Holiday Heroes depends on the contributions of individuals and foundations like BJ’s to help fill the wish lists of hundreds of Massachusetts children receiving help through Youth Villages for emotional and behavioral issues, and help meet the basic needs of their families during the holiday season. The grant to Youth Villages was announced this week as one of a group of grants by BJ’s Charitable Foundation totaling $351,500 made to 56 Massachusetts nonprofits that focus on hunger prevention, education, self sufficiency, and healthcare.

“The goal of BJ’s Charitable Foundation is to create a positive, long-lasting impact on the communities in which BJ’s serves” said Jessica Newman, executive director of BJ’s Charitable Foundation. “Giving back is in the DNA of BJ’s Wholesale Club, and the donations from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation will impact tens of thousands of individuals and families, resulting in a better community for us all.”

BJ’s Charitable Foundation was established with the mission to enrich every community BJ’s Wholesale Clubs serve. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations that primarily benefit the underprivileged in the area of basic needs (hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, education and health). For more information about BJ’s Charitable Foundation, please visit www.bjs.com/charity.

Youth Villages Massachusetts produces lasting results for hundreds of emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families as well as former foster youth each year through its Evidentiary Family Restoration™ approach, involving intensive work with the child and family, as well as a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever safely possible and providing accountability to families and funders. EFR consistently produces success rates twice that of traditional services at one-third the cost of traditional care.

In Massachusetts, Youth Villages has offices in Woburn, Worcester, Plymouth, Lawrence and West Springfield, along with a residential campus for girls in Arlington.

Named one of the Top 50 Nonprofits to Work For by Nonprofit Times and Best Companies Group in 2010 and 2011, Youth Villages has been recognized by Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report, and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. For more information about Youth Villages, visit www.youthvillages.org.

There are boys on the waiting list for male mentors now at the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus in Douglasville, Ga. For information, contact Katrina Word (left), Youth Villages volunteer and mentor coordinator: 770-852-6328 or email.

It didn’t take long for Katrina Word to realize the children at the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus needed to see how much those in the community cared about them.

“They were thirsty for outside attention,” she said. “They behaved so well with outside people and individual attention.”

Not long before that, Katrina was a manager at a local bank and decided to change careers.

“You don’t walk away from finance, but I realized I didn’t want to do it any more,” she said. “I wanted to help children and saw an opportunity to pursue my dream.”

She returned to school and earned a second degree, then went to Youth Villages-Inner Harbour as an AmeriCorps volunteer. That was when she saw the need for a mentoring program. Katrina has grown the program from a few mentors and mentees to more than 40 children with mentors. In addition to the mentoring program, she hosts corporate visits to the campus as well as helping with development and community outreach.

But through mentoring, Katrina sees the biggest effect on the children.

“One child at Youth Villages-Inner Harbour was from another state,” she said. “He didn’t have family and friends visiting regularly, and like most teens, wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. One of the teacher-counselors at Youth Villages-Inner Harbour agreed to become his mentor. They talked a lot and worked out together at the mentor’s gym. The mentor asked the boy to strive for more, and now this young man is attending college near his home. He needed a male role model, and thanks to our mentor, this young man found avenues to success he would’ve never thought of on his own or in a group setting. It took that one-on-one time with a mentor for him to begin to realize his potential.”

Mentors go through a background and reference check and are then matched with a child with complementary needs or interests. They meet at least one hour each week with their mentees.

“We’re not asking for a mentor to be a preacher or a parental figure,” Katrina said. “The children just need someone to be there and spend time with them. It is amazing to see how the kids transform through mentoring.”

One mentor went through training and became a foster parent for his mentee, eventually adopting him. The mentee mentioned earlier is pursuing a degree to become a youth counselor or social worker.

“Our mentors are incredible, and every one of them brings their own magic,” Katrina said. “The children do better in school, but most importantly, the kids are happier.”

Each year, therapeutic drumming instructors from the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus travel to Little Switzerland, N.C., for the Blue Ridge Drum and Dance camp.

