June 6, 2025

We recently said goodbye to Chris, a longtime resident on Winter Island, and we’re so excited for the bright future ahead of him.

Chris is a charismatic, kind-hearted young man who was separated from his family when he was young. He had moved from foster home to foster home before coming to Plummer. On his 15^th birthday during his interview, our staff asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he replied, “Hopefully getting into this place!”

Since his arrival, Chris has expressed how Plummer Youth Promise has played such an important role in his growth. Our team’s goal is that every young person has a family unconditionally committed to nurture, protect, and guide them to successful adulthood. We focus on achieving permanency—a safe, emotionally secure parenting relationship with a lifelong, legal family—for each youth in our care. We also focus on helping youth develop life skills to build the tools they need for success.

Over the years, our social workers have helped him reconnect with many influential people in his life: his mother, his sisters, his former foster parents, a former teacher, and even family across the country. Chris recalls the Plummer staff paying for travel costs, such as gas, to ensure his sisters could visit him on Winter Island.

Our search for Chris’s family connections had even extended to his half siblings. It’s important that youth are given the opportunity to connect with as many relatives as possible and increase their family network for permanency.

“This is the first place I’ve been to that really focused on family,” Chris states. Prior to Plummer Youth Promise, Chris had found it hard to stay connected to his loved ones and felt that family search and engagement were not emphasized as much at other group homes.

Chris also played an integral role on the Facilities Committee and helped to plan our new campus. His input was crucial in helping create our youth-centered design of the new residential building.

Chris had shared that when his sisters visit, there was no space to welcome them. The office-style setting also felt like an unnatural environment to create those precious moments that every family needs. As a result of his input, our new building houses multiple spaces for family visits and provide much-needed privacy within their environment.

“I think the private visiting room…will encourage more visits. There will be a kitchen and a living room so you can cook a meal together or watch a show. It will feel more natural and homier,” Chris explained.

Now 22, Chris is moving on to his next adventure: a farm in New Hampshire. He’s excited to live in a more rural setting and experience a change of pace from the busy Salem crowds and urban environment. What’s more is that he’ll be closer to his family and will see them even more often.

Chris will bring with him all the independent life skills he had learned during his time at Plummer and the long-lasting friendships he’s made with other youth residents over the years. We’re so happy for this incredible young man’s bright future and feel honored to have had the privilege of helping him grow.