You really helped me...over 30 years ago!

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Re: Thank You

Katherin,

Thank you so much for your kind words. It sounds like you dealt with and overcame so much in your lifetime and we appreciate your inspirational words. Sometimes it can be very comforting and uplifting knowing that others have struggled and come out on top. We hope that the youth who use our services can read this and know that they are not alone. There are people out there to help.

Best,
NRS

Thank you

Thirty years is a pivotal number for former youth in transition. It is just over 30 years that I became emancipated from a very abusive and disruptive 'parent' situation. I read each of these posts and the moderator replies and I respect how you each turned to this organization for resources.

Between running away, aging out of foster care, or leaving at age of majority to the age of 28, a lot can happen to a person. My direct experience from 18-24 was one of limited resources, no mentors or access to services (if even there were any) - lower order issues were top priority so it was years before I could achieve what someone of a similar age with better family circumstances could because of access to resources.

So, as I got older, I wondered how can that learning curve be shortened to help youth in transition get set up as adults safely and with minimal challenges? There is so much people like us carry with them, sometimes we can voice it, sometimes we cant. Its in its very initial phases, but I started CarryTruth© to provide information advocacy and training tools. Carrytruth(c) stands for: we (all) should carry the truth of those who were abused, neglected, orphaned, aged out, opted out and or marginalized and therefore, out of reach of basic resources and tools to assimilate into a productive role in society. We will carry their truth until they can carry it themselves.

As I read the replies to these posts, certainly, this organization has been doing just that for over 30 years and I thank you for that very much.

Katherin

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Re: You really helped me...over 30 years ago!

Hello,

We appreciate you taking the time to post on our bulletin and sharing your story with us. We are glad to hear that your situation turned out for the better and that you are safe. We are always concerned for the safety of our callers. We wish you all the best. We are here for you 24 hours a day for support and resources. Good luck.

-NRS

I left home at 13, I was gay. My parents were cool with that, but the guy I was with was much older. I never could trust them to understand that. But you guys got messages to them from me. I didn't need any help other than that because my bf was very wealthy. When I turned 18 and flew back to visit them, they told me they got everyone. Thanks for telling them that I was really VERY OK with the situation I was in, it help them sleep better.

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Re: You really helped me...over 30 years ago!

Hello,

You story was very touching. We thank you for reaching out after all these years to share your story with us. We are always here to help keep America's homeless, runaways and at risk youth safe and off the streets. We cannot even begin to imagine what you had to deal with and still not having the support of your mother. We are glad to know that we were somehow instrumental as a place you can contact for support. We are still here for you. We are empowered by your story and will continue to do work for people caught up in your situation.

We are not here to tell you what to do but we hope when you need us again that you know you can call us anytime. We are confidential and anonymous. We are still here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We wish you luck and please stay strong. We thank you.

Sincerely,

NRS

Without the National Runaway Hotline I may not be alive to say thanks! I was 12 when my mother moved us to Philadelphia from New Jersey. I did not want to leave and I would ride the train from Phila. back to Jersey. One night I missed the last train back to the city so I decided to hitchhike because if my mother knew I was leaving the city she would have killed me. I was picked up by a guy who lived in South Phila. and my new home was over 10 miles away. It was night time and he said he would give me a ride home if I had sex with him. I said no and he said then I could walk. Afraid of being caught by the police I stayed in the shadows. A man was walking toward me. I crossed the street and so did he. Then he grabbed me and dragged me into a small park and raped me. When he finished he let me go. I was devistated and afraid to go home. My mother and I didn't have a good relationship and I thought she would blame me. I was ashamed and too scared to return home so I left the city and began hitchhiking. I had no where to go, no money, no clothes except what I was wearing. After several days I saw a sign for the runaway hotline. I called and the woman on the phone was kind and helped me find a temporary shelter. My mother refused to take me back and I never told her about the rape. I spent the next five years on the streets and in and out of runaway homes, group homes and temporary shelters. When I would get tired of being on the road or afraid I would call the hotline and a volunteer would always be there to help! Sometimes it was just knowing there was someone I could call who wouldn't judge me or threaten to call the police that gave me strength, other times the hotline was my connection to a safe place, a warm bed and food! When I turned 17 I was emancipated by the state of Arkansas and put on a bus back to Philadelphia. I obtained my GED and joined the military. Eventually I went to college and became a high school teacher. I consider myself extremely fortunate as I know my life could have ended up much differently or for that matter just ended as a child. I know that this organization had a hand at keeping me alive and for that I am truely grateful! Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who helped me all those years ago and thanks to the current volunteers who help the lonely, scared youths of today! You make a difference!