In 1980, Patrick Lawler was a young probation officer in Tennessee’s Shelby County. Lawler had started his career at just 18 working with boys in a local group home..
Media Coverage Articles
Youth Villages partners with video production company to help foster children find a home
Action News 5 stopped by Via Productions in Memphis for a behind-the-scenes look at our adoption video shoots…
Mid-South woman stepping up to mentor hopeful teen waiting for adoption
By Arianna Poindexter | WMCTV5 | January 30, 2020 at 6:29 PM CST - Updated January 30 at 6:43 PM MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - January is National Mentoring Month, a campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities. One Mid-South woman is stepping up to make a...
Program works to ‘Intercept’ young people from life of crime
Without the Youth Villages Intercept program, Johnnie Alvarado knows he would have wound up in prison or, worse, dead…
Local nonprofit highlights need for mentors in Memphis for National Mentoring Month
January is National Mentoring Month and Youth Villages, a nonprofit that works with at-risk families, is highlighting the need for mentors in the Memphis area.
Youth Villages Names Jessica Foster Chief Strategy Officer
The appointment is a promotion from within, as Foster has been with the national children’s mental and behavioral health nonprofit for nearly nine years. First hired to serve in various strategy, business development and policy roles, she quickly moved up the ranks of the organization…
Weathersbee: Can federal money end Memphis’ gang violence? Not if G-A-N-G spells F-A-M-I-L-Y
Strengthening families and giving young people the support they need to move away from gang activity can make a difference in our communities. Special thanks to Commercial Appeal columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee for highlighting this issue and interviewing Youth Villages foster parent Yolanda Tate and clinical consultant Katie Puckett in her story today.
Pat Lawler marks 40 years of serving troubled young people at Youth Villages helm
Youth Villages CEO Pat Lawler is celebrating 40 years of working with children and families, and he’s even more enthused about his work today than at the start.
Memphis-based Youth Villages makes its mark across the nation
From a small, struggling residential treatment center in Memphis to a nationwide organization recognized by the President of the United States, Youth Villages has become a respected leader in treating children with emotional and behavioral issues…
Aging out of foster care: Why it happens and how social workers can help
Youth Villages was featured as an expert in the December issue of Social Work Today…