Reaching Milestones, Keeping Families Together, and Changing Lives Through Your Support! |
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Thanks to donors like you, Hearts to Homes has provided over $1,000,000 in furniture and home essentials to young adults aging out of foster care. (Read more here!) Your support allows us to help more individuals in need each month! Last year, we received 8-10 requests for assistance per month. This year, we are being asked to furnish 10-15 apartments per month.
To date, we’ve assisted 500 individuals! How do we know how much your care and commitment means to our young adults? They tell us every day - by sending photos of their new furnishings and texting us messages sharing their excitement about upcoming deliveries. Thank you for helping us reach these milestones!
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We Are Working to Keep Families Together |
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Did you know that one-third of all young adults referred to Hearts to Homes for assistance are pregnant or parenting?
Our goal is to help these young families stay together, and occasionally enable reunification, by supplying everything needed for a safe and complete home. In fact, with your generosity, we’re supporting more families each year – 19 families in 2020, 26 in 2021, 29 families in 2022, and 24 in the first seven months of 2023. Your donations have helped furnish the homes of over 160 infants, toddlers and young children, making their homes safer, more comfortable places to grow and thrive!
By providing necessary furnishings and furniture for these young families, we are part of a system of support that promotes stability. With your help, Hearts to Homes aims to keep families together and end the cycle of foster care.
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Your Donations Can Reach Beyond New York
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Hearts to Homes' assistance generally happens in the geographical area that constitutes New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties. But did you know that Hearts to Homes sometimes provides furnishing support outside of our normal area of operations?
What does this mean? As in the case of Sara Scott, some individuals aging out of foster care want to attend college or continuing education programs out of state where they need to find their own housing. Some youth may decide to stay out of state after finishing their degree, and others may find a job in a different state or relocate to live near extended family. So far, we’ve provided some virtual housewarmings for young adults in New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Louisiana, and upstate New York.
Sara’s out-of-state story began when she was accepted into Seton Hall University’s 14-month accelerated nursing program after graduating from college in Westchester County and leaving foster care. There was no housing available for the program, which is located in New Jersey, but after reaching out to different foster care agencies for help, she was referred to Hearts to Homes for assistance.
“I wasn’t quite sure how I would pick up big items but [Mary Theresa] explained that the items would be delivered to me either by the store directly or a volunteer. I just couldn’t believe it!” Sara writes. “I can’t explain how good it felt to move into my apartment and have all new things. I was starting an intensive nursing program and I didn’t have to worry about furnishing my apartment and where I would get the money to pay for all of these items. Hearts to Homes was a life saver.”
In cases like Sara’s, Hearts to Homes ensures that former foster youth in need are cared for and supported. The process and vendors may be slightly different when fulfilling furnishing needs elsewhere in the country, but the same magic is possible with donations from supporters like you! Read more about Sara's story here and donate below to help others like her! |
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Recipient Spotlight: Thanks From Aliyah |
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We recently received a beautiful thank you from Aliyah who received assistance from Hearts to Homes when she moved into her first apartment, and we wanted to share her words. Your support has such a tremendous impact, and we thank you!
"I'm grateful for all the supplies. Given that this is my first independent apartment, it means a lot to me. It has been really stressful thus far, but I must admit that because of all of your generosity, it has been less difficult for me. My place genuinely feels like my home thanks to the furnishings and supplies. And I can finally say with such pride that I have something I can call my own. Since I've been in foster care for 14 years, I've lived in a lot of different homes, and I've always wanted a place I can call my own. Thanks to you, this dream is becoming a reality. And I will always be grateful for that. You are all working angels of the earth. I only pray that God blesses you, the way you've blessed me. Thank you!
Thank you,
Aliyah
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Open Hearts at City Winery – A Success Thanks to You! |
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Our annual Open Hearts event was held on Tuesday, March 7th at the lovely City Winery, and it was a great success! 150 friends and supporters attended the event honoring former board member Patrick Dolan, and the space was filled with incredible support for our mission.
Along with contributions from our amazing sponsors, we held a live and silent auction with prizes including a YSL handbag, New York Rangers tickets and MSG tour, and dinner at Oceana. Attendees helped us "Fill-A-Home," surpassing our goal to fund one apartment and raising $3,575 – equal to one and a half homes! And lastly, everyone enjoyed a classic game of Heads or Tails for a Hearts to Homes merch basket.
All in all, we raised $110,000 – an incredible amount that will have such an impact on youth aging out of foster care!
A huge thank you to our sponsors and everyone who attended! You can see more pictures of the event on our website here.
Want to attend an upcoming event?
Join us in Southampton, NY on August 12th!
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Heartfelt Thanks to Four Outgoing Board Members |
We would like to offer a big thank you to Cookie Humphrey, Diane Vezza, Greg Spero and Artie Lange (clockwise from top left). They are leaving the board of directors, at the end of this month, after a combined commitment of twenty-one service years.
The guidance of these four talented and caring individuals will be missed. Diane, Artie and Greg have each served six years. Cookie steps down having completed a three-year term.
Their advice and leadership helped guide Hearts to Homes from its earliest days, as they shared their talents in finance, small business infrastructure, fundraising, and program services. We are grateful that both Diane and Greg will be continuing on as Hearts to Homes volunteers.
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From Foster Care to First Home TM
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51 Lindbergh Place
Yonkers, NY 10707
(914) 400-7193
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