There's No Place Like Home

Volunteer Training Night Perhaps Dorothy said it best when she clicked her ruby red heels together and said, “There is no place like home.” In the real world though, there are no magic shoes that can whisk someone back to a place of comfort and safety. For many of the youth I meet, their house is not a home. Not really. As I’m writing this I am thinking about some of the situations I’ve been in the front row for. • The girl who was sexually assaulted by her adoptive father • The young man who frequently called the ambulance for his mother after her overdoses • The youth whose first memories were a parent screaming hateful word at them. Because of you, we are able to be present in these messy situations and be the family these youth have never experienced. A young person I worked with years ago recently sent me a message for my birthday: “[What you did as a youth worker] meant the world to lonely 16-year old me. It always reminded me that no matter how alone I f