YouthHope Foundation | PO Box 7803 Redlands, CA 92375 US
2025 Youth Stories
Do You Remember Me? From The Walk In Their Shoes
I think I was 11 or 12 when I got jumped into my dad’s gang but I had been running the streets for as long as I can remember.
I started coming to YouthHope when I was in middle school cause I knew I could eat before I went home.
I got so wrapped up in that life that I stopped coming in. Things got worse and I did so many things that I regret. I wanted out so bad but what do you do when everyone you know is deep in the game? I can’t just walk away.
Then one day my dad told me to do something. Something so horrible that I knew I could never look at myself again if I did it. I didn’t know where to turn but then I thought about Heidi asking me if I needed anything.
I came by on a Wednesday afternoon, and there she was in the parking lot. I walked up and all I could say was "Do you remember me?" I was so scared and I think she could see it. She said, “Of course, I remember you, Dario! Are you hungry?” I don’t know how the words, “Are you hungry?” can make a 19 year old wanna cry, but it did.
I tell her how I’m stuck in this messed up world of violence and want out. This place and these people who just gave me a hot meal, and some kindness years ago, now they givin’ me the courage to make a change. Heidi helped me make a plan but I couldn’t just run away. My dad would never stop looking for me and it might be hard to believe but when he found me he probably would have had me killed. I had to look him in the eye and tell him I was leaving the gang.
I went home and told him, “I can't be the man you want me to be. I'm done with this for good. I want something different for myself, man.” My old man wouldn’t even look at me, He just told me I would have to be jumped out and he wouldn’t let me leave until they was all outside. I walked out the back door and into people who I thought was my friends. I expected a beating, but they didn’t just beat me, they did so many me messed-up brutal things that shouldn’t never happen to nobody. It was the darkest most disgusting nightmare I could have imagined and my dad, the person that is supposed to protect me, he told them to do it.
Heidi came and got me. Her and Judy pulled up in front my dad’s house like it wadn’t nuthin. They helped me get in the car and drove me straight to the hospital. As soon as I got out they told me the City of Redlands had some kina grant program that helped me get a stay in a motel room in Riverside until they could find me a safe place to stay. I had to move outa this area cause I didn’t know what would happen if anyone from my old gang saw me. Heidi helped me get into a sober living house.
Now I got me a job working in a warehouse. They gave me a bus pass for the first month I worked and then some cool dude fixed up a bike and donated it so I can ride it to work. I’m saving for a car and I’m gonna try to get my GED.
If you came across me a few years ago you probably woulda guessed that my next chapter would be prison. But these people here, they got my back.
A Bright Future
I found YouthHope when I was a teenager. I was an at-risk youth who needed a safe place to be during the day. My parents worked all day and I was left alone with no supervision during the day and usually found myself in trouble.
I would hang out with my friends in places that would usually end up with people drinking or doing drugs, then we would stumble home when it was dark and do it all over again the next day.
I like to call myself one of YouthHopes original. We were around when Heidi started YouthHope and followed her to all of the meeting places. We started on the street, then went to the church, then the park, a church basement, and finally YouthHope.
Heidi created a place where we could hang out without getting in trouble. Little did I know that surrounding myself in a safe place with safe people saved my life.
I saw people who didn’t come to YouthHope get in a lot more trouble as they got older. Some were addicted to drugs, some died, others are still homeless.
I am now in college and have a bright future. By going to YouthHope and having people believe in me and showing me practical steps to be successful, I am now building the life I want.
I needed some community service hours to complete one of my classes and instanly knew I wanted to give back to YouthHope.
If I can help one single youth and give them the hope that they need, then my volunteer hours will be more than worth it.
Thank you YouthHope for providing hope and real steps to better our lives.
I am successful because of the time and energy you spent in helping me over the years.
I Want To Go Home
When I turned 18 I left home. I had a bad relationship with my parents and I didn't see a future in Mexico. I came to the US with big dreams of finding a great job, having friends, and being successful.
After 2 years in the US, I wanted to go home. When I came to the States, I thought it would be easy. I thought I could find my way and find community, but that didn't happen. I’ve couch surfed, I’ve slept on the streets, and I’ve been robbed multiple times.
At this point, I was homeless with nothing to my name.
I just wanted to be back with my family. I had no idea how to get back home and what is needed.
I needed help and I found YouthHope.
I walked into YouthHope and they immediately started helping me. They didn't judge me or make me wait days to get help.
They spent the entire day calling people and organizations that could help me get back home. They were searching for transportation, places that could get me an ID, and where I could stay in the mean time.
By the end of the first day, they were able to get me into a hotel so I would be safe.
By the end of the week they were in contact with an organization that helps people get back to their home country.
I’m currently on my way to be reunited with my family.
I’m so thankful for YouthHope and the way they helped me. They put so much effort into helping anyone who walks through their doors.
Without their help, I wouldn't be back with my family.
Thank you YouthHope for caring!