I’m guessing you already know the kinds of services Spectrum has to offer and I’m also guessing you have some assumptions about the individuals Spectrum works with.
Before I accessed Spectrum services, I assumed every person was homeless because they were in foster care or in some other type of unfortunate living situation. Boy was I wrong.

Every individual who utilizes these services is as one-of-a-kind as the circumstances that brought them there. I am no exception. Three years later, I still find a knot in my stomach and a little water in my eyes when I think about the events leading up to moving into the Landing, Spectrum’s emergency shelter.

However, when I think about how far I have come and everything I have accomplished, I am amazed and overflowing with gratitude. Four years ago, I was on top of the world after being accepted and awarded presidential scholarships at all of the colleges I applied to. I was graduating magna cum laude, I couldn’t wait to get out of the seemingly small and mundane town of Burlington, and I was ready to take on the world to make a change. What I didn’t know was that I would return less than a semester later and make my impact here.

It’s still too painful for me to delve into specifics about my return, but it happened at the end of 2015. For many months after being back in Burlington, I somehow carried on with life. I smiled, I made commitments, and I packed up the house I had lived in for 15 years and watched it start its own new adventure with its new inhabitants. Despite all this sadness that was weighing me down, I continued to smile, and have summer adventures and just take life day by day. Except I’m a planner and spontaneity was not, and still isn’t, my forte. So, summer 2016 can basically be titled “The Summer of Pretending.”

Like most things in life, I found that the pretending was manageable until it wasn’t. By the end of the summer I found myself falling down the all-too-familiar rabbit hole of depression, anxiety, and more.

I managed to pull myself out of the rabbit hole with assistance from inpatient psychiatry at UVMMC and, when I was ready to be in the world again, I came to the Landing.

Without a job or school, I spent my days at the Drop-In Center and what I realized after about ten minutes of being there was that I was not ready to be in the real world. I was still seriously depressed and anxious and, for lack of better terminology, a “hot mess”. I might have been out of the rabbit hole but I wasn’t ready to wander away from it.

Fast-forward two years and here I am. I have now been living on my own for nearly four months. I also just took a midterm for one of the two classes I am taking at CCV. Neither of these things would be happening if I hadn’t found people to encourage me to wander a little farther from the rabbit hole every day. And I definitely wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t had Spectrum help me understand the importance of building and maintaining healthy connections with positive peers in my community.

I still don’t have a job and I am still a hot mess, but I have something that I didn’t have when I first came to Spectrum. I have a wonderful community of people who support me with pretty much anything and everything, and I have an endless amount of gratitude for the work that they do and the people who support them. I have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of what being successful in life means, and I have a clearer idea of who I am and who I want to be.

I don’t know what I would be doing these days if I hadn’t stumbled into Spectrum when I did, but I know I am so glad I did. And I’m really glad it wasn’t easy because now I know what I stand for and what I value. Today, I am standing here because of Spectrum, and Spectrum is here because of people like you who show support—whether it’s making meals, making monetary donations, or being crazy enough to sleep outside in March. So, from the bottom of my heart to yours, thank you!

The post “Spectrum is here because of people like you.” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Essex High School participated in the Spectrum Sleep Out for the second year, and raised over $500 this year for our youth. The following is a reflection from one student who slept out. It’s reprinted here with permission.

First of all, one challenging part was figuring out how I was going to stay on top of my homework and participate in this event because I typically do homework until 10pm. It took a lot of focused work ahead of time to make sure I had enough work done for school on Friday. It made me think about all the extra thinking ahead of time that someone would have to do if they didn’t have a steady or constant home to go to every night.

I was not cold sleeping outside, but I did have the advantage of a nice sleeping bag on a relatively warm night on dry ground. It made me thankful that my family has the ability to buy sleeping bags to go on vacations, but other people buy them as means of survival. It was hard, however, to sleep with all the bright lights and noise (from cars and other students).

Friday at school was really hard because I felt really tired and also kind of dirty and gross. It is so much harder to go to school without getting to wake up and take a shower and go through your normal morning routine. I struggled to stay focused during the day because I was tired.

