Submitted by awyllie on Mon, 2010-02-01 21:11

Jim Harnett

To Jim Harnett, nothing was more important than family. As we cope with the incredible void of his loss, Covenant House is announcing a scholarship in Jim’s name for our Rights of Passage program.

Rights of Passage offers 18-to-21-year-olds the chance to make a life for themselves away from the street.  By providing food, clothing, shelter and medical care for up to 18 months, it provides a launching pad for a new life.

But Rights of Passage does much more than support the physical needs of homeless youth.   At Rights of Passage, we invite volunteers from the corporate world to be mentors to our kids.  We secure jobs from employers, who become partners with our residents and Covenant House.  We celebrate holidays, mark job and school successes.  We plan group outings.  And every step of the way, we tell our kids how sure we are they’re going to make it.

Rights of Passage works!

Over the course of just a few months, we see kids  who had given up become kids who work long hours to succeed as full-time students.  We see young people get excited about setting goals and keeping them. And we see kids learn how to dream all over again.

Through this James J. Harnett Memorial Scholarship, Jim's love for kids, for education, and for Covenant House will live on.

If you wish to contribute to the James J. Harnett Memorial Scholarship, please click this special link.