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One thing that is fully out of our control is how time continues to tick away; we can never get it back!

A young adult caregiver shared with me how she has come to realize the value of time as she continues to care for her mom. She is in college, and caregiving brings extra responsibilities and challenges she has to juggle. Instead of saying, "Why me?" she focuses on appreciating today; she is thankful for being able to help.

In our gift of time, let us be grateful for the special relationship that caregiving brings.

Greetings, CYP Friends!

I hope you’ve had a great start to the new year!

We kicked off the year with Snow Day at a ranch in Lake Worth, FL. How fun it was to play in real snow, pet horses, play field games, eat a delicious meal, and more. Sending a huge thank you to Boca West Children’s Foundation for inviting you all to such an amazing event. Later in the week, you had an opportunity to attend Boomers Boca Raton, where you got to enjoy riding Go-Karts, Spin Zone Bumper Cars, Bumper Boats, and playing Laser Tag and arcade games, and we had lunch. 

At the end of the month, we took you on a picnic at Patch Reef Park, and you participated in a Home Safety Scavenger Hunt. You explored crucial safety practices, learned to identify risks, and devised personalized safety plans. It was such a wonderful experience for me to see you all engaged, learning, and utilizing critical thinking to find all the missing pieces. After the scavenger hunt, you enjoyed recreational time at the park and a delicious lunch. 

Keep looking out for upcoming activities! We’re looking forward to Camp Treasure coming up soon! 

If you want to see some pictures of you and your events, visit (and follow!) our Instagram @caregivingyouthproject.

Thank you.

Andreana Holliman, BA

School Shout Out - "It's been a pleasure to work this year at Lake Worth Middle School with Ms. Shaneeya Gathers, M.S. She is the School Behavioral Health Professional and my contact at Lake Worth Middle School. Though not new at Lake Worth Middle School, it's her first year as the school's contact person for the Caregiving Youth Project. 

Ms. Gathers and I have worked together to support our caregiving students. I've found a mentor for a student who she felt needed a male mentor. She helped pave the way for me to speak with a dad who was hesitant about letting her daughter into our Caregiving Youth Project program. She organized our students and helped them get ready for our Camp Treasure. She holds paperwork for me. She counsels two of our students who weren't getting along well. She gets paperwork signed. She helps me set up a table in the cafeteria for Lunch & Learn. She helped one of our students get her Christmas gifts from a donor.  

When I am at Lake Worth Middle School, we collaborate on the needs of the students we share. We share different perspectives – hers the school and mine the effects of caregiving on these students' lives. Together, we look for solutions. 

Working at Lake Worth Middle School is a pleasure with someone as professional, caring, and competent as Ms. Gathers. I look forward to Wednesdays at Lake Worth Middle School. Caregiving Youth Project is so fortunate to have Ms. Gathers at Lake Worth MS. " - Mary Craumer, MSW, AACY Family Specialist

We're here to support you on your caregiving journey. We'll share fun and educational content, inspiring stories from other young caregivers, and reminders that you're not alone. Thank you for all that you do for your family.

This part of the newsletter aims to give you a platform to share your stories and experiences and to raise awareness of the challenges and triumphs of being a caregiver in middle and high school.

You'll hear from Caregiving Youth from all over our CYP programs in Palm Beach County, caring for loved ones with various medical diagnoses and conditions. They will share their insights through writing prompts, creating a space for their voices to be heard.

We hope that you will find these stories inspiring and informative. We also encourage all of you to participate! Keep writing and sharing!

My name is: Judeline

My grade is: 6^th

I care for my: Dad

“He has kidney problems and he needs dialysis three times a week.”

One of the most challenging things….

“When he wakes up in the middle of the night and starts throwing up, I have to help him go to the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. I have to stay with him for a few minutes until he feels better and then help him back to bed. It makes me feel sleepy and in the morning when I have to go to school, sometimes I just fall asleep in class.”

“Caregiving Youth Project helps me because it takes a lot of stress off of me. They take me places so instead of being stuck in the house all day, I go out and have some fun. The most fun thing I did in the Caregiving Youth group is when I went to camp and went swimming.”

Thank you, Judeline. Your voice matters because it shines a light on what young caregivers go through, which is very different from the usual teenage stuff. Opening up shows others they're not alone and gives them the courage to find their own strength. So keep rocking it, Judeline! We need your fire to light the way. You are awesome!

Watch this inspirational film to hear from young carers in Sheffield (in the United Kingdom) about how caring responsibilities affect their education and what they think schools and colleges can do to help. Millions of kids in middle and high school are caregivers around the world.

Join us and spread the word! To participate in our program, Caregiving Youth Project (CYP) participants must reside in Palm Beach County and can be referred through personal outreach, recommendations from school staff, or other organizations. Our support is provided both at school and in the home.

If you are a Caregiving Youth or know someone who is but they don't live in Palm Beach County, please encourage them to email us at [email protected]. We are committed to helping them find resources, no matter where they reside in the United States.