Building off the success of “Homeruns that Count,” a community action program at Partners Bank in which it received $600 in August, The Chase Home has launched ‘Hit a Home run for the Kids’ in September. The campaign, according to Executive Director Meme Wheeler, addresses three interrelated needs of the kids served by The Chase Home.
“Each fall, our kids need new clothes for school, while there are always a few that need to take a Driver Education class,” she said. “Both of these needs cost us about $3,000 each annually.”
The remaining need for The Chase Home youth in the ‘Hit a Home Run for the Kids’ campaign is quality one-on-one time with a staff member. This need is met through monthly dinners where one staff member will go out to dinner in Portsmouth with one youth at The Chase Home.
“These dinners provide staff with the ability to provide one-on-one mentoring to our youth in a comfortable, unscripted social situation,” said Wheeler, who noted this need also costs about $3,000.
In August, Partners Bank donated $50 to The Chase Home for every home run hit by the Boston Red Sox at a home game for a total of $600. In addition, Partner Bank donated an additional $500 to The Chase Home. Both donations will support The Chase Home’s ‘Hit a Home Run for the Kids’ campaign.
“We are grateful for their contribution and hopeful that we can reach our goal of $9,000 to address these three needs, which cannot be adequately met without community support,” added Craig Dennis, director of operations. “Any sized financial commitment can go a long way when working with young people.”
Founded in 1877, The Chase Home in Portsmouth provides prevention, early intervention, residential, and community-based programs to at-risk youth, all of whom are involved with DHHS or the Juvenile Justice System. Some youth are served in the community while others live at The Chase Home.