Fund helps fulfill wish lists for Avondale youths
Smith, G.I. Times Recorder, Dec. 4, 2006.
ZANESVILLE -- A 15-year-old boy isn't going to spend Christmas with his family at home again this year.
It's been nearly three years since he's lived at home with his family. Foster care and Avondale Youth Center have become his surrogate homes since he's entered his teen years.
"When I first got (to Avondale) I felt worried about what was going to happen to me, where I was going to end up," the boy said. "I'm more comfortable with things now. I know how the program works and stuff."
The Times Recorder chose not to identify the boy interviewed in this article to protect his privacy. The director of Avondale Youth Center confirmed that the boy was a resident at the home.
This is either a great or a very bad time of year for children at Avondale Youth Center. The center houses troubled children who range in age of 10 to 17. It houses 12 boys and 10 girls at any given time and is part of Muskingum County Children Services.
During the holidays, the children are either counting down the days until they can spend Christmas at the center with their families or they're feeling bad because they know that any holiday family reunion isn't possible.
"The holidays become more and more traumatic for the kids who know he or she doesn't have (a warm, welcoming family) to go to," said Gerald Brandt, director at Avondale.
Because so many children are housed at Avondale, Brandt said it's necessary to keep a fund available to purchase the incidental and special items that every child needs during their development. That fund -- the Avondale Holiday Fund -- helps purchase holiday wish lists for the children, prom dresses, special educational tools and other things that most children rely on their parents to buy for them.
"We purchase things that would be more difficult to get if we had to go through the budget process," Brandt said. "Prom dresses, boutonnieres, a learning program that an individual child needs that would augment what the school is doing with the child. ... This allows us to do something very, very quickly."
The 15-year-old boy spent Christmas at Avondale in the past.
"I got exactly what I asked for," the boy said. "This year, I'm looking forward to seeing my family coming here and visiting me."
The boy has five sisters and one brother. His immediate goal is to eventually live with his older brother, who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"I want to join the Marines when I turn 18," he said. "After that, I'm going to college."
The boy wants to study law and become a lawyer.
Brandt said the fund is designed to last the entire year.
"Kids are kids," Brandt said. "When they need something, they need it five minutes before they ask for it. (Using the fund when it's needed) is a way of showing kids who are not used to adults responding that adults do care and that they really want to help... It helps establish a relationship."
It's been nearly three years since he's lived at home with his family. Foster care and Avondale Youth Center have become his surrogate homes since he's entered his teen years.
"When I first got (to Avondale) I felt worried about what was going to happen to me, where I was going to end up," the boy said. "I'm more comfortable with things now. I know how the program works and stuff."
The Times Recorder chose not to identify the boy interviewed in this article to protect his privacy. The director of Avondale Youth Center confirmed that the boy was a resident at the home.
This is either a great or a very bad time of year for children at Avondale Youth Center. The center houses troubled children who range in age of 10 to 17. It houses 12 boys and 10 girls at any given time and is part of Muskingum County Children Services.
During the holidays, the children are either counting down the days until they can spend Christmas at the center with their families or they're feeling bad because they know that any holiday family reunion isn't possible.
"The holidays become more and more traumatic for the kids who know he or she doesn't have (a warm, welcoming family) to go to," said Gerald Brandt, director at Avondale.
Because so many children are housed at Avondale, Brandt said it's necessary to keep a fund available to purchase the incidental and special items that every child needs during their development. That fund -- the Avondale Holiday Fund -- helps purchase holiday wish lists for the children, prom dresses, special educational tools and other things that most children rely on their parents to buy for them.
"We purchase things that would be more difficult to get if we had to go through the budget process," Brandt said. "Prom dresses, boutonnieres, a learning program that an individual child needs that would augment what the school is doing with the child. ... This allows us to do something very, very quickly."
The 15-year-old boy spent Christmas at Avondale in the past.
"I got exactly what I asked for," the boy said. "This year, I'm looking forward to seeing my family coming here and visiting me."
The boy has five sisters and one brother. His immediate goal is to eventually live with his older brother, who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"I want to join the Marines when I turn 18," he said. "After that, I'm going to college."
The boy wants to study law and become a lawyer.
Brandt said the fund is designed to last the entire year.
"Kids are kids," Brandt said. "When they need something, they need it five minutes before they ask for it. (Using the fund when it's needed) is a way of showing kids who are not used to adults responding that adults do care and that they really want to help... It helps establish a relationship."
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