2009 Annual Report (PDF) - Covenant House

The April Fund
April stayed with us last summer, looking
for sanctuary from the streets that were
killing her. “Stay with us,” we begged her.
“We love you,” we told her. “You have
friends you don’t even know who care
about you,” we assured her.
Like so many of the kids who come to
us, she was dealing with tremendous
emotional pain. Thanks to God and thanks
to our supporters, thousands of kids who
have stayed with us beat the street and
built new lives and will continue to do so.
But April was haunted and hunted last
summer. The voices of street villains did
not rest until they lured her away from us,
and killed her. They threw her naked body
in a blanket and dumped her, of all places,
in the back of a church.
At Covenant House, we believe that April’s
death should not be just another footnote
in our battle against the criminals on the
street. And so we started the April Fund.
To date, almost 30,000 friends have given
a total of $1.1 million dollars in April’s
memory: money that is being used to
support our street Outreach efforts so we
can reach more kids before the criminals
do. To help, please visit CovenantHouse.
org/the-april-fund
Candlelight Vigil for
Homeless Youth
Each November in Times Square, New
York City and at locations all across
the Americas, Covenant House holds a
Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth.
It is a day when young people who have
survived on the streets stand up with pride
to share their inspiring stories of courage
and hope. Every year, thousands of people
come together carrying hand-painted
banners and candles, singing songs of
hope, and reading poetry and testimonials
from young survivors of the street. Every
year, the Covenant House Candlelight Vigil
sends a unified message across the
world that “No homeless youth will ever
be forgotten.”
We ask that you stand in solidarity with
us. Your participation in our Vigil will give
homeless and runaway youth a chance
to dream of a life away from the violence
and degradation of the streets. With this
vigil, we can call America’s attention to a
crushing national problem which threatens
hundreds of thousands of our most
vulnerable children.
For more information on the 2010
Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth and
to light a virtual candle, go to candlelight.
covenanthouse.org
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