Since TXT 4 HELP launched almost a year ago, it has become an asset to youth service providers, parents, and youth that are looking for a Safe Place to go in a time of need. With nearly 4,400 people accessing the service since last October, TXT 4 Help is connecting youth to help in a variety of ways.

The Relatives agency in Charlotte, NC recently shared a success story with the National Safe Place office in which TXT 4 HELP played a vital role in directing a youth in a crisis situation to a Safe Place:

A young lady called our shelter scared, spoke quietly and had stated that she had been beaten by her father. She was kicked out of her home so she ran to a house of a person who was sitting on their steps outside. She used their phone to contact our agency. She did not know how to get to the agency nor did she know how to use the bus system. I had asked her the address and proceeded to use my blackberry to text SAFE to 69866, put in her address and within a minute a reply with the name of the Park and Recreation site which we just acquired in May. Needless to say she was guided to that spot where we picked her up and took her to the shelter where she is receiving adequate care and help that is needed.

- Curtis Joe, The Relatives Safe Place Coordinator

Whether it's a youth utilizing TXT 4 HELP, a Safe Place Coordinator, or a member of the community, youth in crisis are getting connected to the services they need. Advancing technology has made cell phones and text messaging available to virtually everyone, and TXT 4 HELP can provide almost instant access to a Safe Place site or emergency youth shelter. When neither a Safe Place location or a youth shelter is within a 50 mile radius, the youth is provided the National Runaway Switchboard hotline number: 1-800-Runaway where they are connected to a live person instantly.

In the future, parents and youth can try out the TXT 4 HELP program to find out where the closest Safe Place site is to their home or school. Just type the word SAFE and your home or school address (street address, city, state) to 69866 and within seconds a text message will be sent back with the closest Safe Place site or Youth Shelter. Knowing these locations in advance can help youth get access to help quicker in a time of need.

"I once heard a story about a homeless man on Hollywood Boulevard who really thought he was invisible. It is not hard to comprehend this man's slow spiral into invisibility. Once on the street, people started to walk past him, ignoring him as if he didn't exist?much like they do to a piece of thrash on the side walk. I not only feel their pain, I truly know their pain. You would never know it now, but I was a homeless person. Fourteen years ago, I lived on Hollywood Boulevard," - Mark Horvath.

Mark Horvath is on a personal mission to tell the story of homeless people across America. Horvath is a documentary filmmaker who is determined to give homeless people a voice and a face so they will no longer remain invisible to the world around them.

This summer, Horvath is embarking on a road trip across the United States with a documentary team to show the effects of homelessness across the country. Last summer, he visited over 25 cities including two Safe Place agencies, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth in Las Vegas, and Youth Oasis in Baton Rouge, LA. This year he is interested in highlighting the Safe Place program again in hopes to get an in depth look at how our agencies provide resources to homeless youth nationally.

Maybe you've seen a Safe Place sign in your neighborhood. I know whenever I see one I smile. It's really a very cool and simple idea. When teens have a problem often they don't have anyplace to go. When a kid sees this sign they know that it is a "safe place" for them and they will be connected to real help. Gosh, I wonder how much that would have changed me when I was raising hell as a teenager?" -Mark Horvath

Horvath will be visiting Wichita Children's Home in Wichita, KS at the end of July. Toward the end of August, he will be visiting the National Safe Place office and YMCA Safe Place Services in Louisville, KY, as well as Homeward Bound/Brighton Center in Newport, KY. During his visit, Horvath will be exploring Safe Place's national approach to assist homeless youth as well as the efforts on the local level with street outreach and raising awareness about the issue.

Horvath has experienced first hand the depths of being homeless in America. After pushing himself off the streets, Horvath decided to give a face to the 'invisible people' among us by launching his website: Invisible People, where he shares short video clips of homeless people one at a time. His site has struck a cord with many for its raw visuals of homeless life. He utilizes the power of social media to draw attention to his cause and has gained a passionate following on Twitter with Invisible People and his personal account, @HardlyNormal. Amongst his followers are a diverse group of homeless advocates, non-profits, and people wanting to help make a change.

