Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2023 indicating an increase in teenage suicides captured national attention and left many in disbelief.
But Victor Sellier saw the crisis coming years ago and devoted himself to helping teenagers heal from mental health problems through a relationship between Catholics and Youth For Tomorrow. YFT is an evangelical Christian organization founded in 1986 by legendary NFL football coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.
“It’s heartbreaking but not surprising to find us in that crisis absolutely resulting from the deterioration of the family structure in our society,” said Sellier, a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Great Falls, and a member of the YFT board of trustees since 2012. “Youth For Tomorrow is extremely receptive to have another institution like the Catholic Church work closely with them without compromising on their principles or asking the Catholics to compromise on their principles to accomplish a common good.”
The crisis came into full view last summer when the CDC reported a festering mental health emergency. The suicide rate for boys and girls aged 10-14 declined from 2001 through 2007, then tripled from 2007 through 2018. Statistics in the 15-19 age range did not change significantly from 2001 through 2009, then increased 57 percent from 2009 through 2017, and an analysis of CDC data by the National Institute of Mental Health demonstrated that suicides increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children in foster care are four times more likely to have considered suicide.
“The trauma is layer upon layer. Kids were confused 20 years ago, now they’re more confused,” said Terry Tinsley, YFT vice president for residential program services. “We have kids who are just wandering aimlessly through life and just do not know who they are.”
The proliferation of sex trafficking and a major discrepancy in the availability of treatment facilities for girls prompted YFT to expand its mental health services to admit girls who now comprise nearly half of the resident population at its sprawling campus in Bristow. The 13 group homes are structured to replicate a family environment, where each child has his or her own bed and is staffed by round-the-clock Christian counselors. For many children, their group home is the first home where they’ve lived without the threat of violence or had to sleep on the floor. Sadly, most of the children who arrive at YFT have been through numerous foster families.
“Some of the kids were simply too emotionally distraught to be in foster care. It really stepped up our efforts to expand our services and to expand into foster care itself,” said Gary Jones, YFT CEO. “We have teenagers that will say, ‘This was the first time at Christmas I received a gift.’ Every year some boy or girl will tell us that, sometimes two or three — because there’s been no family unit in their lives before.”
Sellier recently facilitated a meeting in Bristow between Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and YFT leaders. “I’ve always been evangelical in my Catholic faith and I believe there’s more common ground than there is disparity,” said Sellier. “This is a non-sectarian Christian organization and I saw this as an opportunity to participate with evangelical Christians and through my participation expose to them the beauties of our Catholic faith as well.”
“Parishioners often ask what I think about participating in non-Catholic ministries that otherwise align with our faith,” Bishop Burbidge said. “I encourage them to serve God’s children in accord with our beliefs and however Our Lord is calling them! Vic and others at Youth For Tomorrow are powerful examples of Christlike service of highly vulnerable people. The mercy of Christ can, and should, extend far beyond what any diocese is able to provide on its own. This is one way we evangelize in the modern world. The witness of Christians in service of others, in every corner of society, is needed now more than ever.”
Sellier, who serves on the Diocesan Finance Council, the office that supports the diocese’s pastoral stewardship of all resources, said Bishop Burbidge’s visit came after a discussion the two had about assisting those in the diocese with mental health needs, especially children.
“We were thrilled that he came here,” said Jones. “We’re open to interfacing with Catholic Charities. We will do anything to serve children. We believe every child who comes here is directed by God to come here. He brought them to our doorstep.”
Jones gives credit to Catholic Charities for not compromising on its Christian values in its required interactions with state and federal authorities. “A lot of people were caving in and we took a stand,” said Jones. “We didn’t want to have anything to do with abortion. And Catholic Charities took a hard stand, and that was a good partner for us.”
The foster care system is broken, according to Meaghan Lane, Catholic Charities director of pregnancy and adoption support in the diocese. Faith-based families willing to foster are desperately needed. Nationally, 400,000 children are in foster care and 117,000 are waiting to be adopted.
“These kids have experienced so much loss and trauma and we know that children are not going to be able to have the space to heal from that until they have a safe and stable and permanent home and living environment,” said Lane, who assists families seeking to adopt from foster care.
“We offer 24-7 on-call support and we collaborate with stellar service providers like Youth for Tomorrow because we trust in their community-based counselors,” she said.
Virginia ranks second to last in the nation in the number of children aged 10 and older who are still waiting in the foster care system. It’s a call to action for all followers of Christ, according to Jones. “Until we can start stabilizing the family unit we’re going to have continual upheaval in our communities and it’s going to take the churches having a leadership role,” he said. “They must step up and unequivocally commit themselves to helping these children who have been traumatized.”
For Catholics in the diocese, already known for having strong families, support for those interested in fostering or adopting from foster care is available. In March 2023, Rick and Margaret (whose last name was withheld to protect confidentiality) wrote an open letter to parents considering adopting a foster child.
“For those called to adopt, it is a rich blessing,” they said in the letter. “God adopted us and it has given us a deep understanding of how loved we are by God.” Rick and Margaret strongly advise prospective parents to do their research and work with reputable organizations. “We were grateful to have had so much support from Catholic Charities and from a policy expert to whom Catholic Charities referred us. Now we feel equipped to be the best parents we can be. It was all worth it. He is so worth it.”
Sellier envisions a “base of extended families that have a common belief of the importance of family structure, the importance of a faith-driven family structure, a Christ-driven family structure,” he said. “And I just think that’s an unbelievable opportunity for us to accomplish something significant here by doing this.”
To learn more
For families interested in adopting a child from foster care contact Catholic Charities adoption support team at [email protected], visit the Waiting Child website at https://bit.ly/3SG4A8j, or contact Jermaine Johnson, Youth For Tomorrow Vice President of Community Based Services, at [email protected].