Overall, this was a really gratifying experience that taught me about being comfortable and being uncomfortable, and it also gave me some perspective on what homeless teens face on an everyday basis. I am looking forward to participating in this event next year!

The post Reflections from the Essex Sleep Out appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

From left, Donna Aiken, Ray Racine, Keith Flaherty, Dylan Kerkes, Dan Maxwell, and Annette Delphia, of Hallam-ICS.

This is a guest blog post written by Ray Racine, Senior Control Systems Engineer at Hallam-ICS. It was first published on their blog.

On Thursday, March 23, six of our Hallam-ICS crew slept out for Spectrum. Donna Aiken, Annette Delphia, Dylan Kerkes, Keith Flaherty, Dan Maxwell and myself “braved the elements” for this great cause. Wednesday night got down to about 5 degrees (F); so 25 degrees on Thursday night was a blessing indeed.

Spectrum is a local organization focused on helping homeless teens and young adults. From a safe place to sleep, to counseling, to basic medical care; this fantastic group is dedicated to helping youth turn troubled lives around and grow into healthy, independent adults.

It is sobering to consider that in a small place like Vermont, this group serves over 2,000 young adults a year in the Burlington area. That’s 2,000 kids in really bad situations that Spectrum helps.

This was year six for their Sleep Out, which is one of their major fundraisers. The event raised over $347,000. Our team members were able to raise just over $7,000, which Hallam-ICS matched. That made our contribution over $14,000.

Executive Director Mark Redmond rallies the crowd.

So how does the Sleep Out work? We arrived at the rally point around 9PM. Pizza, soda, and coffee were served by local businesses. (Coffee, are you kidding me? I don’t want to have to get out of my sleeping bag until morning.) Mark, the director of Spectrum, gave a great pep talk. Everybody introduced themselves and their group affiliation. Then, one of the young people that has recently stepped into good, full-time, work—after a rough patch—gave her personal story of Spectrum. Really reminded everybody why they were there. Then, off to the outdoors.

We had a couple of feet of snow recently; so our sleeping area was nice and crunchy. Vermont Tent set up two big canopies (tents with no sides) and laid tarps on the ground. Everyone spread out to stake their spot. Cardboard as a ground mat provided insulation from the ice beneath the big tarps.

Under the tents, we bedded down for the night.

How did we sleep? Funny you should ask.

I run pretty warm; so I did not suffer from the cold—that was, until I rolled off of my matt and started melting ice. But, between the symphony of snoring, the crunching of ice underfoot, and the hourly ringing of the church bells, sleep was scarce. However cheer was in great abundance.

Thanks to the team, the employee-owners of Hallam-ICS, & our sponsors for helping to make this event so successful!

The post Sleep Out for a Cause appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

From left to right, Ilka Pritchard, Jess Smith, and Shannon Foster, Dealer.com team members

This is a guest blog post by Ilka Pritchard, Certified Scrum Master at Dealer.com.

Just like that, the 2017 Executive Sleep Out is over and I’m back in my warm home reflecting on the significance of this annual event. My colleagues and I raised over $26,000, and I’m left feeling proud, hopeful, and like we’re nowhere close to being “done” supporting our at-risk and homeless youth.

This year our Dealer.com team was 10 people—a new event for a few, and for several of us it was our second, third, fourth (for me) and even fifth time. Every year leading up to the Sleep Out, I worry about reaching my personal goal as well as the team goal, but am always astounded by the support I see from friends, colleagues, and community members allowing us to CRUSH our goal.

I’ve seen donations from all parts of the world, colleagues paying top dollar for baked goods & chili tastings, local businesses making generous donations for our silent auctions and raffles, and more.

Why? Why do people open their wallets, share posts, and, for the love of Dog, spend a night sleeping outside in the cold when they have their own warm beds at home? It’s simple: most of us empathize with the young people who are hovering somewhere between childhood and adulthood who lack the basics to survival that we often take for granted.

Another reason why we see such an outpouring of support has everything to do with Spectrum and their unwavering commitment to giving young people the tools they need to build a path to a successful life and to thrive. From what I’ve learned about Spectrum, mere survival is not enough. From the Drop-In Center that has the feeling of a family living room, to the housing, counseling, healthcare, and all other services they provide, Spectrum cares for their young clients holistically and it is evident in all of their interactions.

