Messages

From The Executive Director

The Year 2000 marked the fifth anniversary for Covenant House Washinton. It seems like ony yesterday we faced a formidable task to win the hearts and minds of youth and families who felt they had no hope. We have made great strides in helping young people turn their lives around, providing a range of services - from emergency shelter and educational enhancement to employment development and job placement. No kid in crisis is ever turned away.

Vincent C. Gray
Executive Director

Youth Testimonials - Page 3

And to a very special bunch of people who are always giving, whether it is money, time, friendship, you name it they have it. Mr. Vincent Gray, thank you so much for overseeing a Courageous House of Warriors (CHW); Sister Rosetta Brown for your GED support and motherly love; Mrs. Judith Dobbins for being a mother to me personally and being a number one supporter for all youth; Mrs. Louise White, thank you for your desire to see more for me and every youth here tonight; Mrs. Valerie Ashley, thank you for always greeting us with a smile and giving us that one on one help; and Mr. John Summers, thanks for helping with resumes and soap and deodorant if and when we needed it. And to all the staff of Covenant House Washington, you really have changed us for the better. To family members and volunteers, thank you for the influential roles you play. I just want o thank you for the marvelous contributions to me; all of CHW, please give yourselves a round of applause. Remember, as the body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26).

Thank you.

Youth Testimonials - Page 2

I started an internship at CHW that gave me work-related skills that help me grow. I took GED classes and after earning my General Education Diploma, I went to West Virginia Job Corp and graduated from Allied Business. After graduating I took a job as a customer service representative of an auto insurance company. I earned my property Casualty license. Planting positive seeds is how I got the job I have today with the Department of Labor. And finally, I currently attend Career Blazers Learning Center for Computer A + Certification. And I'm raising my 3-year old son as a single parent. So the whole idea of this message is to make you aware that it just takes you to plant that seed and feed it.

I honor those today who are starting to see their seeds grow. Know that you have a voice in your future, the most important on. Congratulations on all your hard work and efforts in reshaping your life. I also want to give special thanks to all youth who step a foot in any organization for help and support. That is indeed a step that proves your willingness to strive for success.

Youth Testimonials

Each year, Covenant House Washington hosts Youth Achievement and Recognition Night. The event is designed to honor youth who have made significant strides in improving their lives. The 2001 Youth Achievement and Recognition Night was held June 29. Below is an excerpt from the speech of former CHW Youth Fredricia Williams.

First giving honor to God for allowing me this opportunity to speak here today. My name is Fredricia Williams. I am 20 years old and I love life today, right this minute. Four years ago, I could not say that. My mind, body and soul were worn. I was tired of living my life in strife. I needed to be part of society. I began planting a seed. And what I mean is, any and everything we put in our minds, whether negative or positive, they are seeds and they will grow.

Four years ago, I wanted to take the high school equivalency test. I was just as smart as those who graduated, but I had no proof. The world's view was I was black, young, dumb and with a baby. I wanted an apartment for my son and myself, but I did not have any job related skills. Once I knew what I needed and how much of my time it would require, I had a choice to plant a negative seed, if I wanted, but I wanted to live a good life. So I began planting positive seeds in my mind, but just like a plant you must feed it in order for it to live. That is what I did.

From The Executive Director - Page 3

Establishes the Child and Family Services Agency as a cabinet-level department with both personnel and procurement authority and also orders that the agency be renamed in order to end the continuing confusion with Family and Child Services, a long-time non-profit in the city which has been a premier child welfare services provider.

Creates a variety of provisions to reduce the time children spend in temporary settings and to conform to the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act. The new legislation represents one of the most significant policy shifts in years on behalf of children. Some had predicted that these changes might never see the light of day. So the Council and the Mayor are to be commended for their support. Moreover, the many children's advocates who came together to craft a consen-sus document are to be congratulated for keeping in mind that, indeed, children are first. If the legislation is successful in achieving its intended goals, there is little doubt we will have paved over a host of systemic cracks otherwise awaiting vulnerable children and youth. Let's savor, for a moment, the satisfaction of knowing the new law has been enacted and then move quickly to the tough work of ensuring effective implementation.

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From The Executive Director - Page 2

The new legislation, which not only has been em-braced by the Council but also by the Mayor as well as by many child welfare advocates citywide, achieves sweeping changes long debated and long sought. More specifically, the new law:

Ends the bifurcated approach to handling child abuse and neglect in which alleged neglect is addressed by the Child and Family Services Agency and abuse is investigated by the Metropolitan Police Depart-ment while substantiated cases are managed by Court Social Services. The District was the last jurisdiction employing this confusing system. The new legislation mandates a more streamlined, efficient approach with management emanating from a single agency.

Supports neighborhood-based approaches to child welfare in order to enhance efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect and intervene early enough to avert out-of-home placements whenever possible.

Haven on Earth
Covenant House Washington
Protecting children and families
From the Executive Director
Vincent C. Gray

When Covenant House Washington opened in May 1995, we made a pact, not
only with the children and youth who arrive at our doors, but with every young
person who needs our help. Our mission calls us to "serve the suffering children of
the street, and to protect and safeguard all children." What an awesome responsi-bility,
but we have attempted to craft an approach that demonstrates an understand-ing
of the fundamental issues facing children and youth coupled with a commitment
to work for the kind of change that will achieve enduring solutions. That is why, in partnership with the Consortium for Child Welfare, we took on the responsibility of a major rewrite of the District's child welfare laws. Despite reform movements on numerous fronts, the reality is that the city's child welfare laws had not undergone a comprehensive review nor a major redrafting since 1977. Obvi-ously, much has changed in the nearly quarter century since that initiative reconfigured the city's response to child welfare challenges. After three years of intensive work, in January the Council of the District of Columbia enacted Bill 13-796, the Child In Need of Protection Amendment Act of 2000.