We are starting off April with a fantastic event to continue our 50 for 50 campaign, which celebrates Acloché’s 50th year in business by giving back to the community with 50 Acts of Gratitude.
On Thursday, an Acloché team visited the Huckleberry House, an organization that works with Central Ohio youth and families who are dealing with some of the most difficult problems imaginable, including abuse, violence, neglect, poverty, and homelessness. The Huck House is committed to helping young people and their families take control of their lives, even in the most dire and difficult situations.
Over the course of the year, our team has collected over 300 personal care and food items that we donated to the Huck House, where they will all be given to the residing youths during their stay. Huck House operates a Crisis Shelter Program, which operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and has 17 beds for teens between the ages of 12 and 17. Whether kids are kicked out or leave home on their own to escape dangerous conditions, the Crisis Shelter is more than a respite, it’s a place to tackle problems head on. While at the Huck House, young people get all of their basic needs met, including 3 meals a day and access to hygiene items and clothing, some of which Acloché was more than happy to provide. Aside from normal leisure activities, residents spend time working with counselors and their families to address the problems that brought them there, and to develop solutions that can help stabilize their home life.
The Huck House does absolutely incredible work, as 92% of teens in the Crisis Shelter Program were returned to safe and appropriate housing over the course of 2017.
While visiting the Huckleberry House, our team met with Sonya, the Development Director, and was able to take a tour of the facility and learn about the organization as a whole. Huckleberry House is comprised of 5 separate programs; Huckleberry House Transition Center, Crisis Shelter Program, Family Support Program, Youth Outreach Program and the Scholarship Program, all which play integral roles in supporting our Central Ohio communities.
The Acloché team will continue to volunteer throughout the year at the Huckleberry House, and is very excited to partner with this amazing program. The opportunities to help are plentiful, and a more detailed list can be found here: http://huckhouse.org/volunteer. The true goal of Huckleberry House is to provide life skills to the youth of Franklin County to ensure that they never end up on the streets again, and we are extremely proud of our team for doing what they can to help Huckleberry House achieve those goals.
Click here to learn more about our 50 for 50 campaign and to read about last week’s event, and check back next Friday for an update on our 50th anniversary celebration!
