd long-
term success. Thank you or taking time to learn how Youth Villages is trans-
orming the lives o youth and amilies across North Carolina.
NORTH CAROLINALEADERSHIP COUNCIL
YOUTH VILLAGESNORTH CAROLINA OFFICES
Asheville38 Rosscraggon Road, Suite 38C
Asheville, NC 28803phone: 828-654-7700
ax: 828-654-7701
Charlotte2815 Coliseum Centre Dr., Suite 230
Charlotte, NC 28217phone: 704-357-7920
ax: 704-357-7921
Concord363 Church St. North, Suite 200
Concord, NC 28025phone: 704-262-1320
ax: 704-262-1322
Raleigh-Durham100 Capitola Dr., Suite 310
Durham, NC 27713phone: 919-474-6400
ax: 919-474-6401
Fayetteville2944 Breezewood Ave., Suite 203
Fayetteville, NC 28305phone: 910-486-2200
ax: 910-486-2201
Greensboro7900 Triad Center, Suite 350
Greensboro, NC 27409phone: 336-931-1800
ax: 336-931-1801
Greenville2428 Charles Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27858phone: 252-215-5700
ax: 252-215-5701
Hickory101 Government Ave. SW
Hickory, NC 28602phone: 828-315-7700ax: 828-315-7701
Pinehurst5228 North Carolina Highway 211
P.O. Box 1138West End, NC 27376phone: 910-673-8520
ax: 910-673-8521
Wilmington5041 New Centre Dr., Suite 209
Wilmington, NC 28403phone: 910-392-8990
ax: 910-392-8991
Doug Cruitt Winston-Salem
Lee Prevost Cary
Elizabeth Skvarla Pinehurst
Kristin Wade Charlotte
John White Durham
Carole Wilson Raleigh
Leigh Young Asheville
Annie Smith
State Director
910-673-8501
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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3
Draygon was pushing his luck, over and over. Ater one
too many arguments at home, suspensions rom school
and run-ins with the authorities, his mom was ready to
turn anywhere or help. The amily was reerred to Youth
Villages Multisystemic Therapy program, a program that
delivers counseling where amilies need help most: in their
own homes, neighborhoods and their childrens schools.
The amily had worked with counselors beore. They
were leery o another counselor coming into their home.
I was scared o where Draygon was headed, his mom,
Tawnya, said. I wanted to see a uture or my son and a
change or our entire amily.
But when the amily met Chantal Stepney, their Youth
Villages counselor, their worries aded away.
We loved her rom the start, Tawnya said. She wasnt
judgmental. She was here to help our amily, no matter
what.
Thats the moment the amily embarked on a challeng-
ing, oten grueling six-month journey toward change. They
started by reducing riction and arguments at home.
We agreed not to yell at each other, Tawnya said. Weagreed to pull Draygon aside and talk to him calmly as
soon as wed notice him getting upset.
Chantal helped the amily develop a behavior chart
with a set o rewards and consequences. Draygon signed
a behavior contract, agreeing to abide by the rules and to
accept the consequences i he didnt.
The relationship between Draygon and his stepdad,
Chuck, also improved. Part o Draygons reward was
spending time with Chuck and doing things they both
DRAYGON PUSHED FAMILY;NOW PUSHES FOR CHANGE
Draygon, center, with his stepfather, Chuck, and his mother, Tawnya
Why did you choose to work for Youth
Villages?
I really liked their values and enjoy
working to help others. Youth Villages
was very well organized and I observed
that the sta working there were very dedicated to the
amilies that they serve.
Where are you from originally?
I am originally rom Plymouth, N.C.
What do you like best about your job?
I like when I have worked with a amily and things begin
to turn around or them in a positive way. I enjoy working
with the parent or guardian to decrease the rustrations
and behaviors in the home. It brings me great joy to see the
amily complete treatment successully.
Whats something most people dont know about you?
When I was 6 months old, I had spinal meningitis with a
temperature that reached 105. I was in the hospital or sev-
eral months and was lucky not to have hearing problems or
other health problems.
NORTH CAROLINAPROGRAM SUCCESS
Figures represent youth served at least 60 days in the Multisystemic
Therapy program. Response rate is 53 percent.