Spectrum’s integrity, and the creative way they’ve found to run an effective, low-overhead fundraiser is a winning combination. Plus, the Sleep Out provides a profoundly special opportunity to be connected with and surrounded by like-minded people with a commitment to our community.

In a sometimes-crazy world it gives me peace of mind to know how many people can come together to help a cause like this. It is my wish that the youth we serve feel the love and care that we put into these efforts and that it gives them hope – because hope is something money can’t buy.

Photos by Brian Jenkins

See you at the 2018 Spectrum Sleep Out!

Spectrum and the Dealer.com team would like to thank these businesses for their generous donations to our silent auction that helped us raise over $4,000 beyond our individual and corporate funds raised:

ArtsRiot; The Spot; WND&WVS; Play Dog Play; Oh My Dog!; Dedalus Wine Shop; Hen of the Wood; Burton Snowboards, Inc.; Must Love Yarn; Higher Ground.

The post Cold night, warm hearts appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

This post originally appeared on the Vermont Gas blog.

The Vermont Gas CARE (Community Action & Rewarding Empowerment) program is all about bringing out employees together to support important community causes. Our work is about more than just corporate giving, it’s about engaging our team to get involved and give back.

Vermont Gas, for the second year, is a sponsor of the Spectrum Sleep Out at the silver level. The overnight event taking place this Thursday, March 23, to raise money to provide homeless and at-risk youth the services they need to build future success and independence. The CARE team wanted to engage our employees in joining the fundraising effort and they stepped up in a big way.

So, how can a pie help empower Vermont teenagers and young adults?

Last week, Vermont Gas employees celebrated National Pi Day (3.14) by hosting a pie fundraiser for Spectrum. Employees baked and bought 16 of the sweetest pies to raise money for the Sleep Out. In all, the pies raised $230. But our employees didn’t stop there.

Not only does March bring us Pi Day but it’s also March Madness—and we have some serious college hoops fan here so we raised another $340 for Spectrum in our annual company-wide NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge. The winner receives bragging rights and an additional modest donation to the charity of their choice.

We’re fortunate to have jobs that afford us a safe and warm place to live and plenty of nourishing food–like our delicious pies–to eat, and we want that for all of our neighbors. So, the CARE team and our generous employees have come together, added a little fun and friendly competition, all to donate over $3,000 to support Spectrum.

The CARE Team helps guide where Vermont Gas donates its money and time and aligns Vermont Gas’ community giving and philanthropic efforts with the company’s vision and values. Next up is Green Up Day! Until then…

The post Pretty Sweet! Vermont Gas CAREs appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

The City of Burlington team sleeps out in 2016. Clockwise from top right: John St. Amour, Neale Lunderville, Mike Kanarick, and Val DeBrita.

John St. Amour, who’s sleeping out for his second year with the City of Burlington, shared his story about why he’s sleeping out, and we wanted to share it with you. On March 23rd, community and business leaders are sleeping out for one night in solidarity with youth who are homeless in the Spectrum Sleep Out. That same weekend, hundreds of students will do the same.

I chose to participate in my first Sleep Out in 2016. I have a family member who had used Spectrum’s services, and while they chose to not be successful, I wanted to give back for the kids in our community that really could benefit.

I had no idea what to expect, since I had never “camped” in winter before. I went home and shared my involvement with my wife and my children (4 & 6) at the time. My kids did not understand why Daddy was going to sleep outside on the ground, instead of a warm bed.

I explained to them that many people locally do not have the comforts we do, and it was time to give back. I also said that if something ever happens, and one of them needs support, I want to make sure Spectrum exists and can be there for them.

I am participating again this year for this simple reason: the kids on the street need our support and they need our voices. I will survive the night out, I will go to work Friday, then go back home to my loving family, and a warm house and bed. Someday, I hope my efforts—OUR efforts—can make the reality that we live in the same for others who are less fortunate.

