The Open House

A young man comes to Spectrum for help after overdosing on heroin twice and nearly dying. The journey to recovery is rarely a linear path, as both he and I discover.

On a very cold night in December, we invited state representatives and senators to come to Spectrum Youth and Family Services for a Legislative Open House with our youth. What those youth had to say was incredibly insightful and made an impact on every adult present, including myself.

A young woman who had been homeless and came to Spectrum for help makes great progress in her life. But car problems become an obstacle...

In the 1980's I tried to help a Jesuit priest start the first residence for homeless men with AIDS in New York City....To order Mark's book, "Called" go to www.maredmond.com

A homeless young man manages to find his way to the drop-in center of Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Vermont, then into our shelter, followed by his own apartment and a full-time job. Going to college is the next step, but for him it is a huge risk, especially without a safety net.To order Mark's book, "Called" go to www.maredmond.com

When I became director of a Residential Treatment Center for teenagers in the foster care and criminal justice system, one of the first things I did was to form a basketball team to compete against area high schools. We lost every game, until the end of the season, when we lost, but didn't lose, at least in my mind....

About a young woman at Spectrum Youth and Family Services who has endured family trauma and addiction, and the Christmas card she gives me that opens my eyes to what true healing means...

A ski trip with a group of inner city kids ends up very differently than expected....