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| Celebrating Moments and Creating Memories
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The Dog Days of Summer are (hopefully) over!
In this summer of relentless heat, young women and staff from our Independent Living and VOCA programs enjoyed a beautiful afternoon pool party at the home of volunteer Lillian Beratta. One young woman shared that she loved how quiet and peaceful it was. And Lillian's dogs got an abundance of attention, which you can see they happily enjoyed!
Experiences like this one - beautiful environment, relaxed conversation, and a chance to take a moment, breathe and just be with each other in a "no judgement zone" - are an important part of trauma-informed care for our young people. If you are not yet familiar with trauma-informed care, it shifts the question from asking, “What is wrong with this person?” to “What has happened to this person?” so healing can begin.
Creating a physically and emotionally safe environment, establishing trust and boundaries, supporting autonomy and choice, creating collaborative relationships and participation opportunities and using a strengths and empowerment-focused perspective to promote resilience are ways in which we apply a Trauma-Informed Care approach in our work at Monroe Harding to reduce re-traumatization and promote healing, Many times, what may seem like a small moment or an everyday experience can create the possibility for a big change in a young person's life.
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Our Foster Care team recently held our annual Cool Down Carnival. Generously hosted by our friends at Crosspoint Church at their downtown campus, the event brought together our fostering community - foster parents, birth children, foster youth and a special celebration for our newest forever families, the Millesons and the Clucks!
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| Our newest foster families
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|  | Amanda & Philip Lindskog
Philip is part of the church leadership at Experience Church and Amanda works from home for Willis Tower Watkins. They were married one year ago, and son Thane is ready to share his love of sports with a new family member!
| |  | Amy Cottingham
Amy works on site of the apartment complex she lives in as a Leasing Consultant and is open to serviing children up to 18 years of age.
| |  | Jerry & Kylie Pruitt
Jerry and Kylie have been married for 21 years. Jerry works as a Supply Chain Analyst at Penske Logistics and Kylie works as the Director of Financial Services at Trevecca University. Kylie's parents had fostered while she was growing up, which had an impact on their decision to open their home to children in need.
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Lucas & Rebekah Curfman
High school sweethearts, Luke and Rebekah have known each other since they were 14. They have a sweet lab mix named Piper and are excited to be welcoming children into their home soon!
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Michelle & Tyler Wolff
Tyler and Michelle own and operate Wolffhaus Studios, a broadcast and media production company.
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We are so excited to be working with all these families and look forward to walking with them on their foster care journey! Thinking about fostering? You can learn more here.
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Discovering Strengths Jayden came from a home where the adults around him were doing drugs daily and living a life of crime. Even at 11 years old, he was wise beyond his years in street smarts when he came to Monroe Harding’s foster care program. Jayden is now 13 and much has changed in his life.
He has learned the value of respecting rules and having self-discipline. He has also learned the value of teamwork. He is now a member of the football team at his middle school. He recently attended a dance at the school, his first dance ever. Of course, he was bashful when asked if he had anyone he was interested in at the dance.
Jayden has begun to enjoy attending church services, too. He was reluctant to go at first, but now the youth pastor has become a mentor for him. He even took Jayden to a major league baseball game!
Jayden is a sports lover and it seems he is good at about every sport he tries, even putt putt golf. Not only is he great athletically, but he is becoming the respectful, happy, and confident young man he is meant to be.
We are so proud of you, Jayden!
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
The Spring Class of 2019 took a minute to celebrate the milestone that is graduation, but now they're back to work and school. We love that they keep in touch with us!
8 are attending Opportunity Passport (our financial education classes) regularly
9 are working at least part-time
7 are in college at NSCC, TCAT, or TSU
3 have moved into new apartments
2 have purchased new cars
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We have a new home at 1 Vantage Way
(pictured left to right: Sara Del Castillo, Chris Anderson, CEO David Popen, Hannah McGraw, Jackie Shrago, Horst, Laura Folk, Lorena Dominy, Schulz)
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Creating a runway, not a cliff, for our young adults.At September's Community Fundraising Breakfast, We shared the reality that youth aging out of foster care face: every year in this country, about 28,000 young people “age out” of foster care. This places youth at a greater risk for incarceration, unemployment, early pregnancy & parenting, poverty, mental health problems and homelessness. 25 percent of young adults aging out will experience homelessness within the first year of leaving foster care, and 50% of these youth will be homeless within the first four years. Our Independent Living and Youth Connections programs have built a strong foundation for helping youth make that transition against the odds.