Believe me when I tell you this: the Sleep Out is so much more than sleeping outside in a sleeping bag on some cardboard with a canopy overhead. Come join our efforts and learn how you can make a difference!

Register for the Sleep Out by February 28th and you’re entered to win an iPad Air 2 from Small Dog Electronics!

Mike, Val, John, and Neale at the 2016 Sleep Out, ready to head outside for the night.

The post “Why I sleep out?” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

This is a letter from Mark, our Executive Director.

The snow has fallen and the darkness comes early each night. Young people who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless need us more than ever—this winter, and into the future.

The good news is, you can help! Join us in sleeping outside overnight in solidarity with our youth while raising funds to support them, and you can make sure teens and young adults have a place to go when the wind starts to bite.

The Executive Sleep Out will be Thursday, March 23rd, and the Student Sleep Out is March 23rd-26th.

Can you stand in solidarity with our youth and sleep out this year? Register now and let our youth know you’ve got their back.

With gratitude,

Mark Redmond
Executive Director

The post Can you unroll your sleeping bag? appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Callahan at the Empty Bowl Dinner

We are so grateful to Callahan Freeman, of Williston, VT who spent this past school year completing her 8^th Grade Challenge by helping our youth. From September through June, Callahan volunteered in our office, collected donations, helped out at the Empty Bowl Dinner, cooked meals for our Drop-In Center, and participated in the Student Sleep Out.

Callahan collected donations of art supplies and winter coats throughout the fall semester. Her idea to collect donations brought her whole community together. As she put it, “Most youth coming into [Drop-In] don’t have much. They usually can’t afford warm clothes. That’s why I asked my community to donate clothing.”

Callahan’s amazing coat drive for our youth!

Callahan said she learned a lot by collecting donations: “I was shocked by how many donations I received!” she told us. “I thought about all the people I was giving the coats to .  . . they were so thankful for everything. It feels really good to give back to my community and people in need.”

At the Empty Bowl Dinner, Callahan volunteered by setting up an arts and crafts table, and she also got a chance to hear from Kim, a young person who lived in our shelter and who told her story at the Empty Bowl. “[Kim] said that before Spectrum, she had nothing. Spectrum gave her the right things she need to succeed in her future. . . She thanked many people for helping her through her journey. It makes volunteering at Spectrum feel like I can help many people.” And that is exactly what Callahan did.

Twice, she cooked dinner for the youth who access our Drop-In Center. What was on the menu? Baked ziti, salad, chili, cornbread, and dessert. Callahan said, “I could see people’s faces light up when they saw the meals. Those looks made me happy. I had put effort into the meals, and seeing their faces made volunteering ten times better.”

Thanks for the delicious dinner, Callahan!

In March, Callahan recruited her classmates to participate with her in the Spectrum Sleep Out. In solidarity with our youth, Callahan raised funds and slept outside overnight with her team, the Williston Wildcats. You can be part of next year’s Sleep Out! Mark your calendars for March 23^rd, 2017, and email events@spectrumvt.org if you want to participate.

Reflecting on the past year working with our youth, Callahan said, “It is very inspiring to learn about kids and teens near my age, that live in my community, and how they work through their struggles. I have learned by doing little things to help, I can make a big difference for someone’s life in need.”

Callahan has made a big difference for our youth, and she learned a lot, too. In her words, “It felt good inside to change people’s lives.” Thank you, Callahan!

You can help our youth, too, by signing up for our volunteer list or by donating items on our wish list. When you donate today, you are making sure our youth get help to turn their lives around. Thank you!

The post Behind the scenes: One year as a volunteer appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

We asked the Executive Sleep Out participants to reflect on their experience sleeping outside overnight a few weeks ago. Even though the weather is warmer now, it is clear that these community and business leaders made a difference by sleeping out, and with your help, they raised over $260,000 (and counting!) for our youth.

