WINTER 2021 NEWSLETTER

 

Greetings from the Board of Homes for Youth.  Yes, we continue to meet via Zoom as before.  With the release of the Covid 19 vaccines, we hope to meet in a few months in person back at Grace Lutheran.   We can accomplish much by meeting remotely, but look forward to in person meeting.

 

At our house there are two 15 year olds and two 7 year olds.  They have all been there a while.  Since 2017 we have had 25 girls come through and placed.  They have stayed anywhere from 7 weeks to three years!  As our foster parent has said, “This house is special and much needed.  We would never have had the space to help all these children if we had not moved here.  Thank you for your support!”  That support extends to you, our donors.

 

With an older house there are updates and repairs that need to be done especially with housing teenagers.   We will be painting several rooms soon.  Also it looks like we will be replacing the carpet in much of the house since it is stained and worn.  We will be getting bids for that.

 

We have new board members!   We are thankful for three new members.  Zack Ruff is a realtor with Keller Williams and also has 25 years experience as a chef.  Zack and his wife Ashley are foster parents.  Olivia Urschalitz is experienced in human resources and sells insurance and is a small business owner.  We have already seen her heart for children and our work.  Angel Chandler has 15 years experience in adolescent mental health and worked as a Family Treatment Counselor in Foster Care.  She has experience in fundraising and grant writing and is on the staff at the Boys and Girls Club.  Each of these new board members has unique skills and experience and we are looking forward to their contributions.

 

Dick Kauffold is doing a great job as our new treasurer.  Dick has provided us with some reports analyzing our performance which will help us in goal setting and tracking.  The good news is we ended 2020 with cash increasing by $6000 over last year while accelerating our mortgage payoff by $1250.00 per month.  An outstanding result in a challenging year thanks to our generous donors.  

 

We are constantly looking for ways to increase the capacity of housing children who have lost their homes.  Buying another house in the near term would not be possible without a significant grant or gift.  Many of us have received federal stimulus payments which are not needed and more may be forthcoming.  Send us your stimulus donation and we will put it toward a new house.

 

To support our foster parents and children and to develop closer ties with them, we will take turns among the board members to deliver a meal to the house.  Our foster parents appreciate the interaction and support.  Also we will be celebrating the birthdays of our foster children with a gift and friendship.

 

Look for our Bearfootin’ Bear on Main Street this spring, Mama Bear and Cub!   Board member, John Rapp, stepped up to sponsor the bear.   Bids will be welcomed.

 

We are grateful for your continued support of helping the children of our Henderson County.