HANDY: Help Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth

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HANDY, Inc. is an award winning non profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1985 to meet the fundamental needs of Broward County's foster care children and those who have been placed in the care of non-relative and relative caregivers under protective supervision.

We provide direct services to children ages birth to 23 years who have been removed from their homes due to domestic violence, substance abuse, physical and/or sexual abuse, and abandonment. We serve older youth who are aging out of the foster/relative care system. We serve youth who may be homeless or on the verge of homelessness. We do not discriminate – we help the children who need help.

In Fiscal Year 2008-2009 HANDY provided free services to a total of 1,932 children touching their lives 16,500 times.

HANDY’s programs provide children with safety and well being, education, social and recreational activities, and advocates to give these children a voice.

All programs are provided free of charge to children/youth thanks to the support of philanthropists, corporations, foundations and grantors.

HANDY, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale will be named the National Sun Life Rising Star in the non-profit category during the First Annual Sun Life Rising Star Award National Summit at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL on February 25th & 26th. By winning the award, HANDY will be presented with a $50,000 grant.

HANDY, Inc., which stands for Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth, is an award-winning nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to meet the fundamental needs of Broward County’s foster care children.

HANDY was selected as a National Rising Star for the success of its programs, which provide children with:

·         Life Skills
·         Tutoring
·         Mentoring
·         Scholarships
·         Emergency food/rent/clothing assistance

HANDY ascribes to a philosophy rooted in one-on-one attention and personal investment in each individual, the results of which are remarkable: 98% of students who participate graduate from high school, and 100% of HANDY’s high school graduates enroll in college. 

In one success story, LaGary Roberson of Ft. Lauderdale was able to get a $5,000 scholarship through HANDY so he can attend Broward College, with hopes of transferring to Florida Atlantic University to study for his Bachelor's degree in sports medicine.

LaGary has been an active participant in HANDY’s LIFE program since 2006. He has transformed from a youth whose life was filled with violence and anger, to a young man whom others look to as a role model and mentor. Previous to his work with HANDY, he did not believe that high school and higher education were in his future. He has participated in the onsite virtual high school from 2007-2009 to complete his GED, attended all LIFE skills classes, attended tutoring three days a week, and has been a member of the HANDY LIFE Program Youth Advocacy Board. 

He has become a spokesperson to share his life struggles to youths like him. He also became an avid boxer through the LIFE boxing program as a way to channel his anger constructively. His passion for boxing led him to pursue a career to better understand the human body and athletic performance. He hopes to have his own facility where he can offer sports and conditioning to inner city youth so they can receive the same opportunities that were offered to him through the HANDY.

HANDY had previously won a $50,000 grant back in the fall as part of the Rising Stars regional competition.

They will be presented with the latest check at the national summit, which brings together student and nonprofit winners from the other six markets the Rising Stars program operates in, as well as educators and national education experts to discuss how to help at-risk students achieve post-secondary education amid rising national drop-out rates.

Local Celebs Venus Williams and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess will also be guest speakers at the event.