Outcomes- -
0
20
40
60
80
100
2%
74
6
Athomewithfamily
Noinvolvement
withthelaw
Inschoolorgraduated
As a national leader in the eld o behavioral health,
Youth Villages has measured outcomes o children and
amilies participating in its programs since 1994.
Marla AveryFamily Counselor Wilmington, N.C.
North Carolina Topps Coordinator
Meet the YV family
continued on page 7
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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Youth Villages received a generous
$43,400 grant rom the Sisters o Mercy
o North Carolina Foundation to sup-
port the transitional living program in
the Greensboro area.
The TL program provides young
adults leaving oster care, juvenile
justice and mental health systems the
intensive in-home support and guid-
ance they need to make a successul
transition to adulthood. Created in
1999 to address the growing concern
o unprepared youth aging out o
oster care or state custody, Youth
Villages TL program has served 4,082
nationally and 200 youth in North
Carolina since the program expand-
ed to the state in 2008. Since its incep-
tion, the program has maintained an
average success rate o 80 percent
o youth living at home or indepen-
dently; reporting no involvement with
the law; and in school, graduated or
working.
The Sisters of Mercy North Carolina
Foundation supports the work of select-
ed tax-exempt healthcare, educational
and social service organizations.
The Foundation seeks to assist proj-
ects that are designed to improve the
quality of life for women, children, the
elderly and those who are poor.
Growing up in a poor Raleigh neigh-
borhood lled with drug and gang vio-
lence shaped Gems lie orever. The
rst time she entered a courtroom,
she knew it was where she wanted to
be as an attorney or judge on the
other side o the room.
Where I lived, I saw a lot o crimi-
nals and people getting arrested or
drugs, Gem said. I want to help
change the amount o drugs being put
on the streets, and I also want to help
make the justice system air.
Gem has a tough road ahead
tougher than most.
But she has help. Sarah, Gems
transitional living specialist, is there to
talk, go with her to appointments and
work with her on budgeting money.
We can talk about anything and ev-
erything, Gem said about Sarah. She
is there when I need her and helps me
get inormation I cannot nd.
Gem nished high school. Shes
working at her rst job and has a
stable roo over her head she elected
to stay in oster care past the age o
18, until she is enrolled in college and
ready to live on her own.
Youth Villages ounded its transition-
al living program in 1999 to help ormer
oster youth who lack amily or other
support make a successul transition
into independent adulthood. Program
participation is voluntary. Current and
ormer oster youth may enter the pro-
gram anywhere between the ages o 17
and 22, and are assigned a transitional
living specialist with whom they meet
once or several times a week based
on need. Together, they gure out the
young adults lie goals and work out a
strategy or getting there.
Gem doesnt have to make that
dicult plunge into independent
adulthood on her own. Unlike so many
other ormer oster youth, Gem has
Sarah to help her make tough deci-
sions, to support her when the go-
ing gets tough, to push her to strive
urther and reach or her dreams. She
has someone who will help her get her
rst apartment and enroll in college.
When Sarah rst met Gem, she was
living in a oster home but wasnt at-
tending high school any longer.
I was sleeping late every day, Gem
said. I wanted to go back to school, but
I wasnt really motivated because I had
no clue where to start. And I also didnt
really think Sarah could help me.
Ater taking some time to talk and
get to know each other, Gem decided
to give Sarah a try. They made a plan
to enroll Gem in GED classes, have
her take the GED test in February and
apply or college by March.
GEM JUSTIFIESJOURNEY TO SUCCESS
4
SISTERS OF MERCY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YOUTH VILLAGES
Gem, right, with TL Specialist Sarah
continued on page 6
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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5
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RECENT GRADUATES!
Greensboro
Antonio
Kahlil
Paradise
Hickory
Heather
Raleigh-Durham
Gem
Imani
Keith
Latashia
Monica
Porsha
Shatora
Latashia, left
Heather Antonio Gem, left, and TL Specialist Sarah
The Day Foundation re-
cently awarded a matching
grant o $42 million to Youth
Villages to help expand the
organizations transitional
living program that helps
older oster children be-
come successul adults.
It is the largest single
grant ever awarded to
Youth Villages and one o
the largest ever to a so-
cial services organization.
