You can be a child's hero by providing safety and love!
Right now, a child is crying out for help. Abused, abandoned, and afraid, that child needs someone to hear. To care. To intervene.
That child needs a hero. And that hero could be you.
It's easy to let ourselves believe the needs are a world away. But you don't have to cross an ocean to find children in desperate circumstances. They are all around us, struggling to survive in the very same communities where we live, work, and play. In a culture moving farther and farther away from God and biblical truth, children all too often become the innocent victims, left to face the consequences of harmful choices made by people they should have been able to trust.
When you give to Youth Haven, you are choosing to step up and be the hero vulnerable children need! Your gifts provide a place of safety and love — a literal "haven" — for kids who have endured hardships no child should ever have to face.
Marshall* is one of those kids. Marshall's biological father passed away, and his biological mother is addicted to substances. Left to fend for themselves, Marshall and several siblings were found living in a car and placed in separate foster homes. Marshall's foster mother heard about Youth Haven through connections with other foster parents and reached out to us for help. His case manager was also in favor of him attending our programs, but asked us not to use his legal name in any of our correspondence due to a history of kidnapping and safety concerns for him.
What a blessing to know that Youth Haven is viewed as a safe place for kids, and that foster parents and case workers trust us with the children in their care!
Thanks to the generous giving of heroes like you, Marshall has found Youth Haven to be a safe place, where he can have fun with other kids and be assured his needs will be met. He has been able to attend our summer camp program and weekend adventures multiple times, where he has learned the important truth that God loves him, created him for a very special purpose, and sent Jesus to die for him. He told our staff he accepted Christ as his Savior, and he received his very own Bible, the Youth Haven Trailbook, to take home. He has also been very engaged with our mail program, regularly sending back the Bible-based activity sheets he has completed.
Marshall's foster mom recently wrote, "Despite his trauma, he is a hard working boy and is determined to work on his future." Because of the support of friends like you, Marshall has been assured that God is always with him, and he is learning to rely on God's strength to overcome his hardships.
And Marshall's story is just one of many I could share with you. We are seeing more and more children in circumstances that are unimaginable and heartbreaking. We have a big job to do, and these kids need your help! Youth Haven's programs are offered to disadvantaged children free of charge and are not funded by state or federal support. It is only through heroes like you that we are able to provide these life-changing experiences for the children who need them. Would you please prayerfully consider how God might use you in the life of a child?
Thank you for being a child's hero by providing a safe place to experience the love of Christ!
For the Children,
Lars Carlson
President & CEO
*Name changed for confidentiality