Krewe Party

2:06 am | Monday, Feb 1st
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My Friend’s House is having a Krewe Party at The Corner Pub on Thursday, February 11, from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Tickets are $20 at the door, and all of the proceeds go to My Friend’s House. On Saturday, February 13, there will be a special Mardi Gras Ball to benefit My Friend’s House. Click here to read about the ball.

My Friend’s House Family and Children Services, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation chartered in 1982 to provide therapeutic services to children. My Friend’s House is a group home for boys operated by Williamson County Youth, Inc. which began its operation in 1988. For the next ten years My Friend’s House served the Williamson County community as an emergency shelter for youth. Initially, the facility served seven children on a regular basis, but because of space limitations was forced to turn away many others in need. In 1992, the agency purchased a larger facility and was able to double the number of children it served. On October 1, 1998, My Friend’s House became a residential group home. As a result of a class action suit against the State of Tennessee, all residential group homes licensed by the State of Tennessee, limited residents to eight.

My Friend’s House is a comprehensive treatment program. The agency operates under the evidence-based behavioral modification. Within the level system, the youth are able to earn daily points that advance them towards their goals. Education and exposure to opportunities are the major components of the program. Throughout the years, My Friend’s House has developed and nurtured partnerships within the community, such as United Way of Williamson County, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America, YMCA, Williamson County Schools, STARS Program, Williamson County Juvenile Court, local businesses, churches, civic clubs, and individual contributors. These partnerships provide the opportunities that foster the youth’s self-esteem and confidence. My Friend’s House is an advocate for the children and encourages them to achieve their highest potential, improve behaviors and make good choices.

The ultimate goal and purpose of My Friend’s House is to reunite youth with their families. When reunification is not an option, My Friend’s House works collaboratively with the Department of Children’s Services to make every effort to find the best possible solution for the youth’s future, to including transitional living, foster home or relative placement.

King Cakes

1:59 am | Monday, Feb 1st
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Mardi Gras is a time-honored tradition in New Orleans, but people all over the nation celebrate it by indulging in king cakes. King cakes have a rich history when it comes to celebrating Mardi Gras. Twelve days after Christmas, there’s a celebration in New Orleans to remember the wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus. This special time is called the Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night. During this time, people come together to have a huge feast, exchange gifts and bake a king cake in honor of the three kings.

 

Traditionally, the cake is made from a ring of braided cinnamon dough and decorated with purple, green and gold sugar toppings, which are considered to be Mardi Gras colors. A tiny baby made of plastic, porcelain or gold is inserted in it after it’s baked. The most exciting part is to see who gets the slice of cake with the baby in it because it’s believed that this person is rewarded with good luck. They’re also asked to either host the next king cake party or bring a cake to the party.

 

Merridee’s Breadbasket in downtown Franklin is famous for their king cakes. They love to join in on the fun of Mardi Gras by baking them from scratch every year. It’s unusual for a bakery outside Louisiana to put so much time and effort into offering a cake that’s such a huge part of the Mardi Grastradition, but so many customers request them each year, so they decided to offer them. “To our surprise, we sold 70 of them and knew we’d made the right move,” says Patti, Jobe, the manager at Merridee’s. They were even told by Louisiana natives that they were the best king cakes they’d ever tasted. Plus, they are beautifully decorated with colorful Mardi Gras beads, easily making their presentation the best these customers had ever seen. “You may find some bakeries offer them with fruit and cream cheese, but we don’t. Ours do have a small bit of cream cheese to add moisture and extra flavoring, but I’d say the best part is how beautiful and fun they are,” says Patti. Production Manager Amy Rupard and her two assistants deserve all the credit for baking and decorating these delicious works of art. This year, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 9.

Start a new tradition this year by hosting your very own Mardi Gras party. Invite your family and friends and decorate your home with purple, green and gold beads. Don’t forget the king cake; it’ll add some fun and excitement to your celebration. You can preorder your cake from Merridee’s by calling (615)790-3755.

Mardi Gras Ball

4:48 pm | Thursday, Jan 28th
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Come out to the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs for dinner, drinks, dancing, and more, on Saturday, February 13. Tickets are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. As one of the most anticipated events of the year and serving as the nonprofit’s primary fundraiser, the Mardi Gras Ball is a unique event where a nominated Royal Court will battle one another to see who can raise the most donations for My Friend’s House. The top male and female nominees will be crowned King and Queen!

 

About My Friend’s House

My Friend’s House Family and Children’s Services was founded by Juvenile Court Judge Jane Franks after she grew frustrated by the lack of facilities in the area to house and care for boys that needed to be removed from an unhealthy home environment. The non-profit began operations in 1988 and has since provided a home and services for more than 2,000 boys and their families. Located at 626 Eastview Circle in Franklin, My Friend’s House provides a variety of programs and services to help youth recover from adverse situations and to become successful young adults. It is the only private residential program serving young men in Williamson County. For more information, please call 615.790.8553 or visit myfriendshousetn.org.