Like many high school seniors in 1974, Michael Gammino was feeling the pressure of attending a very competitive college-prep high school and weighing his options for post-secondary education. Unfortunately, too much of the pressure he faced his senior year came from conflict within his home. Michael’s parents did not support his desire to attend college. […]
Story
“I know, first hand, that organizations like Huckleberry make a difference for kids.” – Wayne’s Story
During the Summer of Love, Wayne LaRue Smith was twelve and living in a chaotic and violent home in Reno. His bipolar and schizophrenic mother was an alcoholic, and he recalls a home where the police were regularly called and his mother was carted off in a straitjacket more than once. While watching TV one […]
A Vision of what a Normal, Peaceful and Stable Environment Could Be
Approximately a decade after Huckleberry House opened its doors, Johanna began running away from home to escape an abusive home environment. “I was separated from my mother when I was two and a half and raised by my abusive father. I started running away when I was about seven or eight and I found living […]
“Young People Need a Place where They Feel Safe and Huckleberry Is that Place”
We recently reconnected with Michelle, who stayed at Huckleberry House over thirty years ago when she was just 13 years old. Now a mother of three, she found security and stability at Huckleberry House when she needed it most. “My memories of Huckleberry are nothing but positive. The staff was the best and it was […]
“I Want to Help Break the Cycle of Violence and Abuse”
In 2010, former Huckleberry Executive Director Bruce Fisher and Vicky Valentine, Director of Huckleberry Wellness Academy-San Francisco, gave a presentation about Huckleberry at an event at the Forest Hill Country Club for The Links, a community service organization comprised of African American professional women. During the presentation, someone in the kitchen at the Country Club […]
I Have Somehow Been Able to Make a Life for Myself…
For decades, Huckleberry has had the honor and privilege of serving Bay Area youth and families. One of our former clients, Linelle, shares her story: “I lived at Huckleberry House for six weeks with my younger brother back in 1978. It was a hard time in my life as we left our home where the […]
