12 Kids of Christmas: Meet Marco

Reason to Give #5: Sound Body and Mind

One of our kids came here with frost bite on his toes. He needed immediate on site medical care. Many kids who end up on the streets have never had a medical check-up... until they arrive at Covenant House. More than half of our young people have a mental illness and need counseling. We make sure to meet our kids’ needs whether it is physically or mentally.

Meet Marco.
Marco is 21 and resides at the Crisis Center. We immediately welcome kids into our Crisis Center where staff offer them a meal, clothes, and show them to a warm bed.

Many of the kids have come from abusive and neglectful situations, and need to be assured that they are safe and wanted. Some kids have undiagnosed mental illnesses and are unable to cope with their surroundings. Sometimes they just need someone to listen to their story. That's why our ultimate goal is sharing unconditional love with a young person.

We asked him his story, here's what he said:

Why did you come to Covenant House?
I wasn't able to live with my parents. I couldn't follow their rules and they eventually told me I had to go. I tried living with other family members but that didn't work out either.

If you could pick one thing that Covenant House has helped you with, what would it be?
Helped me get my state ID and birth certificate. Helped me get into counseling. I go for regular appointments with the social workers here and they are really nice and helpful. I was finally diagnosed with depression and now that I am taking medicine things are so much better. I can finally sleep! I used to stay up at night and pace back and forth. I'm also much better at following rules.

What are you grateful for?
I'm grateful for a place to stay. I'm also grateful for being able to sleep.

What's your best memory at Covenant House?
I went to the Calling All Angels fundraiser that raised money for Covenant House. I got to dress up, eat fancy food and be a Covenant House representative. I met Channel 7's Vic Faust and he promised that he would have me come to the TV station and work with him. I'm waiting for him to get in touch with me.

And finally, what do you want to accomplish in the new year?
I want to get a job, figure out my SSI and get my own home and car. I also want to attend Specs Howard to learn about using a camera and doing the news.

Yes! I want to give today to help young people receive the proper on site mental and medical health treatment and help kids, like Marco, succeed!

Back to the Countdown!