SHARODNEY LIKES BEING AT HOMETeen reconnects with family

page 3

Inner Harbour tourDirector of 21st Century Schools recounts tour of Inner Harbour Campus

page 4

Family Victories from Youth Villages Georgia Spring 2011

Youth Villages charts success in Georgia...3

Angela White lives her mission to help families...6

Explorer Society partners corporations with youth...3

2

Atlanta

GeorgiaDouglasvilleA message from

Our directors

Growing, helping more children

Its a great time to be helping children in Georgia!

Youth Villages recently began offering a service in the state that has a dem-

onstrated record of success in Tennessee. The transitional living program helps

young people aging out of state custody transition successfully to independent

adulthood.

Sometimes they need help getting an apartment, getting insurance or pur-

chasing a car. Some need help with parenting, preparing for college or continu-

ing education or finding employment. Young people who have been in state

care often havent been taught many of these skills other young people take for

granted.

Transitional living gives these youth a person to go to for help with these and

other issues we all face with independent living. We have 24 young people in

the program and it continues to grow. In addition, TL is being provided at no

cost to the state - the program is financially supported through donations from

individuals, organizations and Youth Villages employees.

One of our family intervention specialists, Angela White, is profiled in this

newsletter. Her story is one we can all imagine happening, and its inspiring to

see how she truly lives out her mission of helping families.

White also worked with Sharodney and his family. Sharodney learned to

overcome his personal issues and is living successfully at home. Sharodneys

mother also learned what it takes sometimes to be a family, and they are closer

than ever before.

Anne Shaw, director of 21st Century Schools, recently toured our Inner

Harbour residential campus and recorded her thoughts of the visit. Read her

column and how youth at Inner Harbour are learning through experience and

service on page 4.

Thank you for supporting Youth Villages.

Ira Blumenthal

Kenneth A. Campbell *

Robert F. Clayton

Lewis Holland Sr. *

John Hutchins *

Lynn Merrill

Jennifer S. Queen*

Robert L. Rearden III

Matthew F. Tarkenton *

David Tyler *

*member of Youth Villages

national board of directors

Youth Villages -Inner Harbour Campus 4685 Dorsett Shoals Road

Douglasville, GA 30135

phone: 770-852-6300

toll-free: 800-255-8657

fax: 770-942-2391

Atlanta (In-Home Services) 1777 Northeast Expressway NE

Suite 150

Atlanta, GA 30329

phone: 404-320-2920

fax: 404-320-2921

GEORGIALEADERSHIP COUNCIL

YOUTH VILLAGES GEORGIA OFFICES

Emily Acker and Kate Cantrell

Kate CantrellDirector of Programs, Georgia and Alabama1777 Northeast Expressway NE, Suite 150 Atlanta, GA 30329404-320-2957kate.cantrell@youthvillages.org

Emily AckerDirector, Inner Harbour Campus4685 Dorsett Shoals Road Douglasville, GA 30135 770-852-6298emily.acker@youthvillages.org

TO VOLUNTEER:volunteer@youthvillages.org

TO DONATE:give@youthvillages.org

TO WORK:careers@youthvillages.org

3

GEORGIA PROGRAM SUCCESS

The graph above represents where children are six months after being discharged from Youth Villages Intercept intensive in-home services. Graph reflects response rate of 63 percent and includes only youth who received at least 60 days of service. Thirteen percent of admissions end prior to 60 days.

Program Success

outcomes of children and families participating in its programs since 1994.

VOLUNTEER: BECOME A MEMBER OF THE EXPLORER SOCIETY

Sharodneys a typical teenager.

He enjoys spending time with friends, participating in school

activities and keeping his Facebook page current. He also strug-

gles with the same issues many teens have self-confidence and

self-esteem.

In Sharodneys case, his issues became more serious.

I was very disrespectful to my mom and we didnt get along, he

said. I didnt want to be at home. I didnt like myself and I didnt

have any self-esteem.

