RICHMOND, VA — “I’m happier, smarter, and have better understanding and confidence of who I am and what I’m capable of achieving.”
That’s the heartfelt response one teenager provided when asked how they’d been impacted by the Child & Family Healing Center (CFHC), Shineforth’s residential service in Richmond. Approximately 50 youth ages 11-17 reside at CFHC at any given moment. Treatment times vary for each youth, and the average stay is about 9.5 months. CFHC served 80 young people in fiscal year 2024-25.
“This place — the people who work here, along with my hard work — helped me rediscover my light,” the teenager added.
Can you imagine being a teenager and feeling like you’ve lost your inner light? It’s the reality for many young people who have experienced trauma and other adverse experiences, and that’s exactly who CFHC serves.
“We know that sometimes children and teens lose their inner light and through no fault of their own,” said Shineforth President & CEO Nancy Toscano, Ph.D., LCSW. “That light has been taken from them. The goal of Shineforth and CFHC is to help them get it back.”
And many of them do get it back. In fact, four times a year, the Child & Family Healing Center hosts a commencement ceremony to celebrate the young people who have worked courageously to complete their treatment and reignite their inner light.
Commencement is a time to celebrate. Shineforth staff prepare a meal, families and loved ones of CFHC residents congregate, and residents and treatment teams share a lot of laughs and shed a few tears. It’s an emotional event, to be sure, but one that signals brighter days ahead for young people and families who have experienced significant challenges.
Just days before returning home to her foster family, one young lady summarized the outcomes of her time at CFHC and the significance of commencement with stunning eloquence and brevity.
“I’m finally able to be a participant in my own life,” she said.
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