Michigan. Annual Report 2015

Transcription

1 Michigan Annual Report 2015

2 Mission We who recognize God s providence and fidelity to His people are dedicated to living out His covenant among ourselves and those children we serve, with absolute respect and unconditional love. That commitment calls us to serve suffering children of the street, and to protect and safeguard all children. Just as Christ in His humanity is the visible sign of God s presence among His people, so our efforts together in the covenant community are a visible sign that effects the presence of God, working through the Holy Spirit among ourselves and our kids. Vision Covenant House will continue to fulfill its mission by providing shelter and services to children and youth who are homeless or at great risk. In the spirit of open intake, services will be offered to all youth who seek help, with priority of concern and commitment to those for whom no other service is available.»» We will make every effort to reunite kids with their families.»» We will collaborate with community agencies and associations and actively participate in community efforts to improve the condition of families and children.»» We will advocate with and on behalf of youth to raise awareness in the community about their suffering.»» Our mission is based on faith and the belief that all children and youth have a right to love, respect and genuine concern. Our individual and shared spirituality will permeate all of our activities. Principles Immediacy Kids come to us in crisis, desperately requiring help. We provide for their basic human needs food, clothing, a shower, medical attention immediately. Sanctuary Kids trying to get off the street are often scared and mistrustful. We protect our kids from violence and degradation by providing safety. Value Communication We show our youth, by example, that wholesome, caring relationships are based on trust, respect and honesty. Structure Street life is unstable and unpredictable. We provide structure and a reasonable set of expectations to give our kids a chance to focus on their futures. Choice We help youth make positive choices. We give them the encouragement they need.

3 Letter from the Board Chair Dear Friends: Looking back over the year in my position as Board Chair, I am inspired to assist in leading this wonderful organization. During the last year, I have had several interactions with the youth who live at Covenant House Michigan (CHM). These visits have proven to be an ongoing reminder of the great need for the resources we offer. It is inspiring to hear the stories of both residents and alumni who are grateful for the opportunities Covenant House Michigan has given them. Courtney, one of our former residents, is among those who demonstrate this gratitude in a particularly active way. She recently accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors Program Committee, lending her youthful and personal perspective to help shape the future of CHM. Her enthusiasm and desire to give back to CHM is a testimony to the way our programs change lives. Your involvement allows our youth to find shelter, love, job opportunities, support, guidance and hope for the future. Thank you for donating, mentoring, advocating, volunteering or simply telling others about our work. Your help is shaping the future of our young people. Sincerely, Leslie Murphy Board Chair

4 Letter from the Director Dear Covenant House Michigan Family: It is with joy in my heart that I reflect on another wonderful year, a year in which we were able to provide desperately needed services and resources because of your generosity. Because of you, we were able to provide 400 young people with a safe place to sleep free from abuse, neglect or the need to engage in risky lifestyles in order to survive. We were able to offer these young people counseling to manage grief, depression or other mental health issues. As I look back on this year, not only the practical elements come to mind, but I recall the ways staff and volunteers inspire our young people on a day-to-day basis. Through your gifts, we are able to provide programs and staff who help to motivate these young people to realize their potential, whether that be finishing high school at Covenant House Academy, registering for trade school, attending college or making a strong effort to be successful in the first few months of a new job. One of our young people comes to mind when I think of opportunities we are able to provide: This particular young man shared his experience growing up with drug problems in his extended family and seeing two cousins go to jail. As a result, he chose to steer clear of drugs, but admits it took a lot of effort to resist the temptation. At a certain juncture, he found himself without a home and called Covenant House Michigan. Our staff helped him to find a full-time manufacturing job and now, months later, he is working as many hours as he can to build his savings account. This young man is determined to create long-term financial stability in his life, dreaming of one day owning a car and home. I am so grateful to all of the wonderful people who make Covenant House Michigan what it is and for all of the young people who call our campus home. Please keep us all in your prayers as we continue to go about the work of living out our covenant with these young people and showing them the way to a fruitful life. God Bless, Gerry Piro CHM Executive Director

5 Board Members Fiscal Year 2015 Leslie Murphy Murphy Consulting Board Chair Rich Thompson MST Steel Corp Vice Chair Joseph P. Crawford J. Crawford Communications Secretary David Senatore Smith Barney, Inc. Treasurer John Axe Axe & Ecklund, P.C. Tom Baird T A Baird and Assoc. (Retired) Sister Xavier Ballance, DC, Providence Hospital Michael D. Bishop Clark Hill Chelsea Carballo Lawrence Givens Blackmond Givens Group Kimberly Comer Mulqueen Deloitte Consulting Teresa Weatherall Neal Grand Rapids Public Schools Peter Rosenfeld Boston Consulting Group Jeffrey Rumley Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI Michael G. Sarafa Bank of Michigan Ravinder Shahani Acro Service Corporation Dan Weingartz Secretary Weingartz Supply Co., Inc.

6 Anthony Age 19 Family lost their home Dream is to be a teacher Hobbies include playing basketball and video games, hanging out with friends and telling jokes. Simone Age 20 Aged out of Foster Care Dream is to be a scientist Hobbies include reading, yoga, listening to music, hanging out with friends. About Us Covenant House Michigan is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides hope to homeless, runaway and at-risk youth. We provide shelter, educational and vocational programs, as well as other support services, to help youth overcome hurdles such as homelessness, unemployment, inadequate education, violence, drugs and gangs. Our goal is to redirect them onto a path toward meaningful and successful adulthood.