Sharodney was referred to a residential center for runaway and

self-harming behaviors. He threw temper tantrums and didnt

FAMILYS GETTING TO WHERE YOU DONT HAVE TO WORK

Family Intervention Specialist Angela White, left, visits with Sharodney and his mother, Shiray.continued on page 5

The Explorer Society is a new opportunity for corpora-

tions to get their employees out of the office for one day a

year and into the wilderness for teambuilding and per-

sonal reflection time at Youth Villages beautiful Inner

Harbour Campus.

Mary Norman, Youth Villages director of development

for Georgia, answers a few common questions about get-

ting started.

Who can become a member? Any corporation that has an interest in getting their staff involved in a day of off-site

experiential learning is eligible to participate.

What are the benefits in joining? Employees have time for bonding out of the office and get to see the work of Youth

Villages through the eyes of the children we serve. After

such exercises as the ropes course, African drumming, rock

stacking or animal-assisted therapy, the group will hear

from our Youth Villages kids. Participants will learn first-

hand how these experiential therapies are having a pro-

found impact on helping some of Georgias most troubled

children heal.

What can groups expect to do during their day at Inner Harbour? Each event is customized. We work with the com-panies to identify their goals and design a day best-suited for

continued on page 7

4

Anne Shaw recently toured Youth

Villages Inner Harbour Campus. Here,

she writes about her visit.

Anne ShawDirector, 21st Century Schools

It was a perfect fall day. I

stood on the narrow paved

road that threaded its way

around the campus.

It created a tunnel

through the thousands of

trees covering the property.

The ground was carpeted in

a thick layer of leaves, and

the treetops were ablaze

with intense reds, yellows

and oranges. When the sun

shone on them they almost

looked as though they were

on fire. The silence was bro-

ken only by the quiet con-

versations of an occasional

small group of students and

teachers traveling from one

building to another. During

my three days there, you

could often hear Ameri-

Corps volunteers training in

the West African Drumming

class. Just behind me was

the magnificent yurt where

the drumming classes are

held. Nearby were the stu-

dents vegetable garden and

the pens for the residential

dogs.

I was privileged to spend

three days at Youth Villages

Inner Harbour Campus. It

is one of Georgias larg-

est psychiatric residential

treatment programs for

seriously emotionally dis-

turbed children and youth.

It is situated on 1,200 acres

covered with trees; there

are two small lakes where

students learn canoeing

and conduct environmental

water studies. The students

also enjoy equine therapy

and work with the residen-

tial therapy dogs. And they

enjoy hiking, camping and

going caving. They also

have a wonderful sports

field, running track, play-

grounds and hiking trails.

I spent time visiting

classrooms, talking with

teachers and students. Sev-

eral students were eager to

show me their PowerPoint

presentations from an inter-

disciplinary project on a fa-

mous artist they would soon

be presenting to classes at

the University of Georgia.

Their presentations also

included identification of

the state of Georgia content

standards - as does every

student project.

So many features of this

school were incredible.

On the first day, I partici-

pated in a yoga class. Later

I joined 20 new AmeriCorps

volunteers in their West

African Drumming training

- and I learned how to play!

One of the teachers took me

to see the labyrinth that the

students built; it was next

to a beautiful stream which

had a student-built bridge

across it. The school uti-

lizes the Leonard Bernstein

Artful Learning Program

evidence of their studies

in art was everywhere, from

life-size wooden sculptures

of horses to rock-balancing

sculptures.

The students are here

because they are behavior-

ally and emotionally chal-

lenged. While I saw great

things happening in the

classrooms and around the

campus, there were also pe-

riodic incidents. The coun-

selors and teachers handled

these situations calmly

and professionally, always

demonstrating great care

and respect. The culture at

Inner Harbour is incred-

ible very positive, caring,

high energy and with high

levels of trust and creativity.

The teachers credit their

principal, Dr. Penny Hon-

eycutt; and Penny credits

the teachers.

