WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — The EmpowHER Leadership Academy for Girls completed its 2018 advocacy project by more than doubling its initial goal of donating 100 welcome kits filled with toiletries and diaries to the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County – 100 Youth in 100 Homes in 100 Days.
Last fall, the Leadership Academy kicked off its project titled “One Heart, One Box: Teens Helping Teens, Unbox the Dream (Dream of a Home).” The project involved collecting toiletries and journals to be given to teens who are transitioning out of homelessness and into new homes. The journals are provided to allow the teens to express their innermost thoughts about whatever is going on in their lives.
The Leadership Academy participants worked with local businesses to set up donation drop-off points across Palm Beach County. Afterward, they packaged the items neatly in shoeboxes for delivery to the formerly homeless teens.
In all, the girls donated more than 250 welcome kits on Saturday, March 24, to the Sen. Philip D. Lewis Center in West Palm Beach. Accepting the donation was Lewis Center Division Director of Homeless and Residential Services Katherine Hammer.
“Ultimately we want to try to reunify kids with their families,” Hammer told the Leadership Academy participants. “There are times when that is just impossible, so then we try to get the young people to figure out who they are going to room with.” By becoming roommates, she explained, the young people can share housing expenses, which can be quite high in South Florida.
The Lewis Center is Palm Beach County’s first homeless resource center. It works alongside several other agencies to identify and assist homeless teens and adults. For information, visit www.homelesscoalitionpbc.org.
The conference was extremely informative. I can’t wait until next year.