CRESTVIEW — Yoloni Fredericks knows why she’s at Hope House — “I had some school problems” — but she knows she’ll be back home soon and things will be better.
The 13-year-old stays at Hope House, Lutheran Services Florida's Crestview residential counseling center, which serves at-risk youths and their families.
See photos from Hope House's Christmas in July>>
The organization offers screenings and assessments, referrals, a temporary residential shelter, individual and family counseling, intervention, case management and aftercare.
But on July 28, the focus was on fun.
That's when the Salvation Army showed up and helped present Christmas in July for Hope House residents, families and affiliates.
LSF staffers and Salvation Army members provided yard games including beanbag tosses, putt-putt, lawn checkers, and “TP toss” in which rolls of toilet paper were lobbed through a toilet seat target.
As kids played games and made sidewalk chalk drawings, adult supervisors and volunteers grilled hotdogs and hamburgers and made barbecue chicken and ribs. Donated cakes, cookies, cupcakes and chips completed the feast.
SERIOUS MISSION
The festivity belied the seriousness of Hope House’s mission.
“We’re a shelter for runaway kids, truant kids, ungovernable children and if a parent needs a time-out,” dietary specialist Bea Sutton said.
“This is a safe place for kids,” she said. “They’ve been through a lot. Our focus is to take care of them.”
State agencies Children in Need of Services or Families in Need of Services, known as CINS-FINS, place many of the children who stay in the eight-bed facility, counselor Stephanie Walthour said.
Some of the 10- to 17-year-old residents survived domestic violence, but the facility also serves children who assaulted their parents. Hope House can be their last opportunity before going to the juvenile justice system.
“We’re more of a preventative program before they get to that point,” Walthour said. “But we also have kids who are just being teenagers.”
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
The sound of Christmas music interrupted the games. The rear doors of two Salvation Army vans were flung open and nearly two dozen kids flocked to receive festively packaged donated gifts.
“These are toys we collected over the year so we decided to do Christmas in July,” Salvation Army Lt. Camilo Rojas said. “This was the perfect place to do it.”
For Yoloni, the gifts and games helped make her time at Hope House better.
“It’s fun,” she said. “They take good care of me here, but I’m ready to go home.”
WHAT CAN HOPE HOUSE DO FOR YOU?
Lutheran Services Florida offers free residential and non-residential crisis counseling for troubled youths and their families.
Services provided by masters-level professionals and trained staff include:
•Screenings and assessments
•Referrals
•Temporary residential shelter
•Individual and family counseling
•Intervention
•Case management
•Aftercare/follow-up for six months
The facility also distributes food for needy residents.
Contact Hope House Youth Shelter — 5127 Eastland St., Crestview, 682-2374, www.lsfnet.org — for more information
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview at-risk kids, families and friends celebrate Christmas in July