"Our goal is to have this organization serve as a parachute for kids who fall through the cracks."
- Doris J. Harris, Executive Director

LEH: Values & Beliefs

Young people in Philadelphia deserve to grow up in safe communities where they have access to information that will assist them in becoming healthy and strong adults. Below are our organization 's adopted key beliefs that guide the creation and development of programs and services for youth and young adults.

1. We believe children should be performing at or above their grade level and our organization has a responsibility to complement the education they are receiving daily from public and private school curriculums.

2. We believe children have the capacity to succeed once they have the tools to assist them. Our organization is committed to being aggressive in working with youth and young adult organizations to identify the tools needed for our young people to be successful as children and young adults.

3. We believe community based organizations serve a vital role in being a part of the "village" it takes to raise a child; nobody should be alone in raising a child. Our organization is committed to working with parents, guardians and caregivers to make a child's youth and young adult experience wholesome.

4. We believe our organization must collaborate with other young and young adult serving organizations to identify strategies that will equip them to be functional daily.

5. We believe children should have safe communities to live in and we will partner with agencies that will assist in making sure our communities are safe.

These values and beliefs guide the board of directors, volunteers and staff to provide the best programs and services for our youth.