I'm not sure what I think about the work done by Lorraine Hargrave, a former teen mom who now devotes countless
hours to running Children in Need of a Hugs (CINOH). As head of CINOH, Hargrave houses four teen mothers who are homeless
or have been victims of abuse. She runs a tight ship: girls under her care must contribute daily to the household, must be
home by 10pm, and must not get pregnant again while living with her. Don't like the rules? Then maybe this program is
not for you
On the one hand, I'm not a huge fan of "tough love", and I wonder
what happens to young moms who can't adjust to Hargrave's system. On the other hand, you can't deny she's doing good. She's
helped any number of young women regain control of their lives - largely at her own financial expense. Talk about going above
and beyond the call of duty. 2005 - Jay Allen
CHILDREN IN NEED OF YOU,
(written by 17 yr old C.I.N.O.H resident)
We need you because without
you we would not have a place to stay. We need you because without you we would be lost.
We need you because without you we would be hopeless.
We need you because
without you there would be no C.I.N.O.H.
We thank you for ALL you have done to
help us. We thank you for ALL you have done to guide us. We thank you for ALL you have done to save us.... Because without
you we would not have a goal, a future, or a chance. A chance that no one else would have given us. We are grateful because
you have done so much to give us what you don't have in order for us to survive. When we struggle you help us keep our heads
up high. No matter what the cost is you sacrifice.
"When I first came into
this program, I was going through so much. I didn't have a good relationship with my mom and she wanted me out. The very same
day I was to leave my home you opened up your doors and gave me a place to stay. I am very grateful that I was able to find
someone like you who understands me and knows what it feels like to go through what I am going through. I have asked so many
people for help before and they all turned me away. Then when they would see me in public or even at church they pretend to
be my friend. You had no idea who I was or what I was going through and you let me in. You didn't have to but you did. You
protected me from sleeping on the streets with my baby. You understood my situation and took charge of it. You made me believe
that I have a chance and I will take this chance to continue on with what I have to do in life to survive. I want to be able
to give ALL that I can give to my son and when I left home I thought I was lost. You gave me a path and a direction to follow
and now here I am in your home. I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and I thank you for my son. Without you I
would not know where I would be today."
THANK YOU SO MUCH !!
