Chaunte Mills, Comprehensive Case Manager
I have the privilege of providing case management services for “Sarah,” a teenage girl who was always excited for our individual meetings. As a homeschool student, however, she longed for something more than one on one support. She desired healthy friendships, peer to peer engagement and a place where she simply belonged.
Sarah found that through YFC’s City Life program. For her, City Life was a community where she could laugh, serve, grow, and experience authentic relationships with peers and caring adults who consistently pointed her toward Christ.
As we continued meeting for case management, we focused on removing barriers, strengthening healthy coping skills, improving communication and helping her build confidence in navigating relationships and everyday challenges. Those skills came alive at City Life, where she had opportunities to practice them in real relationships with peers and mentors who genuinely cared for her.
As Sarah became more rooted in her faith, she began embracing spiritual practices such as prayer, meditating on Scripture, and intentionally spending time in God’s creation. Because of that spiritual foundation, she approached challenges with greater hope, reflected more deeply on the choices before her, and increasingly viewed herself through the lens of God’s love rather than through the pain of her circumstances.
What makes this story so meaningful is that neither Gracehaven nor City Life could have accomplished this alone. Gracehaven provided the individualized advocacy, support, and case management that helped remove barriers and equip her with practical life skills. City Life provided the Christ-centered community where those skills could be lived out through friendships, mentorship, service, and discipleship. Together, these ministries reflected the heart of COYFC by meeting a young person where she was and walking alongside her as she experienced hope, healing, belonging, and transformation.
Watching Sarah’s story unfold has been a beautiful reminder that transformation rarely happens because of one program or one person. It happens when people choose to work together. It happens when someone is willing to advocate for a young person who simply needs another chance. It happens when ministries collaborate instead of compete. And it happens when faithful supporters invest in a mission that sees every young person as someone worth fighting for.
This is the beauty of COYFC. Gracehaven provides individualized care. City Life provides community and discipleship. Together, they create opportunities for young people not only to overcome obstacles, but to discover their identity, purpose, and hope in Jesus Christ.
Thank you for partnering with us. Your generosity makes stories like hers possible, and because of your support, more young people are finding not only a place to belong, but a Savior who transforms hearts for eternity.