Dr. Maura Isles and her wife, Jane Rizzoli have started a program for foster children that allows them to live in Sacramento mansion rent free as long as they continue going to high school to earn their diploma, learn a skill to give back to other...
Maura and I worked hard campaigning and raising funds to open up the mansion that was formerly governor Regan's Home for him and his family when he was the governor for California. We were able to get much of the community support behind us except for the criminals. The Leo's worked hard to eliminate the main gangs who used teenagers for human trafficking. We knew we wouldn't get rid of all the elements of teenagers being used but to make a dent we would take it as a win. Katelyn and my wife were the main contributors with the funds coming from Everlasting properties, investments and income. Melina proposed the mansion to be named after Everlasting Teenage Mansion. Initially Maur and Katelyn were against it but everybody who care for them stated it would be a good image for the winery business and something their grandparents John and Linda Martin would be proud of. Even Dr. Esmi Martin agreed. The youth would attend public schools and they were shuttled their by the school district in Carmichael. The students were dressed like all the others fully paid for by the huge law firms in Sacramento along with lap tops and school supplies. The mansion had its own generators and solar panels and SMUD was happy to buy all the excess power back so we did really well saving money. The solar panels were located where the staff, volunteers and youth couldn't see them. Harold Wright and Carlo did an excellent job of making them not visible. Harold's enployees did all the maintenance, landscaping , keep the pool running well and cleaned for free. His business was doing well with our properties and all the referrals from our family, coworkers and friends throughout Sacramento. He had to hire more employees and purchase more vehicles. Harold basically now worked only doing pool cleaning and repairs. He taught high school foster children 16 and older to repair them and his employees taught them gardening and landscaping to any foster children willing to learn. He would hire than once they could do it on their own. Some had licenses to drive the company vehicles while others went with the gardeners to do all outside pools and spas only. Harold did all the inside pools and spas .
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The garages were set up for several staff who lived on site. Out friends and cousins taught the youth how to cook and shop healthy . They did all the cooking and cleaning and got paid for doing such under the supervision of adults. Each teenager had to pass the standards of cleaning including sanitizing, cooking and safety that a restaurant owner with a grade A had to do . The health inspector and osha would come occasionally to make sure everything was being done within the law and guidelines established by both.
College students from the homeless projects from American River College and Sacramento State University would come and tutor the teens and were paid above the what a private tutor would receive. A total of 40 youth lived in the mansion (20 of each gender). The grand opening was over a year ago.
We gave had several youth graduate and they live here until they are 20 years old rent free. All the working teens buy their own clothes. The older teens mentor the younger ones.
No one gave upon a teen. We only had one failure when a youth decided to rob a bank and now is doing federal tume in prison.This was hard on everyone. This just pushed the other youth and young adults to do better.