We were excited to share at the breakfast how we are expanding on those strengths to reach even more of the young adults in Nashville who need a pathway to independence.
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We have been chosen by the Metro Nashville Government and the Nashville Career Advancement Center to be the driving force for one of only two re-engagement hubs in the city. This hub will provide services and connections to community resources for young adults ages 17-24, who have been disconnected from work and school and who themselves have been the victims of crime. This expands the work of Monroe Harding by increasing the number of young adults we can reach – including and going beyond just teens and young adults associated with the foster care system.
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Jobs are plentiful in Nashville. For our youth, the focus on getting a job addresses the immediate need for an income, but it undermines economic self-sufficiency because it leaves youth unprepared to sustain and advance in employment. Our new initiative is a comprehensive career readiness approach. The program will have a trauma and evidence-based training curriculum to provides the skills needed to get a job and a range of supports to help youth successfully complete training and maintain employment. This approach works to identify and minimize the obstacles of life that affect career decisions and the ability to seek, secure and sustain work.
These iniatives are taking a "whole community" approach and in our Career Readiness program, we'll be seeking community partners that will be open to job shadowing, internship and employment opportunities for young adults. If you or your company is interested in learning more, contact us here.
Those that attended the breakfast heard from Tristan and Robert, youth in our programs, about their goals, successes and challenges as they move into adulthood.
Our breakfast raised over $43,000 to support Monroe Harding's programs and the youth we serve. Thank you one and all!
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Salute to Excellence Finalist
Our very own Deidre Matthews is a finalist for this year's Sun Trust Foundation CFO of the Year Award. The Center for Nonprofit Management's Salute to Excellence Awards is the country’s largest nonprofits award ceremony and brings together more than 1,100 leaders in local business, community, and nonprofit sectors. We will be there cheering her on at the ceremony on October 10th!
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Podcast stars!Vice President of Programs Rhonda Allen and Director of Foster Care Shan Edmondson were guests on TCCY's (TN Commission on Children & Youth) new podcast, Roots & Wings. They discussed foster care with host Jonquil Newland. You can listen to the podcast on our website here.
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| Ways to Support & Get Involved
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Football for Foster Care!
The Tennessee Titans are offering specially priced tickets for five upcoming home games:
Oct. 20 – vs Los Angeles Chargers Oct. 27 – vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nov 24 – vs Jacksonville Jaguars Dec 15 – vs Houston Texans
Dec. 22 – vs New Orleans Saints
Purchase tickets here, and use the promo code "MH "and $10 from your ticket purchase will go to Monroe Harding. Spread the word, share the link and Go, Titans, Go!!
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Buy a Bunny, Gift a Bunny!
We recently discovered LAVENDER LIFE COMPANY - they design, grow, and procure all natural and organic ingredients, for their lavender products AND they have a passion for children in foster care! Their mission is to give a warmable, lavender filled Xander Bunny to every child in foster care.
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MonroeHarding-TN
and Lavender Life will give a bunny to us for our children in foster care!
They make great gifts for baby showers, birthdays and for anyone that just needs a warm hug!
Xander Bunny would also make a wonderful Christmas gift!
And since we mentioned Christmas...
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| Look for an announcement from us on November 1st on how to sponsor our children & young people in foster care this Christmas!
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Thank you to all our foundation partners who support Monroe Harding's mission of changing young peoples lives by ensuring that foster care youth and other vulnerable young people build a solid foundation of strengths that position them for success in adulthood.
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Monroe Harding relies on individuals, businesses and foundations to help us foster the future of the kids who need us today. We hope you'll consider making a gift to help provide the children and young adults we serve with what they need from a family - a safe and healing environment, educational and career support, independent living skills and love and guidance from caring adults.
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