The Woodbourne Chess Club and Poets Society are providing therapeutic benefits to students. About 25% of students signed up for the new chess club, where Mr. Nostrant sees improvements in focus, behavior, and responsibility from participating students. The Woodbourne Poets Society hosted a poetry reading where students' works ranged from love poetry to experiences at Woodbourne. Donations from supporters allow Woodbourne to continue helping over 150 individuals each year through services and programs.

1. WOODBOURNE CENTER YOUTH AND FAMILY SOLUTIONS
A FAMILY MEMBER
The Woodbourne Chronicle
Spring 2016
You wouldn’t ordinarily think teenage boys would
flock to chess or poetry club. Yet, the young men
at Woodbourne are defying stereotypes. Both the
Woodbourne Poets Society and the Woodbourne
Chess Club give the young men something to look
forward to after school, and provide them with an
additional therapeutic element.
Science teacher Mr. Mark Nostrant estimates that
about a quarter of Woodbourne students signed
up for the chess club, where the students exercise
their strategic thinking and focus.
The chess clubs is still an educational experience,
but in a different way than you ordinarily hear
about. Mr. Nostrant teaches residents lessons the
teens will take once they leave the classroom and
even Woodbourne. “Chess helps them to under-
stand consequences; it forces them to look ahead,”
hesays.“They’vealllearnedtodothat–they’reall
benefiting from playing.”
“Theyhavetostartseeingpatternrecognition,and
start noticing what’s a strong position and what’s
a weak position. It takes them into another world
where they’ve never been.”
Mr. Nostrant estimates that 25% of Woodbourne
students signed up; residents play each other, stu-
dentsinothercountriesonthecomputer,andlocal
schools. Students from Sheppard Pratt will com-
pete withWoodbourne on our campus next week.
Mr. Nostrant calls it “remarkable” how the young
men pick up on the vocabulary of chess. They use
the language I use,”he says.“I don’t teach them to
do that. I just assume that they can, and they can.
Theypickupthetermsandconceptsandusethem
correctly.”
Mr. Nostrant sees improvements in focus and be-
havior from the young men who have participat-
ed in the club. He said he feels that the game and
time with him outside of school hours inspire re-
sponsibility. The game of chess, which he’s played
since he was fourteen,“engenders good feelings,”
he says.
“Iliketositbackandthey’reallplayingandthey’re
all doing really well, and I just enjoy the camara-
derie.”
YOUR GENEROSITY FUELS
OUR MISSION
TheWoodbourne Center continues to make
improvements throughout campus.We’ve been
able to address capital upgrades, programmatic
needs, new furniture purchases, clothing for our
students, and educational resources, to name
a few. We would not be able to accomplish our
mission without your support.
Within a given year,Woodbourne provides
services to more than 150 individuals. Dona-
tions received from donors like you allow us
to provide top-notch services to our youth.
Whether it is a sizable donation or an in-kind
gift, our students and staff greatly appreciate
everything you do forWoodbourne. In existence
for over 200 years, we continue to be a beacon
of hope to disadvantaged youth and families of
Baltimore and Maryland. We have built a strong
tradition of successfully guiding thousands
of youth to change the arc of their lives and
become members of the community.
The enormous generosity of our local commu-
nity has created a wonderful impact on our
campus. The spirit of giving was quite evident
throughout the holiday season. With your help,
our students were able to go bowling, play laser
tag and miniature golf, and have a pizza day.
You allowed them to create memories that they
continue to talk about with pride.
Along with your donations, the local business
community has provided our campus with
a variety of gift cards, food donations, and a
breakfast celebration. The Baltimore City Police
Department and local churches visited our
campus to share various items.
We are so grateful for everyone’s time and
generosity in allowing our youth to feel loved
and cared for. We would not be able to provide
those supports without your assistance. Thank
you for helping us provide a brighter future.
changing one life CHANGES EVERYTHING
changing one life
CHANGES
EVERYTHING
Woodbourne Center boys are enjoying a new chess club, which has provided fun and therapeutic benefits to the boys.
Mr.Nostrantseesimprovementsinfocusandbehaviorfromtheyoungmen
whohaveparticipatedintheclub.Hesaidhefeelsthatthegameandtime
withhimoutsideofschoolhoursinspireresponsibility.
New Chess Club Inspires the Right Moves

2. Page 2
She Is
Poet,age17
She is as beautiful as a spring flower
She is as soft as the clouds up above
She is as innocent as a newborn
She is as playful as a cat
She is as perfect as a painted masterpiece
She is as sweet as honey
She is as brave as a lion
She is as quiet as a night in the suburbs
She is as wise as an owl
She has a body of an angel
She has the eyes of a puppy
She has the most gorgeous smile
She has a very bright personality
She has a very creative imagination
She has skin warm to the touch
She dances like a princess
She sleeps so peaceful
She smells like a tropical paradise
She loves the nature of the earth
She hates the evils of the world
She can make a bad day turn good
She can sing like an angel
She can solve any issue
She can run like the wind
She told me I was her high school crush
She took my breath away
She took me as her one and only
If you’re wondering if our students are flexing their creative muscles, English Teacher Ms. Terry Kend-
all-Johnson heads up theWoodbourne Poets Society.The Society hosted a reading of students’poetry
in January, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.The event was open to allWoodbourne Center students
and staff.
“I discovered that many of the boys kept journals of poetry, rap, and other genres that they created
themselves as a way to help them deal with emotions,”says Ms. Kendall-Johnson. “The benefits are
wonderful since reading their poems can be therapeutic to everyone. Just knowing that others feel
hurt, or sad, or happy is a win-win for all.”
The subject matter ranged from love poetry to the teens’experiences atWoodbourne to nature haikus.
“I can identify the literary elements each student includes in their poem. Then the student wants to
know more about rhythm, diction, plot, and all the wonderful things I need to teach them,”Ms. Ken-
dall-Johnson says.“They started to write more so that they will be included in upcoming events or in
the club.”
Ms. Kendall-Johnson had initially assigned the youth to write prose, since that’s what King is most
well-known for, but she opened it up to poetry or prose.“Sometimes when it comes to creativity, you
don’t want any rules.”
Advice
Poet,age15
Doingmyprogramwillmakeyouhappy
Ifyouwantpositiveattentiondon’tactcrappy
Bullyingiswrongit’snotverynice
Ifyouwantfriendsdon’tgettoldtwice
TheWoodbourne Poets Society hosted a reading of students’poetry in January, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Poetry subject matter ranged from love poet-
ry to the teens’experiences atWoobourne.
Woodbourne Poets Society Helps Youth Process Emotions

