Raise money for NTYC

the easy way!

Order your custom NTYC logo merchandise HERE - all profits directly benefit our organization! 

Shop your favorite online stores and automatically raise money for NTYC!  Join now by clicking here.

Take this form and have it scanned one time at Kroger with your Kroger Shopping Card, and every time after when you shop, you automatically raise money for NTYC!

When you shop at Albertsons, have them scan our fundraising card and you automatically raise money for NTYC!  The small plastic cards easily fit in your wallet or on your keychain!

Help is just one search away!  Earn $$ for NTYC simply by using GoodSearch as your search engine!  Click here and enter "North Texas Youth Connection" as your charity of choice in the "I'm Supporting" box.  Set www.goodsearch.com as your home page!

About North Texas Youth Connection

History | FAQ | Board of Directors | Advisory Boards

History

Over 25 years ago, a middle school counselor found out that a young boy, only about 12 years old, was living in the Goodwill box located on the school grounds. He said he had nowhere to go, and was getting in trouble for staying out on the streets. Because school was the one place where he felt the safest, he made his home in the perceived security of the box. At the time, the only alternative that homeless youth had to living on the street was incarceration with adult criminals.

That young boy, James Carlson, inspired the school counselor to gather a group of friends from the community, and build a home for children like him. A home that didn’t require young children who were homeless, runaways, or had been abused to be locked up like a criminal.

From the hard work of this dedicated group of individuals, Grayson County Juvenile Alternatives was formed in 1979, with the first shelter for homeless youth located on Cherry Street in downtown Sherman.

James was grateful for the work done on his behalf and for other children who found themselves in his situation. Several years later, he painted the picture above of some of the items that were in the Goodwill box with him while called it home.  This pictures continues to hang in our facility.

James later died in a car accident while still only a young adult, and when the paramedics opened his wallet, the only thing they found was a small scrap of paper with the phone number of the school counselor who had worked so hard on his behalf.  His spirit lives on in the many youth who find a safe home here with us.

Follow us on Twitter!

Need an idea about what to talk with your kids about at the dinner table? Watch our tweets below for "table topics" and use them as conversation starters!

Updated July 27, 2010

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Residents attended the JOLT camp during Spring Break, learning teamwork and leadership.  Click here for pictures.

Visit the pressroom to view current and past issues of our newsletter.  Click to subscribe to our newsletter via email quarterly

Runaway Love Music Video
Award winning entertainer Ludacris, with Mary J. Blige, promotes runaway prevention through his hit single off his Release Therapy album.

Click here to watch a video about runaway children,  courtesy of the National Runaway Switchboard

Grayson County Juvenile Alternatives, Inc., dba North Texas Youth Connection

                (903) 893-4717             P. O. Box 1625, Sherman, TX  75091-1625