2025 Annual Impact Report
Outcomes & highlights from our 75th year of care
Understanding the Need
8,750
In Kentucky alone, there are approximately 8,750 children in foster care placements.
23.3%
23.3% of these children have experienced at least one adverse event – higher than the national average of 17.5%.
4,000
Kentucky is experiencing a severe shortage of foster homes, as there are fewer than 4,600 available, creating a gap of over 4,000.
Supporting Kentucky Youth
and Families for 75 Years
Boys & Girls Haven is a private non-profit agency supporting youth and families in Kentucky through a multifaceted and comprehensive continuum of care. We are trauma-informed caretakers who provided five core services in 2025 – Residential Foster Care, Independent Living/Supervised Independent Living, Independence Readiness, Haven Family Counseling, and Animal-Assisted Healing. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services to shelter, heal, and empower youth while offering critical support to individuals and families. Our vision is to be a definitive leader and innovator in social services, and to strengthen and support children, young adults and families.
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In 2025, we proudly celebrated Boys & Girls Haven’s 75th anniversary of care. The world has changed significantly since our founder, Father James Maloney, welcomed our first residents in 1950, and so have the needs of the youth and families we serve. While our community has evolved over the last seven decades, our mission has remained the same.
Boys & Girls Haven is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and is a member of the Foster Family Treatment Association (FFTA), Children’s Alliance of Kentucky, Alliance for Children and Families, and Greater Louisville, Inc.
Supporting Kentucky Youth and Families for 75 Years
Boys & Girls Haven is a private non-profit agency supporting youth and families in Kentucky through a multifaceted and comprehensive continuum of care. We are trauma-informed caretakers who provided five core services in 2025 – Residential Foster Care, Transitional Living Programs, Independence Readiness, Haven Family Counseling, and Animal-Assisted Healing. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services to shelter, heal, and empower youth while offering critical support to individuals and families. Our vision is to be a definitive leader and innovator in social services, and to strengthen and support children, young adults and families.
Read More
In 2025, we proudly celebrated Boys & Girls Haven’s 75th anniversary of care. The world has changed significantly since our founder, Father James Maloney, welcomed our first residents in 1950, and so have the needs of the youth and families we serve. While our community has evolved over the last seven decades, our mission has remained the same.
Boys & Girls Haven is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and is a member of the Foster Family Treatment Association (FFTA), Children’s Alliance of Kentucky, Alliance for Children and Families, and Greater Louisville, Inc.
“When I came to Boys & Girls Haven, I didn’t just find a place to stay. I found a home and people who cared about me like family.”
LARRY MATTINGLY, ALUM OF BOYS & GIRLS HAVEN 1955-1959
Our community has evolved over the last seven decades, but our mission has remained the same.
A Home
Healing
A Future
A Letter From Our CEO
Dear Friends,
As we celebrate 75 years of caring for children and families, I find myself reflecting on the journey that brought me to Boys & Girls Haven. I joined the organization in 2007 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing in-home therapeutic services to children and families. Through every role I have held, and now as CEO since October 2019, my purpose has remained the same: helping young people heal, strengthening families, and ensuring every child knows someone believes in them.
This year has been filled with milestones that reflect that mission in action. We celebrated giving days, a successful Gravy Cup, and our Legacy Celebration honoring 75 Years of Care. We expanded our Animal-Assisted Healing Program with the completion of the Hope & Haven Arena viewing room and invested in our staff through Haven Leadership University and Trauma Resilient Communities training.
I draw daily inspiration from my family, whose encouragement keeps me grounded, and from our remarkable team of smart, creative, mission-driven professionals who make this work possible.
BGH founder Father James Maloney saw a need and chose to act. Seventy-five years later, that same spirit continues to guide us. Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us build the next 75 years of hope, healing, and opportunity for children and families.
With Gratitude,
Amanda Masterson
CEO, Boys & Girls Haven
5
Programs
489
Children & Families Served
49
KY Counties Served
17,126
Nights in Care*
*Nights in care measures the number of nights children have a safe place to stay while receiving treatment through one of our programs. In 2025, we provided 17,126 nights of care, equivalent to nearly 47 years of continuous care.
Program Demographics
Demographic data includes Residential Foster Care and Independent Living/Supervised Independent Living Programs.
Race
Gender
Age
“This place taught me how to function as an adult.”
JAMES JONES, ALUM OF BOYS & GIRLS HAVEN 2007
Program Impact
Highlights from our 5 core programs.
Residential Foster Care
Boys & Girls Haven Residential Foster Care is a Qualified Residential Treatment Program that serves foster youth ages 11–17. As a Qualified Residential Treatment Program, we meet the highest standards regarding care and treatment for our most vulnerable foster youth. We offer an array of therapeutic interventions and services. Knowing trauma affects the whole person developmentally, socially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, we provide opportunities for healing beyond the traditional “one-treatment fits all” mold.
83 Children Served in 2025
8,871 nights in care, or 212,904 hours of safety, stability, and support
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact a youth’s health and well-being. A higher ACE score indicates significant exposure to long-term risks for chronic health and behavioral conditions.
CDC data suggests that fewer than 20% of high school students report 4 or more ACEs. In stark contrast, 76% of BGH Residential youth reported 4 or more ACEs, and 57% reported 6 or more.
Despite these challenges, 71% of program youth made some or significant progress at time of discharge.
