Director's Corner

Dear Friends of Jesse’s House,

I am honored to have been appointed as the new Executive Director at Jesse’s House. I joined the Jesse’s House team in 2007 as the Assistant Director, where I was primarily responsible for overseeing clinical and residential services. Having worked with “at-risk” and troubled youth for more than seven years, my tenure at Jesse’s House has been the most rewarding and meaningful of my career. I am continuously inspired and motivated by “Jesse’s girls.” Female adolescence in general is so often a difficult time. Girls are developing physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually all at once. For Jesse’s girls, this time period is even more challenging because the majority of our girls are also struggling to overcome histories of abuse and neglect, while at the same time undergoing “normal” adolescent development. Jesse’s House strives to provide a nurturing, safe, and structured environment where our girls can begin to not only heal from the traumatic events from their past, but also learn to look ahead to a new and positive future. One of our main goals is to give our residents the tools they need to be successful when they leave our shelter.

Jesse’s House is currently undergoing many exciting changes, one of which is a new program designed to teach our residents how to make healthy lifestyle choices. This month, we are launching our Fit: In and Out program, which promotes nutritional education and physical fitness. Our innovative program is designed to combat the increasing trend of juvenile obesity and juvenile diabetes. We are delighted to have been awarded a grant, which is enabling us to purchase more organic fruits, vegetables, and lean meats to offer our residents the highest possible quality foods. In addition, we have a registered dietician on-site monthly to conduct nutrition awareness and healthy cooking classes for the girls. Furthermore, Jesse’s House has recently partnered with Life Time Fitness in Johns Creek who have generously offered the use of their facility for our residents to exercise and participate in fitness classes. We hope that by participating in the Jesse’s House Fit: In and Out program, Jesse’s girls will learn valuable life skills and lessons that they can continue to apply as they continue on their life’s journey.

In addition to creating new programs at Jesse’s House, our future goals include plans to implement much needed community services designed to reach girls in the Forsyth county community. I am confident that by working together, the Jesse’s House staff and Board of Directors will continue to make a positive difference in the lives of many adolescent girls- both within and outside of the shelter. To our many supporters, partners, and volunteers: thank you for your continued support of Jesse’s House and your impact on the lives of the girls we serve. I look forward to working with you all in the future.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Rust, Executive Director 
lindsayrust@jesseshouse.org