The National Center for Children and Families

Leadership Turner 2014 is a class of 17 new hires from Turner Construction's Mid-Atlantic office. We were chosen to develop, plan, and execute a project that would benefit the community we live and work in, while receiving guidance and support from local Turner executives and peers. The project we have chosen gives hope to those who have grown up without it through a non-profit organization called the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF).  Leadership Turner 2014 will completely redesign and renovate the old kitchens (15 years old and counting!) in two boys' dormitories on NCCF's headquarters campus in Bethesda, MD.

The National Center for Children and Families was founded in 1914 as an orphanage in the District of Columbia. NCCF is a private, nonprofit child welfare agency with a mission to create total, healthy living environments for vulnerable children, youth and families, and the quality of life which empowers their ability to thrive and demonstrate responsibility. One of their signature programs is the Greentree Adolescent Program (GAP), a high-intensity residential community that prepares traumatized, victimized, and poorly socialized adolescent males to be productive members of society. 

Within this program is the Heart & Soul Bakery, a socially conscious workforce development program designed to teach high risk youth living in the GAP program the critical life skills of cooking and nutrition. It began as a cooking class, and many of the boys took a special interest in baking. Over the past 18 months, the boys have successfully sold their cookies and granola at the Takoma Farmers Market, as well as several other farmers' markets, and received rave reviews!  During this time, the boys have taken cookie catering orders ranging in size from 60-400 cookies. The Heart & Soul Bakery allows them to gain invaluable life and business skills. In fact, several of the GAP program's former residents have been able to leverage the skills they learned through the Heart & Soul Bakery to obtain jobs at local restaurants.

 

Unfortunately, the dormitory kitchen where they boys often bake their cookie is too small and outdated to carry out all their baking orders. Leadership Turner 2014  will update their kitchen with new appliances and a new design that maximizes the use of space to give them a safer and more comfortable environment in which to bake their delicious cookies!


Please support the Greentree Adolescent Program by donating as little or as much possible. Thank you in advance for your donation. 

The Leadership Turner Class of 2014