This year, nine AmeriCorps trainees, Michael Gordon from the Youth Villages Bartlett Campus, three classroom teachers, Sadi Sobhan and Program Coordinator Tom Harris attended the camp.

Seven African drumming teachers immerse students in West African drumming, including classes in djembe, dunun, krin, balaphone, kora, African dance and more. Harris and his students also tune and repair drums during the camp.

Two dununs (bass drums) were raffled to benefit Inner Harbour’s therapeutic drumming program, raising more than $3,300, which pays for African dance classes for all of the students at the campus for two months.

We are so grateful to artist Chantel Barber for her gift of “Garden Boots” to hang in the Youth Villages operations center in Memphis (pictured with Youth Villages CEO Pat Lawler). She had heard from a YV volunteer that the painting reminded him of our mission so she decided to donate it to us! Thanks so much for your generosity, Chantel.

Because of the generosity of supporters, Youth Villages fulfilled the holiday wishes of more than 440 youth in need from 236 families participating in our New England programs (which includes 78 adolescent girls living at the Youth Villages – Germaine Lawrence Campus – our newest program).

View a photo gallery featuring event photos, the words of volunteers and thank-you notes from the children.

Several specialists who work with youth and their families in their homes shared some heartwarming stories about how the gifts from Holiday Heroes made a difference this holiday season.

I work with a 19-year-old young lady who is entering her second semester in college while working part-time. One of the gifts this young lady received through the Holiday Heroes initiative was a winter jacket. When she pulled the winter jacket out of the bag, the look of excitement on her face was overwhelming. She was so excited to have a nice, warm jacket and loved the fact it had the fur on the hood! She said that she would never be cold again walking to school or work and was grateful that someone had thought of her during the holiday season. She even texted me the next day, and, once again, expressed her gratitude for the coat. She said she was walking to work and that the coat was awesome and keeping her nice and warm. She thanked me again for bringing her the coat and asked if I could thank whomever got it for her. I spoke with her this morning and again, she brought up the coat and was so thankful she had it because it was so cold out.

- Katie Ross, Transitional Living Specialist

Personally, I was in awe of the generosity of our Holiday Heroes. Every family I work with received gifts! As I helped one mother sort through the gifts for her four children, she informed me that the gifts the children received from Holiday Heroes were going to be ‘their best and favorite gifts.’ The thoughtfulness of individuals who sponsored children was amazing to me and I could tell that those gifts had been handpicked for each child based on their interests. I truly felt like I received a gift myself seeing the excitement and relief in the eyes of some of the parents I work with when I got to give them the gifts donated by our generous Holiday Heroes!

- Laura Nason, Intercept Specialist

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their hard work and generosity this holiday season. I personally think this is the best initiative Youth Villages does. I felt so lucky to be able to ‘play Santa’ for the day and deliver all of the gifts to my families! More than one of the mothers I work with cried when she saw the bags of overflowing gifts for her kids. It’s so special that their children get to experience the Christmas they deserve and the parents are overjoyed to be able to provide that for them, thanks to our Holiday Heroes.

- Alexandria Culkeen, Intercept Specialist

Youth Village Runners Club volunteer Henry Body (left) runs with Austin M., 11, around the lake at Youth Villages in Bartlett. Top achievers in the club get to participate in local road races. (Photo by Mark Weber, The Commercial Appeal)

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis has a good feature about the volunteers who work with young people at our Memphis-area campuses through the Youth Villages Runners Club. Learn how running helps these youth through more than just exercise. It provides valuable lessons in discipline and in setting goals. Read the story at commercialappeal.com.

Having web designers, but no elves, Saturno staff will be shopping Friday afternoon, probably at the Jantzen Beach Target. Managing partner Greg Fredette will join other staff members in a shopping spree to fill the children’s wishlists, which include clothes, pajamas, MP3 players, a scattering of Hello Kitty! and games.

“We so appreciate Saturno’s support of our children,” said Betsy Miller, development manager at Youth Villages Oregon. “It’s a difficult time of the year for many of our kids, who may be separated from their families on Christmas Day. It’s important for them to know the community cares, and Saturno does that.”

