Hey Chesapeake Family! It’s FUND FRIDAY, you’re chance to ensure life-saving services continue throughout our area.

You see, here in Chesapeake many of the men and women we serve are no different than you and Me. We recently sat down with Ms. Nina Carter in our Baltimore Based Pratt House Program. Pratt Provides transitional housing to bridge the gap between homelessness and permanent housing and uplift families back to a place of self-sufficiency.

Ms. Carter, a devoted mother of 4 found herself homeless after a break-up.

“I was a stay-at-home mom, but when my relationship ended I found myself looking for a place to stay,” said Ms. Carter. “I don’t have a lot of family in the area so it was hard on us. We lived in a shelter in Baltimore but my children needed a permanent place, it was hardest on them.”

Ms. Carter found Pratt House in the Fall of 2012 and enrolled in employment training and life skills classes for herself, along with after school and tutoring programs for her children.

“Our first Christmas here we had gifts packed to the walls. My children couldn’t believe it. We had just come out of the shelter not too long ago and now they had so many presents they didn’t know what to do with. We shared them with my sister’s children and gave some to our church because they understood what it was like to be a child without gifts or even a Christmas tree.”

We’re happy to report the Carter Family will be spending THIS Christmas in their new home! “I’m so excited,” said Ms. Carter, “they are excited too, they get their own rooms now. They’ve been through a lot, homelessness is hard on kids and now they get to just be kids, you know? Enjoy the holidays and wait up for Santa all night and all the things that kids do.”

You can help us inspire joy in children just like the Carter’s this season by donating today. Your donations help us provide educational enrichment, tutoring, life skills support and yes, Christmas Gifts for children and families throughout our area.

Visit www.voachesapeake.org/5weeks to donate today!