As Horvath interviews people, he inquires about their situation and usually ends with the question: "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" When having that same question countered to him, Horvath responds: "My first wish would be that people really see the reality of homelessness, and that we develop communities and work as a team to solve the problem."And the third: "I would like security and normalcy to my life, but with a name like HardlyNormal, it's never going to happen."

His outreachwork is gaining widespread attention. Ford Motor Company donated a vehicle for his 2010 Summer Road trip and most recently he won the Pepsi Refresh Grant for invisiblepeople.tv to help homeless people utilize social media to tell their story and help themselves out of poverty.

To learn more about Mark Horvath, check out his website: http://www.invisiblepeople.tv/ or you can follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hardlynormal and www.twitter.com/invisiblepeople

Friday, June 18th, 2010 Singer Jimmy Wayne kicks off the 'Hot Country Nights' concert series at 4^th Street Live. This rising star has a devoted following of fans who not only are driving miles to watch him perform, but they are also emulating his passionate work for helping youth in need.

Friday afternoon a group of Jimmy Wayne fans are helping YMCA Safe Place Services in their time of need. Last week, significant water damaged the boy's dormitory area of the shelter and clean up is still underway. To help finish the restoration process, fans are gathering at the shelter at noon for lunch and then getting to work helping repaint the dorm.

"I knew a lot of fans would be driving in for the show and I thought it would be fun doing some type of work project at a local facility and a great opportunity to get to know each other," said Nicole Osmera, Regional Leader of the Meet Me Halfway Street Team.

The Meet Me Halfway Street Team are followers of Jimmy Wayne's Meet Me Halfway Campaign. Beginning on January 1, 2010 Jimmy Wayne set out on a journey to walk halfway across the United States to raise awareness about Homeless Youth and Foster Care.

"Here I am living life. I'm comfortable. I'd been on the Brad Paisley tour for a lot of the year, and I just didn't feel like I'd done anything to make a difference. I got to thinking, and I said, 'What if I walk halfway across the country to raise awareness [about youth who age out of the foster care system with nowhere to go]?'" Wayne states on the Meet Me Halfway Campaign website: www.projectmmh.org.

Since he has started his walk, fans have formed regional street teams across the country to support him and the cause; gaining awareness through social media and their website. The Meet Me Halfway Southern Region Street Team will be showing their support by volunteering from 12-4 PM at the YMCA Safe Place Services Shelter 2400 Crittenden Drive.

Running for the Solution
By: Jill Luckett

The Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon is a 13.1 mile run that is part of the many festivities leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Runners come from all 50 states and several foreign countries to partake in the scenic race that finishes in downtown Louisville. This year the race filled capacity with 15,000 entrants.

Participants sign up for many different reasons; they love running, they want to challenge themselves, they want to join a friend, they want to try something new or they want to support a cause. Several charity teams are formed to raise awareness and funds for a particular cause. This year 6 individuals came together to run for one cause: Safe Place.

Runners:

- Makensie DeRossett: New Albany, KY

- Johnny DeRossett: New Albany, KY

- Whitney Fuller: Winchester, KY

- Emily Bello: Winchester, KY

- Joseph Welsh: Louisville, KY

- Jill Luckett(me): Louisville, KY

I ran the Mini-Marathon last year for another charity and it was a great motivation for finishing the race. When I joined the National Safe Place staff in February, I thought it would be a great idea to form a running team in support of Safe Place in the 2010 race. At first, many people were interested in joining but as the race got closer the number of runners decreased. Completing a Mini-Marathon is a difficult endeavor to take on but we ended up with an amazing group of six runners.

