Local grant to create program for at-risk youths in Adams County

Gettysburg, Pa. (Friday December 2, 2016)

Diakon Adoption & Foster Care has received a $5,000 grant from the Robert C. Hoffman Charitable Endowment Trust to create a supportive program in Adams County for youths at risk of being removed from their homes.

“In partnership with Adams County Children and Youth Services, we will be developing a ‘Crossroads’ group in the county next year,” says Denise Roe, director of Diakon Adoption & Foster Care’s York and Mechanicsburg offices.

The grant will pay for up to eight youths ages 13 to 21 to participate in the pilot Crossroads group once a week for a 10-week period.

“Crossroads provides a setting in which children and youths can understand their emotions, come to terms with their circumstances and share experiences with peers in similar situations,” says Roe. Goals include increased resilience and strengths as well as the ability to set positive, healthy goals, she adds.

Youths who have experienced such traumas as abuse, neglect or grief can sometimes have difficulty regulating behaviors or emotions, leading to difficulty in school or even family disruptions requiring placement in such settings as foster care. The Crossroads program, Roe notes, is designed to avoid such placements and allow the youth to remain at home and focus on achieving a positive, healthy adulthood.

The Hoffman trust was the vision of Robert C. Hoffman and was created at the time of his death. The trust is guided by an advisory committee composed of Adams County residents who allocate grants to nonprofit organizations serving county residents.

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For further information, please contact:
William Swanger, M.A., APR
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries
(717) 795-0308
E-mail: swangerb@diakon.org