Independent Living and Supervised Independent Living
An estimated 20 percent of young adults who are in care become homeless the moment they’re emancipated at the age of 18. Boys & Girls Haven’s Independent Living and Supervised Independent Living programs provide a safety net and strong emotional support system for young people who are transitioning out of foster care into self-sufficiency. BGH collaborates with young adults to design plans around their education, housing, and employment needs. We provide multiple rent-free housing options, offer assistance with transportation, and deliver skills-training classes that include money management, job searching, proper nutrition, volunteering, and more.
49 Young Adults Served in 2025
8,255 nights in care, or 198,120 hours of healing, learning, and building independence
83% of clients made treatment progress at time of discharge.
Animal-Assisted Healing
Animal-Assisted Healing includes activities to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in children who have experienced trauma. This program is a safe space for our children to learn to build trusting relationships again. It serves as a bridge, enabling youth to apply the principles they learn from working with animals to reestablishing trust in humans.
Completion of the Viewing Room
Construction on a viewing room for the Hope & Haven Arena began in fall of 2024 and was completed in July of 2025. With the addition of the viewing room, we’re now able to offer year-round services. These services give more people—families, youth, and community members—the opportunity to witness and experience the healing power of equine and animal-assisted therapy.
Independence Readiness
Our Independence Readiness (IR) services are specially designed for disconnected young people in community settings, equipping them with the tools, resources, and individualized support needed so they can meet adulthood with confidence, purpose, and determination. Through a combination of life skills, mentoring, and career readiness training, IR gives young adults in Louisville their very best chance.
45 Young People Served in 2025
Haven Family Counseling
Haven Family Counseling is an outpatient program of Boys & Girls Haven. We specialize in addressing the behavioral and emotional needs of children, adolescents, adults, and families. Our team of professionals is committed to providing compassionate, effective interventions that help clients achieve their goals.
303 Clients Served in 2025
“Some favorite memories I have are the times I spent bonding with all the animals & staff.”
ANONYMOUS ALUM OF BOYS & GIRLS HAVEN
ANIMAL-ASSISTED HEALING PROGRAM
2025 Financial Overview
You can find complete audited financials on our Form 990, publicly available here.
$2,393,626
Contributions, Grants, & Event Revenue
1,114
Generous Donors
$99,941
In-Kind Gifts
2025 Operating Revenue
$7,402,105
2025 Operating Expenses
$7,050,408
“I came into care as a teenager carrying a lot of unaddressed trauma and uncertainty about my future. BGH played a huge role in my growth. The staff consistently showed me patience, care, and understanding.”
WILL, ALUM OF BOYS & GIRLS HAVEN
RESIDENTIAL & INDEPENDENT LIVING/SUPERVISED
INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAMS
2025 Events
Throughout 2025, Boys & Girls Haven brought our community together through a series of meaningful events. From impactful giving days such as Give for Good, KY Gives Day, and Giving Tuesday to joyful holiday festivities on our campus, each occasion provided opportunities for supporters to engage with our mission and uplift the youth and families we serve. Our two signature fundraisers—the Gravy Cup and the Legacy Celebration—stood out as cornerstone moments of the year, generating vital resources while honoring the compassion and commitment of our community.
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The 12th Gravy Cup
On March 1st, 2025, the Mellwood Art Center hosted the 12th Annual Gravy Cup, the world’s largest biscuits and gravy competition. More than 30 local professional chefs and home cooks showcased their best gravy recipes for a panel of professional and celebrity judges. Attendees also voted for their favorite recipe and the winner was awarded the People’s Choice Award.
- $52,885 Raised
- 850+ Attendees
- 26 Sponsors
2025 Champions
- Traditional – Monnik Beer Co.
- Non-Traditional – 1816 Modern Kitchen
- Vegetarian/Vegan – Bitchin’ Biscuits
- People’s Choice – Louisville Bourbon Inn
GET TICKETS: THE GRAVY CUP 2027
The 2025 Legacy Celebration
The 2025 Legacy Celebration, Boys & Girls Haven’s largest annual fundraiser, took place on Friday, November 7, 2025, at The Olmsted in Louisville, bringing together community members for an inspiring evening in support of local youth and families. The event held special significance as the organization celebrated 75 years of sheltering, healing, and empowering Kentucky children and families. Guests enjoyed cocktails, a seated dinner, a lively auction led by Kevin Harned, and live music from Carly Johnson. The evening honored Peg and Steve Diebold and Lisa Brendel Ewen with the Nicholas X. Simon Altruism Award for their extraordinary generosity and lasting impact. Special guest speaker Nick Marshall shared his powerful journey from foster care to becoming an education advocate, while emcees Alex Durham and Kirby Adams guided the program with warmth and enthusiasm. Proceeds from the event directly supported Boys & Girls Haven’s mission to provide safe, stable housing and comprehensive services for at-risk youth and families.
- $287,225 Raised
- 238 Attendees
- 16 Sponsors
TICKETS & TABLES: The 2026 Legacy Celebration | Friday, October 23, 2026 | 5:30pm | The Olmsted
“Supporting this event means supporting foster children and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of that.”
EMILY, LEGACY CELEBRATION ATTENDEE 2025
Volunteer Service
Thank you to our tribe!
414
Volunteers
1,499
Service Hours
“I love getting to see them perform things that they’re really proud of and show who they are.”
KARA, UofL MUSIC THERAPY STUDENT VOLUNTEER
Get Involved at Boys & Girls Haven
In Kentucky, more than 8,000 children are in foster care. Boys & Girls Haven needs your support now more than ever. Join us and experience the satisfaction of knowing your time and talent is making a positive and meaningful difference in our community.