The most incredible on-site visit of my career

DIRECTOR OF 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS TOURS INNER HARBOUR

Pictured above is one of several bridges built by the students. Below are examples of student work of rock balancing as part of their quite rigorous interdisciplinary units.

continued on page 5

5

The faculty and staff

were not only very caring

and passionate about their

work; they also were some

of the very best teachers I

had ever met. Most of the

teachers have masters

degrees; they have the high-

est levels of certification

in several areas, in special

education, in their respec-

tive discipline or specializa-

tion, and every teacher is

certified as a Highly Quali-

fied Teacher.

The curriculum is inte-

grated, project-based and

focused on authentic prob-

lems. They utilize an experi-

ential model that integrates

service-learning, artful

expression, environmental

awareness and opportuni-

ties for personal growth.

The West African Drum-

ming is one of the most

popular classes, and the

students perform publicly

in and around Atlanta. They

have performed for former

President Jimmy Carter,

as well as at the John F.

Kennedy Center for the

Performing Arts in Wash-

ington, D.C., and they have

been invited to perform at

the Summer Olympics in

London in 2012.

Other programs include

animal-assisted therapy, in

which students work with

therapy dogs or participate

in the equine therapy pro-

gram, and ropes courses.

During the professional

development workshop,

the faculty and staff were

energetic, intelligent and

creative. They gave their all

in every activity and were

extremely enthusiastic

about everything presented

to them. This faculty would

be any principals dream!

It is easy to see why the

Harvard Business Review

reported Youth Villages

programs have a success

rate three times greater

than those of state-run

programs, achieved at one-

third of the cost. It delivers

this nine-fold advantage

consistently across the

seven states in which it

operates.

Last, but certainly not

least, the people at Inner

Harbour treated me to

several days of the most

gracious hospitality. I didnt

stay with any one person

as I was touring the school,

talking with students and

teachers but there was

always someone to ensure

I had every little thing I

needed.

Inner Harbour is an ex-

traordinary school.

INNER HARBOURfrom page 4

know how to cope effectively with frus-

tration. His residential stay went well,

and after returning home, Sharodney

and his family received Youth Villages

Intercept intensive in-home services.

Family Intervention Specialist An-

gela White was their counselor. She

worked individually with Sharodney

and also with Shiray, his mother.

Shiray didnt feel empowered to

help, Angela said. She needed tools

to manage those difficult times.

Intercept family intervention spe-

cialists provide family services, meet-

ing with youth and their family at least

three times each week and remaining

on call around the clock. Services are

customized to each family to meet

individual needs best.

Angela helped me out tremendous-

ly, Shiray said. I could call her at any

time, day or night, and she would help

me out. She was awesome.

Angela helped Sharodney under-

stand his behavior and what caused

it. She worked with the family to

establish rewards and consequences,

and, most importantly, she worked to

foster those innate bonds a mother

and son have. Sharodney, who initially

planned to quit school and enter a

GED program, is back at school. Hes

participating in school activities and

has plans for a positive future.

I love my mom, Sharodney said.

Youth Villages helped us a lot.

Angela insists the family did the

work on their own, she simply pointed

out those times when events could

turn one way or the other and showed

them how to turn it into a positive.

They dont have to work at it now,

Angela said. Mom is empowered in

the home. Theyre a family, and its

natural now. Sharodneys gone from

A to Z with his behavior and they are

successful.

SHARODNEYfrom page 3

6

White lives YV mission and valuesMOTIVATED TO HELPAngela White, family intervention

specialist in Youth Villages Atlanta,

Ga., office, recounts a life-changing

event as if it happened yesterday:

Have you ever come home from an

outing to find a 14-year-old girl sitting

on the curb outside your home in the

pouring rain, crying, with nowhere

to go? she said. She was homeless,

helpless and hopeless, and had no

one to turn to? I have.

That girl recently graduated high

school and calls Angela mom. Now

grown and out on her own, she regu-

larly visits and claims Angelas bio-

logical children as sisters and broth-

ers. So this girl, Chiquita, is sitting in

the rain because her mother was an

addict and shed lost a place to stay.

Angela invited her in and promised

to get help.

The fear on her face left an impres-

sion on me that I have never forgot-

ten, she said.

Angela tried for weeks to get help,

and finding none, decided her home

was the best place for Chiquita.

I believed turning my back on this

situation would have made me part of

the problem, she said. I decided to

be a part of the solution.

Chiquita enlisted in the Army after

staying with Angelas family until she

was 19. But just as she was helped,

Chiquita also inspired Angela.

The experience motivated me to

pursue a career in social work, she

said. It showed me how much dedi-

cated people were needed who could

commit to the preservation of life,

family, children and human services.

Angela joined Youth Villages in

2009, after spending time in Atlanta

helping displaced survivors of Hur-

ricane Katrina find resources. Work-

ing for a program sponsored by such

agencies as The United Way of At-

lanta, The American Red Cross and

the Pleasant Hill Community Center,

Angela united family members and

other survivors, and helped them

transition to a new community. It

established a framework for her work

with families through Youth Villages

Intercept intensive in-home services

program.

Angela is a very dedicated coun-

selor and mentor in the office, said

Megan Nelson, clinical supervisor in

Youth Villages Atlanta, Ga., office.

Her passion for her work at Youth

Villages is evident in her tireless

hours and commitment to her fami-

lies. Angelas personality is larger

than life. It makes everyone want to

get to know her.

Angela recently participated in

Youth Villages national employee

conference as family intervention

specialist to one of the families fea-

tured as a success story. There, the

family and she recounted months of

work required to reunite a father with

his two daughters. But for Angelas

peers and families she works with in

Atlanta, it was only a glimpse of what

she does every day.

Angela is a strong counselor and

passionate individual, said Jewell

Gooding, clinical supervisor in Youth

Villages Atlanta Intercept office. She

goes above and beyond for her fami-

lies as well as the counselors on her

team. Angelas very involved with the

key players on each of her cases and

ensures safety as well as success for

each of our families at Youth Villages.

Angelas in the right place. She be-

lieves she was born to help children

and families. At home and at work,

she lives her mission, and she cant

imagine doing anything else.

When working with families, you

have to take empathy to a whole new

level, she said. I would do this for

free. Being able to help children re-

unify with their family and live togeth-

er successfully, and get paid, is more

than I could ever hope for in a job.

Angela White, left, with Donald, Antoinette and Khadijah, one of the families who were in the Inter-cept intensive in-home services program in Georgia. The family was featured during Youth Villages national employee conference, and has been profiled in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

7

How you can help!

Join our networks

www.facebook.com/youthvillages

www.twitter.com/youthvillages

www.youthvillages.wordpress.com

There are numerous

ways to help. Volunteer or

donate such needed items

as clothing, furniture and

other supplies. Please call

or e-mail me to find out

how to help.

Mary NormanDirector of Development

404-320-2969mary.norman@youthvillages.org

There are as many different ways to sup-

port Youth Villages as there are needs for

your support. If you are new to the concept

of planned giving, please visit youthvillages.

org/ and click Donate for information. We

have information on wills and bequests, gifts

of appreciated stock, real estate, charitable

remainder trusts, gifts of retirement assets,

life insurance and charitable lead trusts.

There are definitions, wording for wills,

stories of how instruments are created

and much more. You may want to visit the

planned giving calculator to see what a

planned gift would mean in your unique cir-

cumstances. For information, contact Mary

Norman at 404-320-2969 or e-mail

mary.norman@youthvillages.org.

THINKING ABOUTA PLANNED GIFT?

YV Builder($10,000 - $24,999)

The Coca-Cola Foundation

YV Family Champion($5,000 - $9,999)

Stacey Ann Boe Memorial FundWhitehead Childrens Christmas Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth CampbellKiwanis Foundation of Atlanta Inc.

