Giving Report August 2019
Your Donations at Work August 2019
During the first two quarters of 2019, $12,267.00 was given to assist at-risk teens and young adults who have aged out of foster care (between 18-22 years old) in Central Florida. Details are listed below, but first we want to let you know how your donations positively impact the youth in our community and particularly the following young person:
With an absent father and a mother struggling with addictions, LaQueena had no structure in her life from birth to age 14. She and her developmentally delayed younger brother were shuffled around among well-meaning relatives, who were trying to raise their own families. LaQueena had to be tough and aggressive to protect herself and her brother from the threats children face at school and in the world. As a result, she didn’t fit in structured environments and often was in trouble in school, foster homes and the community.
At age 14, LaQueena and her brother were removed from a relative’s home because of chronic abuse, and she moved into a group home. After several years of stability there, she was forced to leave upon turning 18. Within three months of being on her own, she stopped attending school, lost her source of income and was evicted from her apartment.
Determined not to give up on this tenacious young woman, The Faine House stepped in. With the staff and volunteers by her side, LaQueena developed more trust and focus. She learned to drive and earned her license. Soon after, she overcame years of hurt and self-doubt to earn her high school diploma. Her once-dim future now gleamed with hope and opportunity, and she set more goals.
After completing her first semester of college, LaQueena moved to Tallahassee to fulfill another dream. On August 2, 2019, The Faine House community cheered LaQueena on as she walked across the stage to accept her Bachelor’s in Social Work degree from FAMU. Not stopping there, LaQueena has applied to graduate school and has been offered a position working at her former group home.
Wings of Hope is thankful to help LaQueena as she reaches her goals.
Update and News
A very happy graduate!
Here’s specifically how funds were used October through June 2019:
- $ 7,795.00: academic achievement
- $ 2,740.00: life skills training
- $ 1,035.00: employment skills/performance
- $ 697.00: special needs
$12,267.00: Total
We will continue to report on how YOUR donations are being used. Thank you for your confidence that Wings of Hope will continue to be good stewards of your generosity.
Individually we do make a difference. Together we change lives.
Changes in Group Homes
We’re disappointed to share the news that Children’s Home Society has closed its Volusia County group homes, including Destiny House, Sunshine House and Brian’s House, which is named after Wings of Hope’s Brian Lanier. Wings of Hope is proud to have supported over 2,400 children who have come through these homes since 1998 – and 1,000 at Brian’s House alone.
The youth who were residing at these homes were placed with relatives or in foster homes or other area group homes. In an effort to prevent children from being removed from their homes, the new Family First Prevention Services Act shifts federal funding from group homes to in-home counseling. The law lets group homes provide shelter for only two weeks unless an assessment shows a family member or foster home can’t meet the child’s needs.
In most counties, the opioid crisis has contributed to a spike in the number of children being removed from their homes. Sadly, closing group homes when qualified and available foster parents already are in short supply is exacerbating the problem of finding shelter for these abused, neglected or abandoned children.
Wing of Hope will continue to support other group homes like The Faine House and The Village transition homes in Central Florida in hopes of keeping these options available to the young people who may need them.
Thank You
On behalf of the many at-risk youth you help by supporting Wings of Hope, we thank you. Individually we do make a difference. Together we change lives.
