News

Naples, FL (October 19, 2020) Youth Haven, Inc. is pleased to announce their Home, Hope & Healing online fundraiser will launch on #GivingTuesday, Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 9:00 am and commence on Friday, December 4, 2020 at 9:00 pm. Plan to join the fun and bid on exciting items to support the children and teens that depend on Youth Haven. Items will be able to be viewed online at youthhavenswfl.org beginning Tuesday, November 23, 2020. Items include golf foursomes, gorgeous jewelry donated by Marissa Collections, gift certificates to local dining, spa packages, trips, gently loved high end designer handbags and more! Make sure to like/follow Youth Haven’s Facebook page to watch for additional details and to view sneak previews of the auction items.

#GivingTuesday which falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the holiday season.

“We’re excited about our upcoming online fundraiser and we invite the community to support the many local children that depend on Youth Haven for Home, Hope & Healing,” said Jinx Liggett, Youth Haven Executive Director.

About Youth Haven
Youth Haven, a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, is Collier County’s only residential emergency shelter for boys and girls ages 6-19 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Youth Haven is a COA nationally accredited organization, a member agency of the United Way of Collier County, a Naples Children & Education Foundation grant recipient, and has been in continuous operation since 1972. For more information, visit www.youthhavenswfl.org, like our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/YouthHavenShelter, follow us on Twitter, @YouthHavenCS and Instagram @youthhaven.

Naples, FL (October 1, 2020)

Youth Haven, Inc. was recognized in the October 1, 2020 issue of Collier County Public School’s e-newsletter, iNews. Featured in their Community Partner Spotlight section, Youth Haven shared the virtual school that they have set-up on their 25-acre therapeutic campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS SPOTLIGHT

Youth Haven is Southwest Florida’s only 24-hour emergency and residential shelter for children removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or homelessness. Youth Haven provides home, hope, and healing to these Collier County children and teens, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This safe haven in Collier County was founded in 1972 and has met the needs of the most vulnerable youth for over 47 years. Children in the Foster Care System and Homeless Teenagers (unaccompanied youth) call Youth Haven home, serving up to 70 youth at a time. The ages of the children on their campus range from 6 to 18 years old.

Like many of us, Youth Haven has had to adjust in response to COVID-19. The organization never closed its operation during the pandemic, knowing the services were still needed. Since the youth live on its campus, Youth Haven has transitioned one of the cottages on campus to become a full-time schoolhouse connected to CCPS virtually. The youth voted on the name and logo you see above for the virtual education on their campus.

“Thank you to Collier County Public Schools and Dr. Kamela Patton, CCPS Superintendent, for featuring Youth Haven in their Community Partner Spotlight. We’re so grateful for the ongoing support that we’ve received from our community,” said Jinx Liggett, Executive Director.

About Youth Haven
Youth Haven, a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, is Collier County’s only residential emergency shelter for boys and girls ages 6-19 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Youth Haven is a COA nationally accredited organization, a member agency of the United Way of Collier County, a Naples Children & Education Foundation grant recipient, and has been in continuous operation since 1972. For more information, visit www.youthhavenswfl.org, like our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/YouthHavenShelter, follow us on Twitter, @YouthHavenCS and Instagram @youthhaven.

Naples, FL (August 18, 2020) Youth Haven children and teens had the opportunity to attend Equine Camp at the Naples Therapeutic Riding Center (NTRC) during the week of August 3 – 7, 2020.

According to NTRC’s website, “Equine-facilitated Learning (EFL) is an experiential learning approach that promotes the development of life skills for educational, professional and personal goals through equine-assisted activities.” Given the traumatic backgrounds of Youth Haven’s children and teens ages 6 – 19 that have been removed from their homes due to abuse, abandonment, neglect or are homeless, forming connections and trust with others can be difficult. The horses provide a way for our youth to interact in a way that feels safe and free of judgement! During the camp, the trainers discussed physical cues that told them if their horse was happy, sad or angry. This provided a mirror for the kids to reflect on their own behaviors, feelings, and triggers.

Also during camp, they learned how to care for their horses through grooming, cleaning the stables, feeding the horses, etc. The act of caring for their horses taught empathy, responsibility, and independence. Riding is a component of the program and is often the most anticipated activity; however, it can also be frightening because it requires trust and attunement between themselves and their horses. During the riding process, the kids were faced with situations in which their horses may not behave exactly as they would like them to. This increases cognitive flexibility, impulse control, and builds problem solving skills. For details on the program, visit https://www.naplestherapeuticridingcenter.org/

“Youth Haven is extremely grateful for our amazing partnership with Naples Therapeutic Riding Center! This was a wonderful experience for our children and teens and we’re thankful for the opportunity,” said Jinx Liggett, Youth Haven Executive Director.

About Youth Haven
Youth Haven, a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, is Collier County’s only residential emergency shelter for boys and girls ages 6-19 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Youth Haven is a COA nationally accredited organization, a member agency of the United Way of Collier County, a Naples Children and Education Foundation grant recipient, and has been in continuous operation since 1972. For more information, visit www.youthhavenswfl.org, like our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/YouthHavenShelter, follow us on Twitter, @YouthHavenCS and Instagram @youthhaven.

Naples, FL (July 29, 2020)

Youth Haven, Inc. is pleased to announce they have launched a School Supply Virtual Drive to support its children and teens in preparation of the upcoming 2020 – 2021 school year.

Unlike past Youth Haven school supply drives, visitors cannot deliver physical donations to our campus due to COVID-19 safety precautions. To support our children and teens, we encourage you to visit youthhavenswfl.org to access our Amazon Wish List to have items shipped directly to us or make a financial contribution.

Monetary donations or gift cards can also be mailed to:
Youth Haven
Attn: School Supply
5867 Whitaker Road
Naples, Florida 34112

All donations are kindly requested by August 14, 2020.

“We’re grateful for the community’s support as we launch our first ever School Supply Virtual Drive! Thank you for supporting the children and teens that depend on Youth Haven for Home, Hope & Healing!” says Jinx Liggett, Executive Director.

Youth Haven is Southwest Florida’s only residential shelter for boys and girls ages 6-19 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, abandonment or are homeless. Founded in 1972, Youth Haven is an immediate lifeline of safety, love and compassion for innocent children in crisis and the first step in a long journey back to trust, confidence and joy.

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Lafakis, Associate Director of Development at Laura.Lafakis@youthhavenswfl.org or (239) 774-2904.

Naples, FL (July 14, 2020)

Youth Haven recently received a donation of fresh vegetables and fruit for its children, teens and the staff that cares for them.

Pickleball for All partnered with NAACP, the American Culinary Federation and Sunbelt, and was supported by Five Star Gourmet Foods of Naples, to distribute 10 pound boxes of fresh food to people in the Naples community of Saturday, July 11^th. Leftovers consisting of sweet broccoli salad, baby carrots with ranch dip, garden salad, summer salad, creamy jalapeno coleslaw and fresh season fruit were delivered to Youth Haven. The food was used to support the children and teens that depend on Youth Haven for Home, Hope & Healing. The staff that cares for the children were also recipients of the generous food donation.

While Youth Haven has closed its campus to volunteers and visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to being a lifeline of support, with 73 beds available, for abused, abandoned, and homeless children and teens. The unexpected need to increase staff and purchase additional food and other necessities has put a strain on our budget; however, we’re committed to doing whatever is necessary to provide the same level of exemplary care to our children and teens.

“The donation of food for our kids and the staff that cares for them is so appreciated. We’re grateful for the support we received from Pickleball for All, NAACP, the American Culinary Federation, Sunbelt and Five Star Gourmet Foods of Naples. Our community partners are wonderful!” said Jinx Liggett, Youth Haven Executive Director.

If you have any questions or would like to support Youth Haven, please contact Laura Lafakis, Development Manager, at 239-687-5175 or Laura.Lafakis@youthhavenswfl.org.