Creating #LovingSpaces for Youth in Need
Beginning in May with Giving Tuesday Now, we invited the Immerse community to join us in creating #LovingSpaces for youth from crisis by repairing and updating our LifeBASE support homes. Our LifeBASE program provides safe and stable housing for youth in need, as well as support and guidance through our team of Resident Assistants, LifeBASE Coaches, and trained Immerse mentors. Our team and programs are shaped to communicate worth and care to youth, and we want our support homes to communicate the same loving message.
You are seen.
You are cared for.
You are welcome here.
The invitation we extended in May to accomplish this goal of communicating worth and care to youth living in our support homes was met by a generous response from our community. In the weeks and months since, teams of volunteers and donors have continued to respond to our call to create spaces where youth can find rest and support as they pursue healing and a healthy adulthood.
After moving into one of our updated support homes, one youth shared:
“I thought it was really nice...It’s made me feel more independent and less cramped.”
Now, we want to celebrate the hard work and generosity of our supporters, as well as share updates on our continued progress toward creating #LovingSpaces for youth in need to enjoy.
Check out our latest updates below!
To learn more about how you can join Immerse supporters in caring for youth from crisis, click here.
Giving Tuesday Now
For Giving Tuesday Now, we set a goal of raising $30,000 toward completing necessary repairs to one of our support homes, including installing new windows and installing a central heating and air system. Our supporters rose above this $30,000 challenge, donating a total of $37,200. These additional funds will allow us to not only install new windows and a central heating and air system in one support home, but also replace the roof on another support home.
Youth are now enjoying the central heating and air system installed in one support home, which arrived in time to provide relief from the heat of summer. The new windows are scheduled to be installed soon. Additionally, our second support home now has a new roof, providing comfort and shelter for the youth living in the home.
A Fresh Coat of Paint
Talented Immerse volunteers, including retired professional painter Bill, and groups from Fellowship Midtown Church and The National Charity League, helped to update our support homes this summer with a fresh coat of paint. Check out a few photos of these groups at work!
Warm Welcomes for Youth
Our volunteers and donors have done an amazing job of creating warm, welcoming spaces for youth entering our programs. In May, Robin Woodruff prepared an apartment for a youth to move into, and in July, Ginger King gathered a team of family and friends to update the decor in one of our support homes.
Ginger and her team asked neighbors for donations, and used their talents to create a warm, welcoming space for a new youth to move into the same day. Check out the cozy spaces they created below!
#LovingSpaces, Inside and Out
In early July, a group from First Baptist Little Rock updated the deck at one of our support homes, creating a safe, beautiful space for youth living in the home to enjoy. Check out their handiwork below!
Additionally, Immerse volunteers from Fellowship Midtown and Common Thread Church, as well as many other volunteers, teamed up in late July to create loving, outdoor spaces for youth in need to enjoy.
With donated supplies and support from The Good Earth Garden Center, this team of volunteers updated the landscaping around our support homes. The team cleaned up dated landscaping, added beautiful new plants, flowerbeds, and shrubs, and even created a fire pit for youth to enjoy!
This team even found time to prepare and stock the fridge with delicious meals for youth living in one of our support homes.
Check out just a few pictures of this team’s amazing work!
A special thanks goes to The Good Earth Garden Center, as well as Trey Rosenbaum, who helped plan and prepare for this project!
To all the amazing donors and volunteers who have helped create #LovingSpaces for our youth, including those not named here, thank you!
*COVID-19 Update: Unless otherwise noted, the volunteer activities detailed here took place over the course of a few months, with all groups required to wear masks and practice social distancing when working with or in proximity to those outside of their immediate family.