Boys & Girls Clubs kept Amber’s Life from CRASHING

Dear Friends,

I know that stability can be a difficult thing to find in today’s world. Challenges hide around each corner, waiting to throw a curve ball into the plans and goals we’ve made for our future. Many of us find strength in our faith, family and friends. Kids like Amber find their hope in the Boys & Girls Clubs. When I talk to Amber, I can see the true power of the Boys & Girls Clubs at work. Her story is one of pain, struggle, and anger. But eventually she found joy. It is Amber’s story I must share with you:

Amber knew what “uncertainty” meant from a young age. She lived it. Her dad left and her mother was court ordered into a substance rehabilitation center. Amber and her six siblings were split up and placed into foster care and with relatives. She was only seven.

Amber and her younger sister Antasia went to live with a relative, where they became victims of physical and emotional abuse. Amber protected her sister and took the brunt of the violence. Their mother returned as head of the family two years later alcohol free.

As their mother made steps to get back on her feet, the children would soon join the Boys & Girls Clubs North Unit. Poverty was an issue in their household, as was the baggage that years apart brought to the family.

Though the family was joyful to be back together again, the pain and suffering Amber experienced left emotional scars that made it difficult for her to cope. She did not know how to relate to other kids. Her poor behavior escalated to the point she was asked to leave Boys & Girls Clubs. The Clubs never lost touch with her, however, and helped with Amber’s social skills over the next year. Once she felt stronger, Amber happily rejoined the North Club and realized that education and help from the Clubs staff could help her and her siblings find a different life.

With the help of the Club’s teen director, Adrial Mitchell, Amber has accomplished that goal and more.

The Club’s influence and Mitchell’s mentoring helped Amber develop strong character and leadership skills along with the ability to make good decisions and resist temptation, skills she knows will serve her well into her future. Her mom is working and Amber’s family is making a come back.

Today, Amber is a strong, positive young woman and a role model to those around her. She was recently named Youth of the Year for her North Omaha Club, and she plans to become the first in her family to graduate from high school and pursue a college degree.

We cannot be more proud of Amber and wish her the best in everything she hopes to accomplish; her story is truly an inspiration to us all. In the face of poverty, family challenges and personal growth, the Clubs were there for Amber.

In the world today with words like financial CRASH, bail-outs, safety nets and more, what do the kids of Omaha who need us the most do in times like these? The answer is that we are serving more kids than we ever have in our 48-year history in Omaha. Kids come to the CLUBS.

Poverty and educational needs are REAL issues for our children. Now more than ever, kids like Amber and the 1,100 others we see each day need our help. I know that times are difficult for everyone, but when economic times get tough, needs for kids get bigger.

Boys & Girls Clubs need you more than ever to make the difference in a child’s life. Please thoughtfully consider giving whatever you can to make a difference today. YOU have the ability to keep a life from crashing.