Every year, Saturno employees pick charities for holiday donations. Fredette always chooses Youth Villages Oregon, a connection made when a young family member received help years ago on its Christie Campus at Lake Oswego.

“I don’t think the public knows enough about these children and their needs. It’s fun for our staff to shop for them, and it adds a special meaning to our holiday party later on in the evening.” – Greg Fredette, Saturno managing partner

Fredette said Saturno donations will also go to the Salvation Army, Sisters of the Road, the Oregon Humane Society, Central City Concern and Free Geek this year.

Youth Villages Oregon is a new name for a nonprofit organization that has been helping children and families live successfully in the state since 1859. Formed last year through the merger of ChristieCare and the national nonprofit Youth Villages, the organization provides Intercept intensive in-home and residential services to children with emotional and behavior problems and their families. Using its Evidentiary Family Restoration™ approach, which involves intensive work with the child and family, a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever safely possible, and providing accountability to families and funders, Youth Villages consistently produces lasting success for children.

One of the nation’s first and largest providers of intensive in-home services, Youth Villages this year will help more than 20,000 children and families in 11 states and Washington, D.C. Named one of the Top 50 Nonprofits to Work For by Nonprofit Times and Best Companies Group in 2010 and 2011, Youth Villages has been recognized by Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report, and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.youthvillages.org.

AmeriCorps Group at Inner Harbour

The Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus is welcoming 21 AmeriCorps volunteers to the campus who have started their year of volunteer service the first week of October. Twelve are new volunteers chosen from among more than 400 applicants, and nine are returning volunteers who have committed to an extra year of service at the campus.

This is the 13th year the campus has hosted AmeriCorps volunteers, mostly college students or recent graduates who commit to a year or two of full-time volunteer service in exchange for a modest stipend and education award. The program, which has grown over the years, has become one of Georgia’s largest AmeriCorps programs and makes a difference for both the children receiving help on the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus for behavioral and mental health issues and the wider community by supporting school children, senior citizens, the homeless and nonprofit organizations in and around Douglasville and Atlanta.

“AmeriCorps members are an integral part of our campus life,” said Caroline Ledlie, manager of the Youth Villages AmeriCorps program at the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus. “They truly support our children and our staff, and they also make a difference beyond our campus. We are proud to have a program that achieves wonderful things around our whole community.”

Over the past year, Youth Villages’ AmeriCorps team spent more than 2,000 hours tutoring 131 youth receiving help at Youth Villages, nearly 2,000 hours providing 99 Youth Villages students with individual life skills training and more than 450 hours of afterschool programming focusing on the arts, enrichment and outdoor activities. In addition, AmeriCorps members recruited more than 1,500 volunteers to spend time on the campus during the past year.

On campus, AmeriCorps members support Youth Villages’ teachers, teacher-counselors, and therapists throughout the day and evening, assisting students in class, lending an additional ear to children who need to talk things over, helping children complete tasks, leading life skills trainings, teaching children such special skills as playing an instrument, tutoring children who have fallen behind academically and more.

“The AmeriCorps program at our Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus makes a great difference for our children and our staff,” said Emily Acker, campus director. “Having 20 or more additional people helping our children and assisting our staff is huge, and it allows us to offer our children a wide variety of additional recreational, educational and fun learning experiences they enjoy and will benefit from for the rest of their lives.”

Youth Villages’ AmeriCorps volunteers have organized many opportunities for the children receiving help on the campus, including a blueberry fest, a harvest festival, soccer games, tennis lessons, P90X workouts, canoe excursions, West African drumming lessons and dance recitals, ropes course activities and Pilates.

During the past year, the AmeriCorps team also devised an on-campus anti-bullying campaign, initiated Global Youth Service Day activities incorporating Youth Villages youth in three states, held a campus-wide talent show and did ongoing campus beautification projects.