Out of the six runners, only two, including myself, had participated in a Mini-Marathon before. It is recommended to start training at least 3 months before the race. You have to build stamina and endurance, and this is not an easy task, especially for those who are not runners. The team began training in January, slowly conquering more miles with every new week.

With all six runners having very busy schedules, the months went by quickly and before we knew it, race day had arrived. National Safe Place put together goody bags as a thank you to all the runners for their support. Safe Place t-shirts, with the runner's last names on them were also handed night before the race.

Saturday, April 24, was race day. We had to be at the starting line at 7:15am with the start gun going off at 7:30am. The sight of 15,000 runners was amazing. There was just a feeling in the air of camaraderie and slight nerves. The runners of the National Safe Place team had spoken to each other the night before and it sounded like everyone was very anxious and excited to conquer the race they had been anticipating for all those months.

My personal opinion of the race was that it was an amazing time. I do not consider myself a runner, so I was just as nervous this time around. I remember finally reaching mile 8 and thinking to myself "this really isn't that bad." One of my favorite moments of the race was running past a Fire Station, which was a Safe Place site, and having the four Firemen standing out front yelling "Go Safe Place!" It gave me an extra boost of energy that I greatly needed at that point.

I had asked other runners to share their experiences with me as well, and this is what they had to say:

"My dad and I trained together and this was our first mini. It was a great way for us to spend some quality time together and have a common interest to talk about. After I crossed the finish line I felt that I had really accomplished something! I'm already looking forward to running my next Mini and maybe even a Marathon." - Makensie DeRossett

"It was an amazing day for me as I got to coach my sister through her first half marathon. She had a very positive attitude and never stopped smiling. We appreciate the support of National Safe Place and the neat t-shirts with our names on the back. My favorite part of the race was in the first few miles when we were heading up the hills in the park and some people were passing us on both sides. Whitney confidently said "I think a lot of these people that are passing us are going to slow down and we're going to end of passing them soon!" I thought it was very cute how confident she was and she was correct. We did end of passing a lot of folks who came out fast in the beginning. Slow and steady wins, right?" - Emily Bello

"The Derby Festival Mini Marathon was a great experience for me. I only decided to run it in January having never really even run a mile before. I was able to train with my dad and then run the actual race with my sister, a professional runner in my opinion. She was so encouraging and it was such a great moment for us when I crossed the finish line. I would definitely do it again and am thankful for the push from Jill and National Safe Place to set a goal and achieve it. I am certain it will not be my last mini marathon and am excited to keep running!" - Whitney Fuller

In the end, I think the 2010 National Safe Place Team was a success. I am very proud of all the runners for sticking with the training, helping raise $400 and gaining awareness for Safe Place. The kids that Safe Place serves are usually running from the problem, the six individuals who completed the 2010 Mini-Marathon were running for the solution.

National Safe Place, in collaboration with Indiana University, have their first academic article featured in the Journal for Youth and Adolescence highlighting the effects of the Safe Place program for youth in need.

National Safe Place: Meeting the Immediate Needs of Runaway and Homeless Youth

Abstract: An estimated 1.6 million youth run away from home each year. While on the run, these youth are vulnerable to exploitation, victimization, increased dangers and perpetration of criminal behavior. Runaway and homeless youth are far more likely to engage in substance use and delinquent behavior, drop out of school and suffer from sexually transmitted diseases and mental illness at greater rates than the norm. Timely and direct intervention in runaway and throwaway cases is imperative to protect youth from the high risks of living on the streets. National Safe Place is an outreach and prevention program that is uniquely designed to provide immediate safety and access to services for any youth in need. In partnership with over 360 youth serving agencies and over 10,000 businesses and community organizations across the United States, the Safe Place program educates youth about alternatives to running away and homelessness and provides easily accessible links to service providers. Ongoing data collection indicates that National Safe Place has been successful in reaching endangered youth at risk of abuse, neglect or serious family problems but that expanded program models remain needed. The challenges and successes of current programming and the future of National Safe Place program expansion are discussed.