About Mary’s House
The beginning
Mary’s Home was opened in January of 2012 through the non-profit organization, Giving It Back To Kids. Jen Flynn, a long time supporter and partner of Giving it Back to Kids, had a dream about opening a home for kids in Da Nang, Vietnam after living there from 2008-2010. Jen named the home after her grandmother who inspired her to travel, learn, and experience life to the fullest. Within a few months, along with many friends in the United States and around the globe, Jen and her wife, Lauren, raised the funding to open and operate Mary’s Home for the first year!
Living at Mary’s Home
Mary’s Home provides girls needing foster care the opportunity to live in a safe, loving home environment, far from the poor conditions of their former situations. They have consistent nutrition, education, and health care. They attend local schools and have access to extracurricular education such as piano lessons, English lessons, and dance. Two live-in housemothers care for the girls, prepare meals, and oversee any needs of the home. A Giving it Back to Kids staff person is the general manager and attends to purchasing for the home, repairs and maintenance, and preparing the annual budget.
Programs with girls
Living in this home are 16 girls ranging in age from 4- 17 years of age. The girls come to Mary’s Home through referrals by the local government. The staff at Giving it Back to Kids conducts the intake interviews. Many children are orphaned, some have a single parent or relative who has taken them in, but all are impoverished. At this point, their hope for a future beyond poverty is relatively non-existent.
Giving it Back to Kids and our partners are working diligently to improve and develop programs promoting the emotional health of the children in our homes.
Promoting higher education
Once 18 years old, the girls from Mary’s Home have the opportunity to live at a university home, The Lighthouse. Conversations with the girls are started at a young age to help them explore areas of interest that may facilitate university studies or vocational programs once done with secondary school. We are committed to our girls having the future that they choose and work hard towards achieving.
Contact us
Jen Flynn & Lauren Robertson
3428 Juniper Street
San Diego, CA 92104
jenandlaurensd@gmail.com
Mary’s House is an entity of Giving It Back to Kids, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with tax ID #43-1955650. All donations made are tax-deductible based on state and federal guidelines.
Mary's House 