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With your support, last holiday season VOA assisted nearly 500 families in need. This year, help Darrell, Ieshia, Alaiyah and so many more.

Ways to Support our Hope for the Holidays campaign

A Letter from Jennifer

Dear Friend:

As we enter the winter months and begin to close out 2024, I would like to recognize all that we have accomplished at Volunteers of America this year.

VOA’s housing services were certainly a focal point of our work. From beginning construction on the Community Care Campus to our 16th annual Power of 1 Breakfast, the work that we do to provide wrap-around services to help families return to self-sufficiency was on full display. Former Unity House resident Derrick Dennis was our graduate speaker at our annual breakfast and was the perfect person to help us celebrate 40 years of our emergency family shelter with more than 1,000 individuals who support VOA’s mission.

With the holiday season in full swing, we know some who rely on our services do not have the means to experience these celebrations the way many do. That’s why our annual Hope for the Holidays campaign ensures that the families we serve across all our programs can enjoy the season’s festivities. With your support, the individuals and children we serve will experience a much brighter holiday season.

Thank you so much for your continued support of VOA and our mission. I cannot wait to see what we accomplish together in 2025!

With gratitude,

Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO

Belonging Matters

Art and dance are two of Rose’s passions. She has Down Syndrome and since she was a young child, has struggled to connect with her peers and find others who share her interests. Most only acknowledge Rose for her disability instead of who she is beyond her diagnosis.

“I think we segregate our kids by calling them special,” said Kathryn, Rose’s mom. “People with disabilities are not really special, they’re human. They want to be seen as human and included just like everybody else.”

Rose and Kathryn were introduced to VOA’s new pilot project, Belonging Matters. With funding by the Indiana Bureau of Disabilities and the project supported by Starfire Greater Council of Cincinnati, Belonging Matters provides guidance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, helping them complete community-based projects that foster connections and increase visibility for their loved ones.

Rose and her parents met with VOA and her mentor from Starfire to come up with a project that would help her explore her interest in art and dance. They decided to host a coffee stain art and dance workshop at Ivy Tech Community College.

Rose attends classes at Ivy Tech and in July, she showed more than 40 of her fellow students, faculty, and staff how to create coffee stain art and cut loose on the dance floor. The project helped Rose connect with her peers. Now, when they see her on campus, they know Rose for her love of art and outgoing personality, not as someone with a disability.

When Kathryn asked Rose what she liked about the project, Rose said, “Now they know who I am.”

Celebrating New Beginnings and Progress

This summer, VOA’s Restorative Justice (RJ) team in Lexington, Kentucky hosted a baby shower for a 16-year-old expecting mother in the program. The party consisted of your typical baby shower activities – games, delicious snacks, and tons of gifts to help Ashley care for her newborn. But for Ashley and her VOA RJ Case Manager, Holly, the gathering meant so much more. It was a celebration of new beginnings and progress.

VOA RJ works with youth who have made mistakes that could have a lasting negative impact on their future. The Alternative To Detention (ATD) program provides case management to guide the youth participants, helping them make amends for the mistakes they’ve made and work with their families to ensure they start down a path toward a brighter future.

Ashley was referred to VOA RJ’s ATD program in December 2023 while on probation for stealing her aunt’s car. When Ashley entered the program, she was angry and resisted any support Holly offered.

“Usually, when someone is angry, they’re experiencing a lot of hurt,” Holly said. “I try to find the root of that pain. When I can find the cause and start working with that, usually the anger subsides.”

After months of consistent daily contact and home visits, Holly had a breakthrough. Ashley opened up and revealed she had trouble trusting others due to trauma she experienced as a child.

Ashley was removed from her mother’s custody as a young child due to abuse and neglect. Holly connected Ashley to therapists who helped her work through the trauma she experienced. Through therapy, Ashley’s outlook on life and her current relationships started to change.

“I can’t begin to say how proud I am of Ashley and the work she put in to not only be a better person, but a better mom,” Holly said.

On August 16, Ashley gave birth to a healthy baby boy. In September, she was discharged from probation two years early due to her progress in VOA RJ’s ATD program.

Although she graduated from the program, Holly remains in contact with Ashley, continuing to be a constant support in her life.