About Us

Thank you for visiting Kent Youth!  We are a not-for-profit foundation that funds programming for underserved youth on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

The programming we fund is focused on building character, developing practical skills, and transforming troubled teenage boys and girls into confident, productive, contributing members of society.

These young people struggle with economic disadvantage, lack of family and community support, as well as minimal participation at school.  As you can imagine, many of these adolescents are at risk of, or already have had, involvement with the legal system.

Kent Youth has been in operation since 1971, when we opened a residential placement site in Chestertown, Maryland.  Starting in 2010, a major shift in the philosophy about serving troubled teens caused the courts to cease placing adjudicated youth in residential facilities.  By 2014, Kent Youth could no longer operate our group home due to lack of residents.

However, our desire to serve this population of young people is not diminished, and we continue to seek quality programs that will change lives for the better.  Kent Youth, in partnership with community and school organizations, identifies underserved youth and provides them access to high quality programs.

There is perhaps nothing more rewarding than witnessing young people, whose future was bleak, return from a program understanding for the first time that they are strong enough and smart enough to be successful.

We need your support.  If you are searching for a way to make a difference in the lives of young people, Kent Youth will help you make that difference.

Our Mission

To provide financial support for programs to assist teenage youth who are underserved and/or at at risk for adjudication in Kent and other Eastern Shore counties. Areas of funding include education, vocational training, mental health and life skills development.

Board Members

Contact Us

Kent Youth, Inc.
c/o Betsy Durham
132 Blue Note Farm Lane
Church Hill, MD 21623