A Youthful Holiday | Susan Talbot Youth Home

By LORI GRANNIS of the Missoulian
Photos by LINDA THOMPSON of the Missoulian

Geoff Birnbaum,
Executive Director
Youth Homes
2105 42nd St
Open only on Sunday, December 7 from 12 pm - 4 pm

When Holiday Home Tour ticket-holders arrive Dec. 7 at the Susan Talbot Boys and Girls Home, nestled in the back of a sleepy little cul-de-sac in Missoula’s South Hills, they’ll be arriving on the heels of a very rowdy annual holiday party.
“The night before, we’ll have our annual Christmas party for 180 of our kids,” said executive director Geoff Birnbaum. The party, held each year at the fairgrounds, features karaoke jams, ice cream, cookies, crafts, and ‘en masse’ decorating of multiple Christmas trees.
“Plum Creek donates and delivers several trees each year, and the kids decorate them at the party,” he said.
Once dolled up with ornaments, residents of each home choose the tree they want, and take it to the group home in which they are living. It’s one of the first things tourgoers will see when they walk through the home’s door.
The 10-bedroom home, built in 1993 by Edgell Homes, is a six-bed base for both boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 17 who may be facing challenging emotional issues, legal troubles, or family conflict.
Many who arrive at the group home do so through child protective services or youth courts, Birnbaum said.
“Our kids may be here, but they have a desire to be normal,” he said.
Integrating to become a part of a home – then a neighborhood, and finally a community – is how kids learn to “belong to something increasingly bigger,” said Birnbaum.
Agreeing to a tour of their home and bedrooms, as part of this year’s holiday tour, helps residents feel a part of the community, he said.
“I think they like the fact that people are interested in their story,” Birnbaum said.
Staff and residents plan to put a lot of time into decorating their home for the holidays, including laying out festive items, adding more decorations to the living room Christmas tree, and baking seasonal treats for visitors.
“Allowing the public inside means a connection to community that promotes understanding and acceptance of the work we do,” he said. “They need to know what we do in order to support us, but also so that they can see that these are not just ‘our’ kids, they are ‘everyone’s’ kids.”
Fifty-percent of proceeds earned from home tour ticket sales will be donated to Youth Homes to be spent on Christmas gifts for 180 children in 11 homes – nine in Missoula, one in Hamilton and one in Kalispell.
Birnbaum said gifts run the gamut from clothing to toys, and are a mixture of wish list items individual children request.
“We try to have a few gifts for each kid, and have it be things they really want,” he said. “Christmas is a time to be frivolous, not pragmatic.”

Reporter Lori Grannis may be reached at 523-5251 or lori.grannis@lee.net.