Greetings! 
One of the many blessings Youth Homes is thankful for is the The Youth Homes Auxiliary. In 1964, conditions at the County Juvenile Hall and the Children's Shelter alarmed many citizens of Contra Costa County. They found that most of the children were not delinquent, many had simply run away from intolerable home situations and were in need of loving care. These compassionate people formed a committee to study state and county regulations and create a better solution for the treatment of homeless youth.
They concluded that there was a pressing need to solve the housing problems of troubled youth and provide a sound mental health program to help them grow into self-sustaining and responsible young adults. These citizens are the pioneers of Youth Homes. Fast forward to today and although much has changed, the heart of Youth Homes remains strong.
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Auxiliary Members Valerie Ridgers, Cathy Barber, Linda Theuriet with Auxiliary President, Edith Henchey.
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The Auxiliary continues to faithfully provide for the special needs of our young people:
- Provides cakes, ice cream and gifts for our residents birthdays.
- Honors Youth Homes Agency staff birthdays
- Fulfills wish lists and stuff Christmas stockings for every Youth Home resident
- Honors requests for personal needs
- Provide free clothing and supplies from the Thrift Shop to the residential homes
- Hosts the annual "Celebration of Hope" luncheon every June for Agency staff and residents
- Honor graduations and provide scholarships
- Provides money for recreational outings
- Contributes money for Back to School supplies
- Provides holiday dinners for every home
- Supplements Youth Homes Agency Funds with a monthly allotment
- Restocks the pantries and linen closets of the homes
- Provides scholarships for vocational and college classes
Have you been to the thrift shop lately? It has been completely renovated. Located at 15-B Vivian Drive in Pleasant Hill, the thrift shop brings in a substantial amount of earnings for the agency. This all volunteer staff dedicates their time and energy to ensure Youth Homes vision of "providing a safe place for foster youth to heal and grow" lives on.
Thank you to the Youth Homes Auxiliary for
everything you do, every day of the year!
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Alamo Women's Club Success!
On February 4th, The Alamo Women's Club held a fabulous jewelry boutique at their beautifully remodeled club house in Danville. With Youth Homes as the beneficiary, the AWC were able to raise an outstanding $1,575 for foster youth!
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| | Above: AWC Members Joan Flynn and Marilyn Bailey |
AWC member Peggy Fleming spearheaded the jewelry project in July of 2014 by offering jewelry classes to the foster youth at Andersen House. See the original story here and video here.
Since that time, Peggy has raised an incredible $7,300 in revenue from the sale of the jewelry - some of those proceeds were given to the girls for the jewelry pieces they created. In addition to this, $5,300 has been set aside for education and scholarships.
Youth Homes would like to thank Peggy Fleming, all the AWC volunteers, Chico's in Danville, all the generous jewelry shoppers and those that have donated jewelry and jewelry supplies toward this project.
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