Rendering of Seton Youth Shelters' new campus.
“This new campus will bring all of our programs together for the first time in our nearly 40-year history, enabling us to better serve our community as a critical resource for children and teens and their families.” --Jennifer Sieracki, Executive Director
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (PRWEB) April 14, 2021
“We were definitely not expecting an opportunity like this in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic challenges it brought to our organization and community,” said Jennifer Sieracki, Executive Director of Seton Youth Shelters, discussing Seton’s future move to the Rose Hall district of Virginia Beach. “This new campus will bring all of our programs together for the first time in our nearly 40-year history, enabling us to better serve our community as a critical resource for children and teens and their families.”
Through the generosity of its Building Promise Capital Campaign’s lead donor, Seton is configuring space for its shelters, outreach, mentoring and education programs on 3.9 acres at 3396 Stoneshore Road, the former location of St. Luke’s Methodist Church. This new campus construction project, conducted in three phases, encompasses the land acquisition and construction of a new Boys’ Shelter, a new Girls’ Shelter, and Seton’s administrative and education center. The single campus construction project includes: 1) a wholly owned, contiguous campus housing shelters, programs and administration; 2) the addition of green space with improvements including playground and recreation areas, STEM activity areas, and restored natural environments; and 3) the construction of a dedicated conference classroom that will enable Seton to conduct its free community education programs for parents and children. “We know that this is a $5 million-plus project,” explained Sieracki, “and while we have been fortunate thus far in obtaining support for a significant portion of the project’s expenses, we must look to the community to help us meet the remaining cost of this exciting and transformational project. We really are building promise for our youth by building this new campus.”
A Virginia-Beach based non-profit organization, Seton has provided shelter, outreach, mentoring, counseling and education programs, free of charge to youth and their families since 1985. The organization is currently completing the approval process for a centralized campus for its future operations. The mission of Seton Youth Shelters is to provide a safe haven, counseling, youth outreach, and mentoring, 24 hours a day, free of charge, to assist children in crisis throughout Hampton Roads, with the goal of reuniting families. The organization has a strong history of meeting and exceeding its annual goals to ensure that youth live in a safe, appropriate environment and have the resources they need to reach their full potential.
“Seton’s Board of Directors sees the move to our new campus as crucial to maintaining a stable environment for our young people. We believe it is our duty to ensure a safe place in which our young people can feel secure, yet continue to grow and explore their options for the future,” stated Seton Board President, Dr. Maxine Singleton. “Seton’s administrative staff and program directors are dedicated to helping these youth succeed and contribute in a positive way to our society. Our central campus will keep the boys, girls, and administrative staff in closer proximity to one another meaning more time for collaboration and activities to reach this goal.”
Seton’s Shelter and Youth Outreach Programs serve youth ages 9 up to 18; its MCP mentoring program serves children, ages 4 up to 18, whose lives have been affected by the incarceration of a loved one. All services are free and available to children and throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. Seton Youth Shelters does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its client programs or employment practices. Seton is committed to diversity and inclusion.
“Seton Youth Shelters is an incredible organization that offers so much for this area. Helping with this initiative is something that we know will impact the lives of teens for the better and we look forward to seeing this project through to the end,” says Brian Holland, Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group. “The Atlantic Bay family looks to continue to support this organization for the long run by looking for volunteer opportunities as well.”
“Everyone—every kid—deserves a home—a safe place. We are supporting Seton Youth Shelters because investing in underserved communities and putting others first is part of who we are as Atlantic Bay,” says Stan Holland, Chief Operating Officer of Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group.
For additional information on Seton’s Building Promise Capital Campaign and new campus construction project, contact Jennifer Sieracki, Executive Director: jsieracki@setonyouthshelters.org or 757.963.5795 x 0105#.
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