Your gift does more than change one life. It strengthens an entire community. It feeds families living paycheck to paycheck, gives dignity to isolated seniors, and provides stability for parents and children rebuilding after crisis.
Cherished friends and supporters,
Lila remembers the night she left home.
She was only 15. Her mother was working double shifts, her stepfather had been drinking again, and the shouting turned into something worse.
So, she ran.
That night, she curled up behind a gas station, clutching her backpack. It held everything she owned: a phone that didn’t work, a too-thin sweatshirt, and a bag of half-eaten goldfish. She tried to stay awake, but exhaustion won.
When she woke up, her backpack, and what little safety she had, was gone.
Imagine being 15 and completely alone.
No safe bed.
No one to call.
No one even looking for you.
That is what homelessness feels like for teenagers in our community.
For too many girls like Lila, that first night on the street is just the beginning of something even darker.
Within 48 hours of becoming homeless, one in three teens is approached by a trafficker.
That’s why I’m reaching out to you today. Your support can stop this from happening. Give now by clicking here.
Lila managed to stay safe for a few nights by staying with friends, but their parents didn’t want “another mouth to feed.” She spent another two nights sleeping in an abandoned car with no heat. She walked for hours at a time, desperate to stay somewhere warm – anywhere that felt safe.
And all the while, she was hungry. She was scared. And she felt invisible.
Then, the trafficker found her.
He said she was beautiful. He said he could protect her. He bought her dinner – her first hot meal in days – and told her she deserved better. For the first time, she didn’t feel cold or alone.
But that kindness wasn’t kindness at all – it was control. Soon, he was telling her where to go, what to wear, and what to do. And she didn’t have a choice.
This happened right here – in our community.
Across the Capital Region, North Country, and Mohawk Valley, more than 4,000 young people will experience homelessness this year. Many of them, like Lila, are not runaways. They’re kids driven out by abuse, neglect, or the simple, heartbreaking truth that there’s no one left willing to care for them.
But you can be the difference.
Please click here to give now.
When a CAPTAIN CHS Street Outreach worker first found Lila, she was hungry, exhausted, and terrified of trusting anyone. She took a snack and a blanket, then walked away. But that small moment planted a seed of hope. Someone saw her. Someone cared.
A few weeks later, our Street Outreach worker found her again. This time she quietly asked, “Do you know anywhere I can go?”
Because of donors like you, the answer was, “Yes.”
Lila was brought to the CAPTAIN CHS Youth Shelter – the only shelter in Saratoga County specifically for runaway and homeless teens. There she found safety. Food. Warmth. Help. Advocates who understood the trauma of exploitation and knew how to help her begin to heal.
But Lila’s story isn’t over – not yet.
She’s still in school, trying to rebuild her future. She’s still in therapy, learning to believe she’s worth protecting. And she’s still afraid that the next time she reaches for help, there won’t be anyone there.
That fear is real.
Funding for critical programs like Stret Outreach, Safe Harbour, and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter has dwindled. Yet the need, especially for trafficked and exploited youth, continues to grow.
The truth is, whether the next Lila finds help depends entirely on you.
Without support from donors like you, the door may not be open at all.
Be a hero and give now by clicking here.
Lila told us later: “I used to watch other kids get picked up after school by their parents. And I’d think… nobody’s ever coming for me.”
Can you imagine the loneliness of being 15 years old and believing no one in the world cares if you live or die?
Your gift can be the proof that someone cares. That someone is you.
Kids in crisis don’t just need one night of safety. They need long-term support to begin healing and rebuilding their lives. That’s why your gift powers more than 30 programs that surround kids, families, and seniors with care:
- Street Outreach and Safe Harbour: searching night after night for kids on the streets, offering supplies, hope, and a path to safety
- Youth Shelter: providing emergency housing, meals, and support to teens with nowhere else to go
- Homework Help and After-School Programs: keeping at-risk kids engaged in school and off the streets
- Back-to-School drives: ensuring hundreds of children have the supplies they need to succeed
- Family Development & Getting Ahead: helping parents build stability so kids don’t end up in crisis again
- Homelessness Prevention & Intervention: supporting families finding permanent housing so they can begin to rebuild their lives
- Food Pantries & Emergency Assistance: preventing kids and homebound seniors from going to bed hungry
In 2024 alone, your generosity helped:
- 88 teens with a warm bed and a hot meal at the Youth Shelter
- 46 homeless youth safely exit the streets
- 342 mentoring sessions for individuals and families working toward self-sufficiency
- 18 families move into permanent housing
- Fill 2,350 food pantry orders
- Nearly 90 homebound seniors receive compassionate support to remain in their homes
And all of this happened because of donors like you and more than 300 active volunteers dedicating more than 32,000 hours of service to our community.
Continue making a difference today by clicking here to give now.
When Lila’s stay at the Youth Shelter ends, her future is uncertain. Will she go back to an abusive home? Will there be space in a transitional program? Or will she end up back on the streets?
Lila is still at risk of becoming homeless again and falling back into the world she fought so hard to escape.
Yet tonight, there’s still another Lila out there. She’s cold, scared, and waiting for someone to show her she matters.
Will you stand up and show that you care?
Your gift of $35, $100, or even $250 could mean the difference between:
- a night spent hungry and afraid… or a night with food and a safe bed.
- a future of dropping out and disappearing… or a future with school, support services, and hope.
- a child believing no one cares… or knowing someone like you saw them and said, “You matter.”
Please open the door to hope. Give now by clicking here.
Every night a young person spends on the streets is a night they’re at risk of being lost forever.
Homeless youth are twice as likely to be physically assaulted and ten times more likely to experience sexual abuse. One-third attempt suicide.
These are not “bad kids.”
They are kids in crisis.
Kids who just need someone to open a door for them.
Your generosity ensures our outreach teams can find kids before traffickers do. It keeps the Youth Shelter open. It keeps food pantries stocked. It keeps hope alive.
When you give, you’re not just opening the door for Lila – you’re opening doors for every teen who has nowhere else to turn.
Because your gift does more than change one life. It strengthens an entire community. It feeds families living paycheck to paycheck, gives dignity to isolated seniors, and provides stability for parents and children rebuilding after crisis.
Every donation becomes part of a network of care that ensures no one in our community has to face hunger, homelessness, or hopelessness alone.
That’s why I’m asking you, from my heart: Will you make a life-changing gift of $50, $100, or even $250 today to support our community and provide a safe haven for a child in need?
You can click here to give now.
Investing in local programs at CAPTAIN CHS is investing in a safer, stronger, and more compassionate community for all of us.
Please, give today.
Because no child should ever believe that no one is coming for them. And every family deserves the chance for a brighter tomorrow.
Be the hero I know you are and make a difference today.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Andy Gilpin
Executive Director