Mr. John Smith

YV Champion for Children($1,000- $4,999)Ms. Jennifer Queen

Zachariah FoundationMr. Lewis Holland

Kroger Earning Plus LearningMr. and Mrs. Stanley Dodson

Comcast FoundationMr. and Mrs. Matthew TarkentonDruid Hills Presbyterian Church

Dan and Merrie Boone FoundationDon and Celia Scarbrough

YV Leader($500 - $999)

Mr. Thomas BrooksSautee Nacoochee Cultural Arts Center

Target - Take Charge of Education ProgramTull Charitable Foundation

LGE Community Credit UnionCrime Awareness and Prevention Education

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher HunterKAPPA Foundation of Georgia Inc.

Ms. Linda RamseyRotary Club of Douglas County

Smyrna Optimist ClubZoo Atlanta/Group Sales

YV Friend(Gifts up to $499)Atlanta Womens Club

Atlanta Botanical GardensStan Jones and Barbara ClevelandMt. Zion United Methodist Women

Mrs. Judith MyersPublix Partners

Ms. Jane DavenportMr. Barry McWhirter

Mr. and Mrs. W. Wright and Wade T. Mitchell

Mr. Edward Croft

Mr. Frank WinnMs. Lynn Merrill

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen BaconMr. Wayne BradleyMr. Stockton CroftMs. Jane Fahey

Dog River GradingNorth Georgia Dollmakers Club

Mr. David PahlMr. Gordon Sherman

Mrs. Judy TurnellMr. Thomas Wardell

Mr. Armstead BrownMr. Joe BrucknerMr. Jimmy Fluker

William Levine HouseholdMr. John McCollum

Ms. Harriet SessomsMs. Elaine Tarkenton

Fernbank MuseumMr. Clifton Goolsby

Mr. Ryan HilliardLydia Circle of Christ United

Methodist ChurchMr. Spencer Preis

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Reid

United Way of Metro Atlanta/Combined Federal Campaign (ongoing contributions)

IBM Employee Services Center Phil Ringo

Suntrust One Pledge Campaign Cynthia Whitaker

Joy San Walker Brown

Gifts in KindAtlanta Botanical Gardens

Mr. Thomas BrooksMs. LaShawn Certain

Federal Reserve Monetary MuseumFernbank Museum

Ms. Linda G. MaddoxMs. Mona Russell

Zoo Atlanta

CONTRIBUTIONSThanks to our many supporters

their needs.

What does the Explorer Society mean to the kids? The children share what theyre learning and

witness the interest that corpora-

tions and their employees have

in our mission.

What does the Explorer Society mean to Youth Villages?

Spending time on the campus

with the kids and taking part in

some of the experiential learning

programs help excite employees

and the corporation as a whole.

When employees experience our

mission on a personal level, they

are more likely to volunteer and

offer support.

For information, please contact

Norman at 404-320-2969 or

mary.norman@youthvillages.org.

EXPLORER SOCIETYfrom page 3

1777 Northeast Expressway NESuite 150Atlanta, GA 30329(Address Service Requested)

Alabama: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, MobileArkansas: Jonesboro, Little RockFlorida: Lakeland, Miami, TampaGeorgia: Atlanta, DouglasvilleMassachusetts:Mississippi: Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, TupeloNew Hampshire: ManchesterNorth Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Concord, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Pinehurst, Raleigh-Durham, WilmingtonTennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City,Knoxville, Linden, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, ParisTexas: DallasWashington, D.C.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDYOUTH VILLAGES

Please e-mail mary.norman@youthvillages.org or call 404-320-2969

to have your name removed from our mailing list.

New Heights Georgia is published by Youth Villages

Managing Editor: Mary Norman

Associate Editor: Chris Pennington

Founded in Memphis, Tenn., in 1986, Youth Villages has built a national reputation for offering the most effective pro-

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.