Philanthropist Clarence
Day, who began the ounda-
tion, was a longtime Youth
Villages supporter, donating
more than $14 million to
the organization beore his
death in 2009. His approach
to philanthropy and sup-
port o Youth Villages were
highlighted recently in the
book Give Smart: Philan-
thropy That Gets Results
by Thomas J. Tierney and
Joel L. Fleishman.
Because the transitional
living program is unded
mostly through private do-
nations, the grant is crucial
in helping Youth Villages
maintain and expand the TL
program. While Youth Vil-
lages is helping 1,452 young
adults this year through
the TL program in North
Carolina and seven other
states, there are thousands
more in need. Each year,
as many as 30,000 children
will turn 18 and age out o
state custody, being let on
their own to make their way
in lie as an adult.
Prior unding rom The
Day Foundation allowed
Youth Villages to begin
oering transitional living
services to young people in
North Carolina in 2008, and
since then, the program has
helped almost 200 young
people in the state. A pri-
vate nonprot organization,
Youth Villages is a certied
Critical Access Behavioral
Health Agency and oers a
wide variety o services to
help children and amilies
live successully in North
Carolina.
We are so grateul to the
Day Foundation or help-
ing strengthen and grow
this important program in
North Carolina, said Annie
Smith, director o Youth Vil-
lages North Carolina. With
matching support rom
local or state governments
or private individuals and
oundations, we can expand
transitional living services
to more young people here
who desperately need it.
THE DAY FOUNDATION INVESTS $42 MILLION IN YOUTH VILLAGES
Many youth in the transitional living program
recently celebrated their high school graduations.
Graduates include:
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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6
YV CELEBRATES CHILDRENS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
Concord staff release green balloons for Childrens Mental Health Aware-
ness Week.
Durham, N.C., Mayor Bill Bell, center, recently toured the Youth Villages Raleigh-Dur-
ham location, met with staff and had the opportunity to hear from Mariah, right-center,
a Youth Villages transitional living client and current sophomore at North Carolina
A&T University in Greensboro, N.C.
MAYOR BELL VISITS DURHAM OFFICEAs soon as Gem was enrolled in GED
classes, Sarah helped her nd her rst job as
a hostess at a ast-ood restaurant.
I wouldnt have my job i it wasnt or Sar-
ah, Gem said. I was scared. Sarah picked
me up to take me to the interview. I was going
to wear jeans, but she told me to change and
put on some slacks to look nice. On the way
there, we practiced interview skills. Then she
tricked me to get out o the car, or I wouldnt
have gotten out because I was so scared. But
they hired me on the spot.
Gem and Sarah are now working together
to help Gem nd balance between school and
work, especially when schedules confict.
Gem received her GED and graduated.
Now, she and Sarah will work to apply or
college.
GEMfrom page 4
Charlotte: Employees recently met with community
members at the MeckCARES Resilience Festival, held
earlier this year. Agencies throughout Charlotte joined
to celebrate the diversity and resilience o amilies, while
helping raise awareness or Childrens Mental Health
Awareness Week.
Concord: To honor children and amilies who have strug-
gled with mental health, green balloons were released by
Youth Villages sta members. The color green was used
during the 1800s to label individuals with mental health dis-
abilities. The childrens mental health community decided
to use the color green to symbolize a new beginning in lie,
growth and health.
Raleigh-Durham:Sta paid tribute to Childrens Men-
tal Health Awareness Week by wearing green ribbons
throughout the week. Megan Castle, Youth Villages CAB-
HA clinical director, also presented on Multisystemic Ther-
apy, a key service being delivered to youth battling mental
illness, at a special night meeting o the Wake County Col-
laborative, a group comprising community members and
mental health leaders who address the needs or services
in their area.
George Edmonds, Youth Villages western regional manager, represents
Youth Villages at the MeckCARES Resilience Festival in Charlotte, N.C.
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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7
Stay in touch online
www.facebook.com/youthvillages
www.twitter.com/youthvillages
www.youthvillages.wordpress.com
www.youthvillages.org
This year, Youth Villages will help
more than 300 children and amilies in
North Carolina who desperately need
someone to be their Holiday Hero. You,
your company or organization can be-
come a Holiday Hero by partnering with
Youth Villages to give children and their
amilies a holiday theyll never orget.