3. Page 3
MEET OUR DONORS
Meet Becky Martin! Becky is a realtor at
Advanced Realty, and the mom of a former
Woodbourne resident.With her colleagues,
she donated $1,144.92 worth of clothes and
games toWoodbourne after her son returned
home.We are so thankful for her gift, and
asked her a few questions so you can get to
know her better!
How did you decide to supportWood-
bourne Center and get your office
involved? I saw and heard how some of the
boys didn’t have what most people consider
the basics — like clothes, and books, and
personal items. Every year, I have always ad-
opted a family from DSS to help with my office
over the holidays. And this year, I told my
office I was not going to adopt a family; I was
personally going to help at theWoodbourne
Center, and all of the realtors at Advance Reali-
ty Direct in Dundalk said they wanted to help,
too. I have been blessed with an amazing job
with great friends.
What is your favorite part about being a
donor toWoodbourne Center? Knowing
that the boys’day might be a little brighter.
How do you know your donations have
made a difference? My son still hears from
the staff and talks to some of the boys that
have been there.
Why is it important to supportWood-
bourne Center? To make Baltimore a better
place and show young boys the right way to
do things.
Twice a year, we’ll introduce you to a clinical staff member who’s working
hardtochangelivesofthekidshereatWoodbourne.Forourfirstiteration,we
wanted to tell you about our brand new Medical Director, Dr. Deepa Khush-
lani! She brings a real love for residential care to her work at Woodbourne.
“My passion has been residential treatment work,”says Dr. Khushlani.“Res-
idential treatment provides the youth a safe place to work on their issues.”
As our new medical director, Dr. Khushlani coordinates physical and medi-
cal services. She works with colleagues in clinical and nursing departments
to ensure that the young men here have a more interconnected therapeutic
experience.
Born in Hyderbad, India, Dr. Khushlani was most recently the Director of
Medical Education at Harbor Behavioral Health inToledo, OH. She is happy to
returntotheBaltimore/DCarea.Youwillprobablyrecognizethenamesofher
past workplaces, like Sheppard Pratt andVilla Nova Maryland.
Dr. Khushlani hadn’t yet decided to work with children during her fellowship,
when she was assigned to Children’s Medical. One of the placement supervi-
sors told her that,“you have a natural way of talking to kids.”
“As a psychiatrist, I don’t want to be seen as only a pre-
scriber,”Khushlani says.“Some of the youth are distrust-
ful of authority, andWoodbourne’s team approach really
helps,” she says. The structure and teamwork “help the
youth realize that there are adults who really have their
best interest in mind,” Dr. Khushlani says. She says she
enjoys working with staff across disciplines.
“The emphasis here atWoodbourne is building upon the
strengths of each child.”
OUR BOYS’MESSAGES TO DONORS
We asked some residents what they would say to
you, our donors, if they met you. Here are their
answers!
“WhenIgothere,thestaffgavemeclothesand
shoes.Itmademefeelwelcome,liketheycared.”
“Thankyou,keepondoingit.”
“Theycare.”
“Thankyou,Iappreciateit.”
Dr. Deepa Khushlani recently
joinedWoodbourne Center as the
new Medical Director.
“The emphasis here
at Woodbourne is
building upon the
strengths of each
child.”
— Dr. Khushlani
Woodbourne Center Welcomes Dr. Khushlani
To protect the privacy of our residents, photos of boys in this newsletter are professional models and are not current or previous resi-
dents of Woodbourne Center. The images are copyrighted by ThinkStock photography and the individual photography artists respon-
sible for the images.

4. 1301 Woodbourne Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21239
410-433-1000 • www.nexustreatment.org
Page 4
Thankstocontinuedsupport,wewereabletotreatourresidentstoabrandnewgymfloor
from Sport Court!
RussellMurray,DirectorofFacilities,coordinatedtheproject.“Itbecameatriphazard,and
weneededsomethingalotsafer.Itneededtobereplaced,”hesays.Murrayisgettinghigh
fives from the clients about the renovation. “It’s exciting for me when I get kudos from
the clients and staff,”he says.“It’s rewarding to see them happy. It helps with their whole
demeanor.”
SUPPORT WOODBOURNE CENTER
When you support Woodbourne Cen-
ter, you help strengthen lives, families,
and communities. Find out how you
can help. Log on today:
www.changingonelife.org.
changing one life CHANGES EVERYTHING
Woodbourne Center, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts are tax-deductible.
A New Floor Puts a Spring in Our Step
Woodbourne Center recently got a much-needed gym floor renovation and upgrade.