April Campus Update
Wow! March came and went so fast due to the Development Team working on the Phone Campaign. We knew this year would be difficult for our churches to be able to find enough volunteers willing to venture out to make phone calls, but they managed and they did an excellent job. Development would like to thank all of you who volunteered to make phone calls for the kids. We also want to thank all you wonderful donors for making pledges!! The Phone Campaign brought in over $140,000 in pledges and the numbers are growing as we are still contacting people that we were unable to reach in March. That is amazing!!
Now that we are back in the office and are bringing the Phone Campaign to a close, we are able to focus on the next events in store for this year. We are planning Day of Prayer and Giving which will be set for June 27th. We will send out our prayer packets to your congregations so we all can pray for the kids, the staff, and this ministry TOGETHER on the same day.
AAAAAND, WAIT FOR IT……..ANNUAL DAY OPEN HOUSE IS A GO!!
We missed you all last year and we can’t wait to see you SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH. We may have less people show up or we could be bombarded but no matter what, we are so excited to fellowship with all of you on that day. Be ready for the biggest rummage sale yet!! So, if you are tired of being couped up in the house, come on out to Shults-Lewis and enjoy a day where we gather together outside under the tents to raise funds for this ministry. We hope to see you there!
The staff & kids at
Shults-Lewis
February Campus Update
Well, we finally got some snow, and since the residents haven’t been able to go in to town much, it was fun for them to get outside and just play. Housedad, Don Jones, and 2 of the residents in that Home decided to build a snowman (who is clearly an advocate for Shults-Lewis judging by his facemask). J The kids had a great time as did Mr. Jones.
We also celebrated a resident birthday! Quinn turned 17 so her parents decided to buy pizza for everyone in honor of her birthday. Thank you!! There were several kinds of pizza, bread sticks, wings, and dessert. Even though we have to social distance, we find creative ways to enjoy a good lunch. J And the girls had no problem posing for a quick pic. Thanks ladies!
We have also been working on connecting more with our community. We had a community member call us to say she had read an article somewhere about group homes needing items. She then looked up group homes in her area and found Shults-Lewis. After speaking with her for a while, we found out she was in a local running group and other members of that group wanted to join in the fun. Needless to say, after a bit of discussion and planning, our residents each received a brand new piece of luggage, gym outfits for school, pillows, and sheet sets. We are grateful for our new connections with our community!
Until next month, stay safe!
The staff & kids at
Shults-Lewis
January Campus Update
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021 IS FINALLY HERE!!
The staff and kids had a good time over the holidays. Santa and Mrs. Claus (Houseparents Joy & Charles Smith) showed up for the kids’ Christmas party and passed out presents. Our “Elf” (pantry worker James Terhune) was close at hand to help Santa with the presents.
The staff enjoyed the Staff Christmas Party as well as a beautiful luncheon that the Board of Trustees had catered in for the Staff Appreciation Lunch. Since we couldn’t get together due to COVID, we were able to use our gymnasium to social distance and still enjoy a DELICIOUS meal! Angela Robertson (Executive Director) spotlighted each staff member and told them why she appreciated them so much. Our board members took the time to make a virtual video for us to play since they could not join us in person. IT WAS AWESOME! Some of our board members’ wives even got in on the occasion by making 2 quilts to give away in a drawing (made by Lynette Root), making and donating beautiful jewelry for each staff member (made by Irene Gordon), and Sandy Haferkamp came to campus to watch our kids in the next room so that ALL of our staff could enjoy the party. We can’t thank them enough for such a wonderful luncheon.
Happy New Year,
The staff & kids at
Shults-Lewis
October Campus Update
We like to try to update you all, as much as possible, on what’s going on with the kids. But since Beth passed away and COVID hit, we have received a tremendous amount of support and encouragement from all of our donors and those of you who simply continue to pray for us. We have so many people checking in on us that we just wanted to take a second and let you know how the staff is doing since the pandemic has changed our lives and Beth stepped out of our lives.
Beth was a busy person but she had a sense of humor that kept a certain energy going throughout campus. So, we have been attempting to fill that void…..sometimes, successfully, sometimes….yeah, not so much.
Whether it’s Angela walking about campus in her “COVID SUIT” or me having “coffee with Beth”, the laughter is slowly coming back. Without our groups on campus, the maintenance staff has been putting in long hours to give the front of our Admin Building a fresh look. And since my office is on the front side of the building, Glenn has no problem banging on my window to give me a little scare. And Kiana just copes by capturing a picture of how she is feeling each day. 🙂
Cathy and Don, houseparents, have been keeping the kids busy in the garden and creating “art”. But the days are usually started off with chapel and a corny joke that Marci finds for our announcements. All of this to say, we are healing. God is watching over us and all of you are praying for us……and we feel it. Thank you for going the extra mile for this agency.
For the kids,
Lissa Baldwin
Development Director
September Campus Update
AAAAAND THEY’RE OFF!!
The fall semester is in full swing and the kids are doing VERY well. Home seven’s housemom, Kim Lucas, is one of those crafty, fun people who sees something on Pinterest and can recreate it. Kim had fun with the kids on the first day of school taking pictures to help the kids enjoy their first day back. I wish you could see the smile on the face of the girl holding the sign but due to confidentiality purposes, I had to crop out her face and name. 🙂
The kids have adjusted to the pandemic and have settled into their classes. From 7th grade to Senior year, ALL of our students are doing well so far. Mrs. Terhune, our principal, reports that the ICP class (Integrated Chemistry and Physics….yuck!) has all straight As. WOW! We even have one student taking SPANISH! Mrs. O’Keefe and Mr. Lucas, our teaching staff, have been able to work hard with the kids one-on-one and it is paying off. We ask all of you to pray for them in their continued efforts and to pray for more teachers.
Even though I can’t enjoy the summer spoils from the cooking class, I have enjoyed seeing the kids feel proud of their accomplishments. Most kids that come here are behind in school or received poor grades. Seeing themselves do well is a HUGE self-esteem booster.
Feel free to send a note of encouragement to the kids. Have YOUR kids make a picture for OUR kids and we can post them throughout the school. You don’t have to be crafty like Kim (although we LOVE to see your creations), just be encouraging. WE can’t do this without YOU.
Thank you for continuing to take care of our kids, especially throughout this pandemic.
For the kids,
Lissa Baldwin
Development Director