The man was shot and killed in front of his 2-year-old daughter. It was another senseless homicide in Memphis; another child traumatized by gun violence. To Brandon and Bryan Mathis and the Memphis Allies team, this man, this incident was more than just a statistic.
Backpack Heroes is an annual Youth Villages fundraiser focused on equipping children and young adults in each of the organization’s service regions with school supplies needed for the upcoming year. East Tennessee is one of those areas, and Youth Villages is grateful for the financial support Backpack Heroes receives from the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors (KAAR) and its Birdies for Backpacks golf tournament.
Middle Tennessee native and donor, Meghan Markie, originally from Columbia, Tennessee, has been supporting Youth Villages after her father introduced her to the organization, where he volunteered as a Dell employee before his passing. Since getting involved, Meghan joined the Middle Tennessee Advisory Board, and for the last two years, she served as Board Chair.
A PBS NewsHour team followed staff in our Intercept and Specialized Crisis Services programs in East Tennessee for this powerful report on the children’s mental health crisis.
Dr. Jacque Cutillo is celebrating her 15th anniversary as an employee of Youth Villages. She joined the Youth Villages Massachusetts office in 2007 as the location’s second employee and has helped shape the landscape of mental health services for youth and families ever since.
The Youth Villages Massachusetts and New Hampshire Spring Celebration gala raised $830,000 to help young people live successfully. The annual event celebrated the organization’s milestone of 15 years of serving children, youth and families in New England.
When many teenagers enter their junior year of high school, their life pathways are somewhat charted. For some, the path leads to college. For others, a trade or technical school. For still others, finding employment. But often that path is set up starting with the freshman year.
LifeSet, a Youth Villages program for young adults who experienced foster care, meets young people where they are in life. Some need major support to help achieve goals as they enter adulthood. Others, though, already have the drive, but a little assistance is needed along the way.
Balancing life’s many demands can be stressful for anyone, including children. Unexpected transitions at home like a parent losing a job, grieving a loved one or dealing with health issues…
This week, Royal Chatman will be in juvenile court supporting a young man who’s facing an aggravated assault charge. The court will be determining whether the young man will be transferred to adult court – or be assigned to the Memphis Allies SWITCH program.