Building homes and futures

In the fall of 2004, 18-year-olds Christina Miller and April Broaddus were given a challenge – to turn a decaying, uninhabitable property into market-ready space before graduation day. As members of YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School’s 13^th graduating class, they spent the following 10 months learning everything from the right way to hold a hammer to how to write a college essay, building homes and life skills while earning a high school degree.

Armed with new skills and self-confidence, Christina, who is currently attending Thompson Institute, credits the program for opening up new possibilities for her. April enrolled at Rosemont College after graduating and hopes to run her own magazine company someday.

By financing charter schools like YouthBuild, TRF has been able to provide educational choice - including non-traditional alternatives - to those with limited options. And YouthBuild is an extraordinary example of what a difference such choice can make.

As of 2005, the program had almost 1,000 graduates for whom YouthBuild’s program acted as a motivational springboard while they built or renovated over 60 homes in Philadelphia. As Simran Sidhu, YouthBuild’s executive director, describes it, “A lot of students come in not believing the dream -- that they can get their diploma and succeed. Like their project sites, the task looks impossible. As they put in new floors, walls and electrical wires, the students see that they can change things and make their own lives better. And as we have stood by these students, TRF too has stuck with us through some difficult transitions. They helped get us to where we are, giving us financial advice and investing in us for over 10 years.”