The video presents a series of heartfelt testimonies from former youth residents and a volunteer of The Relatives, a nonprofit that offers safe shelter, emotional counseling, and a resource center called OnRamp. Speaker A recounts a childhood marked by parental incarceration, abuse, and early independence, and describes how OnRamp helped her build a resume, secure jobs, and continue receiving support into adulthood. Speaker B explains how The Relatives provided a mother‑figure mentor and emotional stability while she pursued behavioral health services, ultimately leading her to finish her studies at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) and aim for a medical career. Speaker C shares a story of fleeing a teenage pregnancy, finding immediate safety at The Relatives, and later becoming an advocate who donates clothing and food. Speaker D, a volunteer, describes weekly visits to OnRamp to provide hot meals, mentorship, and encouragement, emphasizing the transformative impact on the youth. Across all voices, the narrative underscores the organization’s role in delivering safety, practical life‑skill resources, and a caring community that changes lives.
Chapters
I first left my home when I was 9. Dad was in and out of jail. I really didn't have, you know, the support from parents like other kids had. Like, I'm 9 years old, you know, waking myself up for school, going to school by myself. I'm getting off the bus by myself, making sure I eat, if I did eat that night. From 9 years old, I moved with my aunt, which was another bad situation. I was mistreated there, abused mentally, physically. It felt like prison. That's how bad it was. And I would just sit in a room and just cry and ask God, why am I going through this?
My mom, she put us at the relatives and she was staying like in different shelters. I was at The Relatives 3 years prior, and I was going through a lot. I went to behavioral health, and I came to The Relatives just basically to take a break from home. Miss Audrey, she's, she's like a mother figure, like, like my mom when she's not here. Make sure that I'm okay, and not only like in school, but like emotionally too, like somebody to talk to.
I was 17. And I was pregnant. I knew that my mom and dad were gonna freak out. So I ran away. There were flyers in our high school on the bulletin board about the relatives, if you needed a safe place to go. I remember walking up on the steps and it was— it had been raining all that morning and it was just depressing. And I knew that my mom would wake up and find my note that I had left. And immediately when I walked in the front door of this house 42 years ago, I knew I was gonna be okay.
I really didn't have any answers. That's when I first came to the Relatives. Well, they have a resource center called OnRamp. So around that time I'm like 15. So like I was getting older and I'm Like, oh, I need a job. So, at Resource Center, where you can get help with jobs, housing, and things of that nature, so I would go there, like, you know, after school, like, every day and try to get involved with them. So they helped me with, like, my first ever resume, me applying to jobs, me getting ready for interviews, like, the wrongs and right things to do. So they still help me to this day.
I come to OnRamp once a week, and I bring lunch and just basically hang out with the kids. They are all excited to eat when I get here. This is probably their only hot meal during the week, and so I always try to bring something hot and healthy because I feel like they're my kids. Just walking in the door and seeing their faces, feeling the love from them, seeing their tenacity, their hope, their humor, Their love of life and just knowing that OnRamp is going to help them have a better future.
I'm finishing up my last year at CPCC right now. I want to be a doctor because they make good money. Yeah. And I like helping people. I'm good at math. I'm really good at math. I'm good at noticing my problems and fixing them.
I tell people about this place all the time. I have friends that donate clothes here now and canned foods, and I just can't say enough about this place. There's a piece of my heart and life in this house. And I just want to thank them.
