Married to Jennifer and father to five children; Stephen, Lauren and Madison are grown and on their own; Caroline and Trey, ages 16 and 15, are in high school and serve on mission trips during breaks.
The idea for Youth 4 Orphans came to Terry in 2009 following a trip to the Old Bight Mission Home on Cat Island, Bahamas. He went to Cat Island thinking that he was going to help the children but was not prepared for the affect they would have on him. God used the children of this orphanage to give him a new direction for his life. The following year, Terry began taking youth from the U.S. to the orphanage to serve and left his ministry position in 2015 to dedicate his full attention to forming the 501(c)3 non-profit mission.
Y4O would show Christian love by caring for the children but also train our young people to care for “the least of these” as Jesus has instructed us to do. The mission experience will leave a lasting impression on U.S. youth and young adults as well as positively impact the lives of those we serve.
Over the past nine years Y4O has grown to include serving in Haiti at the Family of Happy Children orphanage and in 2019 to serve in Guatemala. Trips range from 8-9 weeks per year with over 80 participants. Terry is very pleased with the launch of CL4U, a Christian mentorship program to help deepen students faith and leadership skills. He is excited to see where God takes Y4O next!