In Douglas County and the Atlanta area, Youth Villages’ AmeriCorps members have spent countless hours volunteering at a wide variety of organization and schools over the past year, including the Douglas County Boys and Girls Club, New Manchester High School, Youth Leadership Douglas, Furniture Bank, Wheat Street Community Garden, Seven Stages Theater, Sweetwater Creek State Park, the Global Soap Project, Project Open Hand, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Trees Atlanta, FurKids, the Atlanta Community Tool Bank, Partnership Against Domestic Violence, Sheltering Arms, the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Good Samaritan Health Center, Piedmont Park Conservancy, WonderRoot, the Atlanta Marathon and Atlanta Track Club’s Peachtree Road Race. The Youth Villages AmeriCorps team also co-hosted Vanderbilt students on campus for an alternative spring break, as well as hosting the Kiwanis Club and Georgia PAS Corps.

Through a partnership with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism, Youth Villages’ AmeriCorps volunteers also act as first responders to national disasters in Georgia.

In addition, the AmeriCorps members have allowed children receiving help at Youth Villages to engage in meaningful service projects to support the following causes: the AIDS Memorial Quilt, Books for Africa, Sheltering Arms, Project Open Hand, Georgia Lighthouse Lions Foundation Eyeglass Recycling Program, Furniture Bank and 180 Degree Farms.

“I joined AmeriCorps for the opportunity to serve my country,” said Nicole Alexander, a Youth Villages AmeriCorps member and Team Leader. “Our youth deserve a chance, and I hope my efforts allow them to be successful and contributing members of the community.”

Youth Villages produces lasting success for children and families through its Evidentiary Family Restoration ™ approach, involving intensive work with the child and family, as well as a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever safely possible and providing accountability to families and funders.

In Georgia, Youth Villages helps about 50 children and their families each day from an office in Atlanta and about 140 children at its Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus in Douglasville, using its EFR approach.

EFR consistently produces success rates twice that of traditional services at one-third the cost of traditional care. Named one of the Top 50 Nonprofits to Work For by Nonprofit Times and Best Companies Group in 2010 and 2011, Youth Villages has been recognized by Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report, and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. For more information about Youth Villages, visit www.youthvillages.org.

Click the photo above to view a gallery featuring thank-you notes from some of the children and photos from corporate partners and our Backpack Shindig fundraising event.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, Youth Villages was able to distribute backpacks filled with new school supplies to more than 260 children from 120 of our neediest families across New England. We couldn’t have done this without this tremendous support!

For a first-hand account of the difference this effort made in the lives of one family, please read this account from Michelle Peterson, a Youth Villages transitional living specialist. Also check out the gallery below featuring thank-you notes from some of the children and photos from corporate partners and our Backpack Shindig fundraising event.

I recently dropped off the backpacks for Liana and her 7-month-old daughter, Lianny. Liana had just been through a very rough week. Her apartment was infested with bed bugs, her gas was shut off, her work hours were cut and her school was threatening to not allow her to start her first semester of college courses due to forgetting to waive the insurance during orientation (this was later resolved with her specialist and she will be starting courses in the fall). As if the week wasn’t terrible enough, her mother unexpectedly passed away. When I handed Liana her stuffed backpack, she was so grateful for everything and started rummaging through it immediately. She was thrilled that the donor had paid attention to her love for pinks. She jumped out of her seat to try on the clothes that she was given and they fit perfectly! When she opened Lianny’s backpack to find little fall outfits, Liana’s excitement had the baby squealing in her high chair and reaching for her cute new clothes. Mother and daughter did not stop laughing for at least 15 minutes straight! She couldn’t stop thanking us for helping her out, especially during such a rough time. Because of the tremendous support from the community through this initiative, she shared with me that she finally feels ready for college and is very motivated to begin school on a positive note. Thank you everyone who helped make this possible for this deserving young woman.

Whether you’re an out-of-town Tiger supporter looking for a way to help the Univerity of Memphis or just someone who is looking for an easy way to help some of the young people being treated through Youth Villages, this program is for you.

A tax-deductible donation of just $50 provides a ticket for 5 home games, and includes a snack and a drink. A $10 donation buys one ticket.

These tickets really get used! Seats are filled at the Liberty Bowl and that helps the Tiger football program.

Make a donation today and provide some fun days at the stadium for kids who really need them.