Here’s what they wanted to share with you:

“This event – anchored by Spectrum clients and staff – opened my eyes to the daily, even hourly, challenges and risks facing some of Vermont’s most vulnerable young people. Vermont Gas supports Spectrum because it makes a huge difference to these Vermonters, who learn skills, make commitments about their own lives, and move forward into a brighter future. It is urgent, important, challenging work, happening in our community right now.”
— Ned Farquhar, Vermont Gas Vice President of Communications and Sleep Out participant

“It was absolutely a humbling and wonderful experience for me. This was my first time Sleeping Out and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I am so glad that I did it because it was eye opening, informative, and even inspiring. The work you all do is amazing and I love that I got to help contribute to keeping that going for young homeless people in Vermont.”

“I went into this [to give back.] Spectrum has attempted to help my nephew and he is just not ready. I wanted to give back to help replenish resources used on him. No child should ever have to spend a single night on the streets, and laying on the ground in the wind made that even more important to me. Surrounded by 108 people and I was lonely . . . a very strange sensation.”

“I felt pretty abandoned. Even surrounded by all the people there . . . my body ached and [there were] the 40 mph winds. I kept hearing sirens, cars, people walking by laughing and yelling. I didn’t realize how much I take for granted every day until I was outside all night, trying to get a mere hour of sleep, laying on top of a piece of cardboard. Working the next day was a haze and a struggle.”

“It was more meaningful than I expected . . . In fact, the fundraising process was actually inspiring and energizing. The sleep Out experience was surprisingly emotional for me because I was overwhelmed with thoughts about how much support we all need as teenagers and young adults. Some get lucky, others don’t. Blessedly, in this community support is be available to any young person in need who is willing to do the work along with Spectrum. Now that the Sleep Out has happened, I feel like the privilege was all mine to participate in such a meaningful cause.” — Grace Amao Ciffo, Dealer.com team member

Over 2,800 donors and participants came together to make the Sleep Out happen this year. You are part of a movement, and we are so grateful. Thank you.

To learn more about the Sleep Out, click here. To learn more about the Student Sleep Out, click here. To see photos of the Sleep Out, please visit our Facebook album.

The post “I wanted to give back.” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Spectrum Executive Director Mark Redmond and the BRMS Sleep Out team.

Written by Lucy Mercer. First appeared in the Burlington Free Press.

There are about 1,000 homeless kids in Vermont each year, according to estimates. The Spectrum Sleep Out was started to help lower that number.

Guidance counselor Greg Martin, captain of the Browns River Middle School Sleep Out team in Jericho, said the best benefit of the Spectrum Sleep Out was, “understanding what it feels like to be homeless for just one night.”

This is the school’s third year participating in the event. In that time, they’ve raised more than $10,000 for homeless youth. Each year they average around 30 participants.

Kim Mercer sets up her tent at Browns River Middle School. Photo by Lucy Mercer.

Browns River eighth-grader Eve Chamberland has participated in the Sleep Out all three years and was the only one in her class at this year’s event. Eve joins the Sleep Out every year. “I like helping homeless people, and the Sleep Out really opens your eyes to what happens around you,” she said.

We set up our tents on the front lawn of the school the night of March 31 and then heard from Mark Redmond, executive director of Spectrum, and students who read poems and stories related to homelessness and generosity.

Lucy Mercer reads a poem at the Sleep Out.

During the presentation, Martin also showed videos about people helping to end homelessness. We made cardboard signs with messages like, “You can make a difference every day” and “A smile goes a long way.” The signs were displayed in the windows of the cafeteria so that the whole school could read them.

The BRMS Sleep Out team with handmade signs to raise awareness of youth homelessness.

That night, it turned out to be really warm and everybody thought it would be a nice peaceful night. But right around 10 p.m., the wind started to blow. It was so forceful and so brutal that one tent even collapsed! Thanks to the wind, every tent at the Sleep Out was flapping and even the school’s flag pole was dinging like crazy! I’m not sure anyone got sleep that night.

In the morning, everyone was really tired and pretty grumpy. During school, many people found it was hard to focus. I got a bad score on my spelling test, and so did a few other kids that did the Sleep Out. But it really just goes to show you how hard it is to be homeless.

Altogether, Browns River raised $3,521 for homeless and at-risk youth that night.

Thank you, Browns River!

Lucy Mercer is the daughter of Ryan Mercer, visuals coach at the Burlington Free Press.

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