A child shouldn’t be surprised when something beautiful is meant for them.
It’s a hard reality, yet for children who have known disappointment or circumstances beyond their control, generosity can sometimes feel unfamiliar. For one local nonprofit, a recent donation offered more than a practical improvement to one of its residential homes: It offered a tangible reminder that these children are seen, valued and worth showing up for.
EverForward, formerly known as Carlton Manor, has been serving children in the St. Pete community for 45 years. The nonprofit organization operates three therapeutic residential group homes—two for boys and one for girls—as well as community-based mental health and supervised visitation services.
For many of the children who live there, these homes provide a sense of stability and consistency that may have been missing from their lives. So, when the air conditioning went out at one of the homes during the height of the Florida heatwave this summer, restoring that comfort became about more than simply keeping the rooms cool.
“The children who come to our homes are in the foster care system and have often experienced significant trauma, abuse or neglect, instability and disrupted placements,” says Tonya Ruble-Richter, president and CEO. “By the time some of our kids reach us, they have already had multiple homes, schools, caregivers and systems come in and out of their lives.”
For nearly a year, the organization spent thousands on trying to keep the air conditioning operational at the boys’ home. At 20 years old, the unit had aged beyond repair. The motor was shot, the lines had rotted and damage to the ductwork made continual Band-Aids no longer a viable option.
To make matters worse, the A/C needs came during a period when EverForward had already made significant investments in its facilities, spending more than $300,000 to address long-overdue needs like broken flooring, roofing issues and other major repairs. Another unexpected $14,000 expense was simply unaffordable.
“At that point, we needed a right-now answer,” Ruble-Richter recalls.
Making the situation even harder was knowing that an A/C unit had previously been promised to the boys’ home, but had fallen through—leaving them to wait, once again, for someone to come through for them.
That’s when one of the boys decided to reach out to Ruble-Richter directly to ask her if the air conditioning could be fixed so he and the other residents could sleep without sweating.
Ruble-Richter connected with Tamara Galla, president and CEO of PDI Connection and an ambassador for the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, who also serves on the EverForward board, and from there a community effort began to take shape.
“One of this young man’s treatment goals was learning how to appropriately advocate for himself, so, in one sense, I was incredibly proud that he wrote me the letter,” Ruble-Richter explained. “He was doing exactly what we had been encouraging him to do—use his voice.”
Something Greater
When Anna Kendall of E&E Gliddon Home Services opened her email one morning, she spotted a message from Galla. Combing through the chamber directory, Galla had been looking for someone who might be willing to step in to help EverForward.
“The moment I read her email, I picked up the phone and called her,” Kendall recalls. “My first question was simply, ‘How can we help?’”
Kendall, who owns E&E with her husband, Ergys Hisa, recalls that they knew they had to act, even if it meant installing the unit themselves.
“What affected us most was knowing that these boys had already been without air conditioning for nearly a month,” she says. “These are kids who have already faced difficult circumstances in their lives and home should be the place where they can feel safe and comfortable. The thought of them trying to sleep night after night in the Florida heat was heartbreaking.”
Within 24 hours of being contacted, E&E Gliddon technicians were at the group home and within 48 hours a brand-new A/C system was keeping its residents cool.
“What struck me was that they didn’t see this simply as a broken A/C unit,” Ruble-Richter noted of the business owners. “They understood there were children on the other side of the problem. They saw the urgency and acted accordingly. That’s the power of community connection. One person hears about a need and says, ‘We have to do something,’ and someone else steps forward and says, ‘We can help.’”
For Kendall and Hisa, it didn’t sit right knowing that the charity’s leaders might have to choose between replacing the air conditioning and providing the boys with something else they needed.
“I think we have a very important role, especially here in Florida,” Kendall said. “Air conditioning can sometimes be looked at as a luxury, but when temperatures are as high as they are here, having a safe and comfortable home is incredibly important—especially for children, seniors and people with health concerns.”
Yet for the couple, the goal was never simply to replace the air conditioner. Kendall returned to the home with items from the boys' wish list, such as art supplies, colognes, cornhole games, snacks, toys and other items. She has also reached out to her network, bringing more people into the effort and expanding the circle of support.
“More than anything, I wanted those boys to know that they aren't alone in this world,” she reflected. “There are people out there who genuinely care about them, who want to see them happy and successful, and who are willing to show up for them without expecting anything in return.”
Visit ever-forward.org and eegliddon.com to learn more.
