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Noland Hamerly Supports Harmony At Home

Noland Hamerly supports Harmony At Home monthly with in-house fundraisers.

The Mission of Harmony at Home is “To end the cycles of violence and abuse by empowering children and young adults with knowledge, skills and confidence to lead healthy and productive lives.”

Harmony At Home was started about 20 years ago. It is a small, entirely local charity and most of its work is done in Salinas and South County.  Noland Hamerly Attorney, Leslie Finnegan, is serving her second year of on its Board of Directors. 

Harmony At Home offers the following programs:

Sticks and Stones – Harmony At Home provides 1-3 days per week of professional one-on-one and group counseling in schools, specifically for children who have been traumatized by neglect, abuse or witnessing gang violence.  The kids are identified by their teachers and referred to HAH.  Sticks and Stones is in 42 schools, mostly in Salinas and South County but moving now into Peninsula schools as well.  There is a lot of research showing that kids who have suffered trauma are often unable to focus and learn in school (and they have a lot of other issues).  The program has helped a lot of kids and has been a huge success.  The counseling is free for the children.  The schools pay for part of it and the rest is financed by HAH.

Bullying Prevention – HAH sponsors the “Olveas” bullying prevention program in schools throughout the County.  This program is well-known throughout the US, and requires involvement by the entire school community (students, teachers, administrators and parents).

Teen Success, Inc. – This is a program for teen moms, which involves group counseling, parenting classes and educational support, with a focus on avoiding a second early pregnancy, finishing high school and going on to college.

Teen Therapeutic Camps – Every year HAH counselors take groups of traumatized teens on week-long therapeutic wilderness camps (boys and girls).

Children First – This is a parenting education/support program for couples going through high-conflict divorces and is offered through the Monterey County Superior Court.   Parents complete two classes that focus exclusively on how to minimize the negative impact of divorce on their children.  Sometimes they go voluntarily and sometimes they are referred by Family Court Services. 

Harmony At Home impacts thousands of disadvantaged kids every year.  When HAH started, it was the only organization that provided free counseling.  HAH now works alongside other great organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, and it is also a training organization for new therapists and MSW candidates.

For more information on Harmony At Home programs, visit http://harmony-at-home.org/


© 2017 Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss