Volunteers find working at The Ark 'very rewarding'

Jenny and Alyssa Ramos sort through The Ark storage facility by organizing donations of toys, diapers, cleaning supplies and many other items. The mother and daughter team are parishioners at Holy Family Parish in Corpus Christi and have been volunteering at The Ark, Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth since 2018. 

Jenny spends at least one day a week at the shelter’s warehouse, while Alyssa, her daughter, helps when she comes home from college. Alyssa is an undergraduate of Texas State University and will be attending the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She is studying to become a physical therapist.

“I'm happy doing the background stuff because I know everything I do is for the kids,” Jenny said, adding, “knowing that you’re doing something for somebody who has had less fortunate circumstances.”

Jenny said she heard about The Ark, during her daughter’s high school years, Alyssa was looking to volunteer, and she likes to work with little children. But unfortunately, volunteers have to be 21 years old to work with the babies/children and during the past few years, volunteers cannot be face to face with the children due to the pandemic. Sister Milagros Tormo from the Missionary Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph enlisted their help in the office, the storage building and The Ark Gala.

“It’s very rewarding and Sister Milagros and Delma [Trejo] are very welcoming,” she said.


Jenny and Alyssa Ramos, (with Alyssa's fiancé Dillon Beal) sort through The Ark storage facility by organizing donations of toys, diapers, cleaning supplies and many other items. 

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About The Ark

The Ark, Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth is the only licensed facility within an 80-mile radius that is contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide emergency shelter and assessment services for the children who have been physically or sexually abused or neglected by parents or guardians. The shelter is licensed to care for children from anywhere in Texas. 

The Ark is home to infants and children as young as one day old through 17 years of age. They stay for as little as one day to 90 consecutive days. Many of the children are in the foster care system for the first time, while others already have been in the system. In many cases, infants have been removed from their parents because of drugs found in their fragile bodies at birth. 

The program is needed because these children and youth are taken from being traumatized due to the abuse and neglect, they have endured to being evaluated for placement in an appropriate long-term site where their needs can be met. 

These placements may be in a foster home, residential treatment center, therapeutic treatment center or basic child-care institution. The residents may also return to their immediate family or go live with other relatives. Adoption is also a possibility. 

Sometimes CPS takes the children and youth back to The Ark because their first placement was not successful. We are ready to assist these children and youth who are confused and frightened. The children immediately need to feel that they are safe and loved. The first contact with them is extremely important because the manner in which they are received leaves a lasting impression.

The Ark is needed because the homelike facility provides the security and nurturing these children need to begin the healing process and to continue with their normal daily routines as much as possible. Professionals and highly trained individuals at The Ark provide counseling and interagency coordination, including short-term behavioral interventions.

 

• Nutritious meals and snacks for up to 90 consecutive days.
• Evaluations and assessments by medical doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists and counselors.
• Development and coordination of the Child's Service Plan, which addresses the basic and specific needs to be met for each resident.
• Clothing, personal hygiene products and haircuts.
• Transportation to and from schools, as well as cultural, recreational and educational events.
• Encouragement for students to participate in extracurricular school activities, assistance with homework, school supplies and backpacks.
• Comprehensive childcare with everything needed for each resident's well-being.
• A transition to a more permanent placement.

 
The Ark is committed to demonstrating to these innocent victims that even though they have been mistreated by their parents or guardians, there are people in this Coastal Bend community who are ready to treat them with dignity, love and respect.



 
The Ark Needs Your Help

You can send your tax-deductible donation to:

THE ARK
12960 Leopard St.
Corpus Christi, Texas 78410
Phone: (361) 241-6566
Fax: (361) 241-5279