7 Our goal at Covenant House Michigan is to provide a better life for the youth who come through our doors. We not only offer food and shelter, we offer a package for independence and overall success. Whether they are brought here by our Outreach Team or walk through our doors on their own, every child is embraced with open arms. Each young person is unique and needs individualized attention and treatment. Some may need to finish high school or obtain their GED. Some have never been employed and need to develop job skills. Some have never been taught basic living skills. We have made a covenant with our kids to help them to better themselves. And in turn they, too, have made a covenant with us to succeed. Covenant House Michigan s programs offer assistance and hope for a better future. The Street Outreach Team - Patrols the streets of metro Detroit daily. They find kids living in abandoned houses, cars and on street corners, among other unfit places. The Team provides these youth with prevention services, information about CHM s residential, education and job programs, counseling, food and clean clothes. Youth Served this Year - 4,663 Crisis Center - 45-bed shelter offers hot food, a shower, clean clothes and a warm bed to teens who come off of the streets and are in crisis. The Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Youth can stay from 1 day to 3 months. Youth Served this Year- 350 Rights of Passage (ROP) - 30-bed co-ed program provides long-term transitional housing for youth years of age who demonstrate the desire to turn their life around and make a transition from street life to productive adulthood and independent living. Residents are part of a caring, supportive community that offers them options for coping with everyday issues in their lives. Each young person is required to put 70% of their income into a bank account. This teaches them money management and budgeting. Youth Served this Year- 63 Covenant House Academy - Over 90% of youth in CHM s residential programs are high school dropouts. Covenant House Michigan collaborated to open three charter schools in order to better serve the needs of homeless and other at-risk youth who lack a high school diploma. The schools serve youth aged and are named Covenant House Academy. Located in Detroit and Grand Rapids, these schools have a specialized curriculum for addressing the needs of dropouts and other at-risk youth. Each school has a capacity of 300 students. Graduates Employment Center - Prepares our kids for the world of work and independence. The staff teaches job expectations, workplace ethics, communication skills and teamwork. With staff support, our kids prepare resumes and portfolios, and participate in mock interviews. Youth Placed in Jobs this Year- 136 Total Me - The programs at Covenant House Michigan go beyond the basics of food, clothes and housing. They reach into the lives of the youth we serve. The program offers classes in anger management, grief workshops, etiquette, mock interviews and dress for success sessions, and general life skills to help young people find their way when they leave CHM s doors. Additional Services - New Center Community Services provides CHM with a full-time and part-time therapist. St. John Health System provides a nurse practitioner and medical assistant, offering residents medical services in the on-site clinic.

8 Financials Thank you to all of our wonderful supporters who provide monetary, in-kind items and countless hours of service and prayers.

9 Tidbits on the Youth We Serve Jermain Jermain felt like he was moving into a penthouse apartment when he was handed the keys to his first apartment. I ve never lived on my own before, so it s exciting but I m kind of nervous, too. In the space of a year and a half, Jermain went from being a youth facing homelessness to an accomplished young man. I work full-time at a security company, Jermain shared, and pick up as many extra hours as I can get. He has been saving up to buy furniture for his new place. Not only is Jermain gainfully employed, he is also able to boast about his college record, My first semester I got all As and Bs! Jermain said. The joy of finding hope, and knowing he earned his way out of homelessness, is a far greater accomplishment than owning a penthouse! Andrew When Andrew moved to his new apartment, he found more than a place to live, he found a new life for himself. Growing up, Andrew always felt singled out by his mom. His home wasn t a happy place to be. It seemed that he could never make his mom happy and that she was always taking things out on him. Andrew grew up wishing his relationship with her was more like that of his siblings, who appeared to have their mother s favor. Once he came to Covenant House Michigan, his life changed. Andrew began to feel included and part of a family. This past year, he was able to move out into his own apartment. Andrew comes back to visit and keeps us updated on his internship and other news in his life. We are proud to be his extended family. Arlina It was December, just a few weeks before Christmas and raining outside when Arlina left her family home. I put on extra layers of clothes and packed a bag with some of my stuff. I didn t know where I was going so I just wandered the streets for a few hours and then lay down under a giant pine tree a few blocks from my neighborhood. She hadn t planned this but when an argument with her mother ended in an order to leave their home, Arlina didn t have a choice. Her next step was to call everyone she knew, hoping for a place to sleep. After dropping her phone, the screen broke and she wasn t able to make any more calls. Luckily, one of my uncles noticed a post I put up and realized it was a cry for help, Arlina shared. He drove around in the middle of the night and found me under that tree. She stayed with him while trying to reconcile with her mom, but the results were not in Arlina s favor. Arlina kept searching for a long-term plan and found Covenant House Michigan. She quickly joined the job training program. My long-term plans include going for phlebotomy training so I can support myself when I go back to school, she stated. Eventually I d like to be a nurse, as I really like helping people.

10 Events throughout the Fiscal Year Calling All Angels Fundraiser Oct. 24, 2014 Alumni Reunion Sept. 10, 2014 Graduation Dec. 16, 2014 Vigil and Sleep Out Nov. 20, 2014 COVer Up Open for Business July 1, 2014 CAA and Penna s Outreach Christmas Party Dec. 20, 2014

11 MGM Christmas Party Dec. 18, 2014 Graduation June 16, 2015 Mentor Program Launches Feb. 2, 2015 Covenant Idol May 27, 2015 Underground Dinner June 25, 2015 Volunteer Recognition June 8, 2015 Valentine s Day Share Your Love Feb. 14, 2015

12 A Special Thanks to All of Our Donors, Volunteers and Supporters Who Allow Us to Carry Out Our Mission of Love. Covenant House Michigan 2959 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Detroit, MI CovenantHouseMI.org facebook/covenanthousemichigan twitter/covenanthousemi