Heres how it works:
n Each child lls out a wish list.
n Heroes receive the wish list, purchase gits and
arrange to have them dropped o or picked up.
n Each git should be unwrapped and bagged together
with the childs name attached.
n Heroes may also send a donation to sponsor a child
and Youth Villages will do the shopping and wrapping.
n We ask that Heroes spend a maximum o $75 per child.
To sponsor a child or for more information, contact:
Stephanie Hoyle
704-357-7943
support.youthvillages.org/holidayheroes_NC
Be a Holiday Hero this season
From homework to athletics, going back to school can be
a demanding time or many amilies.
Youth Villages Multisystemic Therapy consultants oer
the ollowing tips to help amilies have a positive and pro-
ductive school year:
1. Set up an afternoon routine that includes homework
or quiet time where distracting activities (TV, video games,
phone) are not allowed until assignments are completed.
You might nd less I dont have any homework excuses
i mandatory quiet time is enorced regardless o assign-
ments.
2. Bed times should give your teen enough time to un-
wind and get about nine hours o sleep. Remove TVs or
other distractions rom their room i they have a hard time
alling asleep.
3. Build a relationship with school staffat the beginning
o the year. Get to know the teachers expectations, let
them know how oten you would like to be communicated
with, and check in oten on your childs progress.
4. Modeling always provides the best example or your
teen. I your behavior shows you value education, your teen
is likely to ollow suit. Try reading while your teen com-
pletes homework or checking their homework when it is
completed. Providing praise or a job well done or restric-
tions when school expectations are broken models a posi-
tive attitude about their school success.
5. Find out what after-school activities like clubs or sports
are oered. Positive activities can help provide supervi-
sion, build social skills, provide connections with more
positive peers and promote other healthy behaviors.
YV COMMUNITY TIPS:
BACK TO SCHOOL
DRAYGON
from page 3
enjoyed together.
We started to really talk, Chuck said. And we noticed
how much o a dierence it made or Draygon to know that
we would be consistent as parents.
Chantal and Tawnya shared behavior plans with Dray-
gons teachers and school ocials, and the teachers agreed
to update mom every time Draygon was having a bad day.
She taught me a lot, Draygon said about Chantal. She
taught me how to think beore I act and to consider the con-
sequences. I dont get into trouble as much. She made my
lie better.
Draygon recently got called to the principals oce at
school. But this call was not about another suspension. Im-
pressed by Draygons good behavior in school, his principal
invited him to his oce to chat over a cup o hot chocolate
and Oreos.
Their Youth Villages counselor is no longer there, but the
amily sometimes revisits the work they did with Chantal.
We slipped once and then had a amily meeting and got
our workbook back out, Tawnya said. We have to keep
working at it.
8/4/2019 2011 North Carolina Fall
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YOUTH VILLAGES
2815 Coliseum Centre Dr., Suite 230
Charlotte, NC 28217
(Address Service Requested)
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
YOUTH VILLAGES
A private nonprot organization, Youth Villages will serve more than
18,000 children and their families this year from ofces in the following cities:
Alabama: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, MobileArkansas: Jonesboro, Little RockFlorida: Lakeland, Miami, TampaGeorgia: Atlanta, DouglasvilleMassachusetts: Lawrence, Plymouth, Springeld, Woburn, WorcesterMississippi: Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, TupeloNew Hampshire: ManchesterNorth Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Concord, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Pinehurst, Raleigh-Durham, WilmingtonOregon: PortlandTennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City,Knoxville, Linden, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, Paris
Texas: DallasWashington, D.C.
Please e-mail [email protected] or call 704-357-7943
to have your name removed from our mailing list
New Heights North Carolina is published by Youth Villages
Managing Editor: Stephanie Hoyle
Associate Editor: Chris Pennington
Founded in Memphis, Tenn., in 1986, Youth Villages has built a national reputation for offering the most effective pro-
grams and services to help emotionally troubled children and their families. The private nonprot organization provides
a fully integrated continuum of services, including residential treatment, in-home services, foster care and adoption,
mentoring and a transitional living program for young adults aging out of foster care.