People keep warm around fire pits and roast marshmallows during the 12th annual Night of Lights at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018.
Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Fifty-three years ago at the Riviera Hotel, some of the biggest stars of the 1960s performed at the first-ever Nite of Stars Gala for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. Jack Benny, Shecky Greene, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and others raised more than $30,000, the early stages of an effort that has continued to this day through St. Jude’s expansive programming for at-risk children in Nevada. Through its offerings, the nonprofit serves approximately 500 individuals a year, from newborns to those 25 years of age, and contracts with the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center and Clark County Department of Family Services. The following is a sampling of some of St. Jude’s services and ways you can get involved.
• For more information: 702-294-7100, [email protected]
• To volunteer: Spend time at St. Jude’s thrift store, perform maintenance tasks or help in other ways. Contact Veronica Huening, 702-294-7145, [email protected]
• To donate: stjudesranch.org/donate-now or call 702-294-7118
Therapeutic residential foster care
The therapeutic residential foster care program is really the staple of what St. Jude’s has done for over 52 years. That’s how the organization started, by providing safe homes for abused and neglected children,” said Christina Vela, executive director at St. Jude’s.
There are two classifications of foster care— traditional and specialized, Vela explained—and placement varies based on the level of abuse and neglect a child has experienced, as well as their mental health.
The site in Boulder City caters to the specialized foster kids with 10 homes, live-in house parents and on-campus clinical services.
“Specialized care is for kids that have experienced any number of things, which can include a longer or severe history of abuse and neglect. They might have a mental health diagnosis and/or behavioral challenges,” Vela said.
Transitional living
Dedicated to helping foster youth graduate high school, learn personal responsibility and establish a post-high school plan, St. Jude’s transitional living program “integrates young people between the ages of 15 and 18 into society,” Vela said. “We really focus on things like life skills, and generally between that age range of 15 to 18, most young people will be aging out of foster care, meaning that it’s not likely that they will return to their biological families or that they’ll be adopted. We feel a real sense of responsibility to help these young people get prepared for the real world.”
Transitional housing
After bouts of homelessness when he aged out of foster care, Billy Martin, 18, enrolled in St. Jude’s transitional housing program where he received an apartment of his own as part of a one-year residential program for homeless youth ages 18-24.
He’s now looking for a job at a construction company, finishing his high school diploma and working on establishing healthy relationships, which are all life skills and guidelines required to take part in the program.
“We do see a high prevalence of young people that have aged out of foster care that at some point are experiencing homelessness,” Vela said.
For more information, call Denise Charles, program manager, at 702-998-1992, ext. 520 or email [email protected].
Rapid re-housing
As an extension of the transitional housing program, rapid re-housing assists homeless single-parent adults by providing them their own apartment, as well as case management services.
“There were a lot of single parents with children or young families between an 18 to 24 that were literally homeless or living in shelters, and we wanted an alternative for them,” Vela said. “We place them in apartments across the Vegas Valley. We’ll help them negotiate [a lease] because they might have had an eviction in the past or they don’t have any income because they’re not working. … We’ll pay the rent on a regular basis or every month until the parent has stable income.”
If you think you may be eligible for this program, contact Denise Charles, program manager, at 702-998-1992, ext. 520 or dcharles@stjudesranch.org.
Pregnant and parenting teen
Pregnant or parenting teen mothers who need a home, as well as teen moms who are victims of abuse, have a safe place to stay and learn life skills thanks to St. Jude’s.
“They’ve been in foster care, a victim of sex trafficking, or they’ve just been in really unhealthy relationships … it means they had to be removed from their family’s home,” Vela said.
Young mothers are taught how to be an example for their children and to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. The program also helps them manage parental responsibilities, finish high school and create healthy relationships and life skills.
Sibling preservation
Siblings in foster care are often separated and placed with different families, losing contact over time. St. Jude’s helps them maintain relationships with its monthly events.
“It’s the only kind of program like this in the community, and sibling preservation is really about preserving the sibling bonds of children … through specialized events and activities that enhance the relationship,”
Vela said.
Activity examples include summer camp and trips to sites such as Cowabunga Bay or the Smith Center.
The program is always in search or volunteers to serve as chaperons during outings. To learn more, contact program manager Kevin Nelson at 702-436-1624, ext. 220 or email [email protected].
Career Opportunity
Scholarship Fund
“We’re really proud to have a scholarship program. It’s a post-secondary education scholarship for all former residents and clients of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children,” Vela said.
Funds help pay for tuition, housing school supplies and more, and participants must meet the requirements to apply. For more info, visit tinyurl.com/y9djxnxy.
Workforce readiness
St. Jude’s newest program focuses on employing children on campus in different roles to help support them in job training.
Avante White, 18, lives at St. Jude’s Ranch and plans to graduate from Boulder City High School in the spring. He works as a social media assistant through the program and was able to open his first bank account and is learning to improve his typing skills.
“We wanted to have a workforce readiness program where we can help young people start off as paid interns, so they can have jobs while we’re teaching them the soft skills and the hard skills needed to transition out into the workforce,” Vela said.
New programs on the horizon
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children will launch its ninth program, the Healing Center, this year, focusing on children subjected to commercial sexual exploitation, addressing their trauma and giving them the life skills to thrive.
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.
