April Campus Update

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To be honest, I’m not sure what all happened on campus during March. I was blessed to travel throughout Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois to various congregations who volunteered for our Phone for Children Campaign.

One of the coolest things about the Phone Campaign is the support we receive from home. ALL of the kids made cards or wrote notes for us to open each night, and the staff sent small gifts. It is so awesome to be part of a team who is supportive and encouraging during the stressful, yet AWESOME, Phone Campaign.

We said good-bye to Ms. Fathe Davis, who was our History teacher. She accepted a new teaching position in Illinois, where she lives and had been commuting for 5 years. We appreciate the years of service she gave and her love and passion for teaching. We are thankful for Fred Lucas, housedad in Home 2, for stepping up and helping substitute at the school. However, we are looking for a History and a Math teacher. If you know of someone, please send them our way!

Our contracted licensed therapist is doing an awesome job and is filling the position perfectly for us. We are so grateful for her, but again, we know this is a temporary fix. We need to find a licensed clinical therapist as soon as possible. Know anyone?

The kids are doing well. They just enjoyed a nice Spring Break, an opportunity for some downtime. We still have two girls’ homes, one boys’ home, and a relief home. The kids are handling the transitions of staff quite well, but we want to offer stability as much as possible for them. The sooner we find the necessary staff, the better.

We will have two graduates next month. Tony, the young man, who has been able to attend public school, will graduate at the end of the month. He’s looking forward to attending college in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is currently planning to study psychology. Courtney will graduate from Shults-Lewis High School and plans to study cosmetology after she leaves us. Pray for both of them as they finish their semesters and as they head off to the next phase of their lives.

Happy Spring!
For the children,
Beth Frump, Director of Development

March Campus Update

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Our theme of the month for February was “Foundation of God’s Love”.  We enjoyed our Annual Valentine’s Progressive Dinner, as you have already read about, I’m sure.  We also encouraged the kids and staff to share ways they have seen God’s Love being shown on campus throughout the month.  The board quickly filled up with various notes, from random acts of kindness to a needed hug or listening ear.  It was a very encouraging month.

The teachers and kids went down to Indianapolis on a Field Trip, seeing a play about Anne Frank.  They loved the play and the Field Trip, but did not enjoy having to leave at 5:00 am to get to Indianapolis.  I believe most of them slept the majority of the way down and back.

Field Trips are amazing experience learning days for our kids.  We are truly thankful for the Box Tops that you donate because those pay the way for our Field Trips.  Another amazing learning experience for our kids is guest speakers.  Anytime you can come and share your passions, hobbies, or career with our kids, we would love to have you!

The kids gave “All About Me” speeches as part of their on-campus 4H program.  And while they shared the fun stuff about loving make-up and music, they were authentic, transparent, and real.  Before each of them finished their speech, every single one of them pinpointed the moment their life hit “rock bottom” and then the moment of Hope as they came to Shults-Lewis.  While some of them are farther along on this journey, they each recognized that Shults-Lewis is providing them the care they need, showing them Hope, and giving them unconditional Love.

Truly, I am humbled by your involvement with our ministry.  It is because of you that we are able to show them the Hope and Love that God has for each and every one of them.  Thank you!

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

 

 

Faith. Family. Future.

February Campus Update

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Oh, January. January always seems to be a very busy month, and yet, as I look at the calendar, I wonder exactly what did we do all month? I think settling back into the routine of “normal” just made the month fly by. Kiana Baldwin, Development Assistant, continues to argue with me about time flying by so quickly. She, in her final semester of college, feels the time is dragging on so slowly. Just like everything, I guess it’s all about perspective.

As you’ve probably already read on social media or in our Telegram we said good-bye to Bob & Becky Brown in January. From one perspective, we are sad to see them go. However, from another, we are thankful for their service and excited for them and their new adventures out west.

In January we started working with the kids on the Social Responsibility of recycling. Don, one of our housedads, was telling us that the girls in his home are actively looking at each item to see if it can be recycled. He excitedly shared, “They are doing it on their own now.”

The kids and teachers went to an awesome convocation at Valparaiso University on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. VU always puts together a great presentation for the day. Ms. Davis, our History teacher, had our kids share “10 Things you might not have known about MLK”. They shared some great facts and also were able to practice their public speaking skills.

Thank you for being a part of our community!!

For the children,

Beth Frump,

Director of Development

 

January Campus Update

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Santa Clause came to town…. or at least someone looking like Santa came to the Kids’ Christmas Party. The kids enjoyed a last day of the semester filled with activities, games, and a visit from “Santa”.

Earlier in December, the staff enjoyed a Christmas party together. This is one of the few times during the year that the staff can gather together, without kids, and simply enjoy being together. We reveal Secret Pals, play “Mean Santa”, and this year, we enjoyed a video of memories from 2018. We really cherish the time we have as a whole staff together.

December was filled with guests and activities. One yearly tradition is Egg Nog & Treats Day where we gather to enjoy some Egg Nog from Sheilla Davis, a retired employee who visits and prepares a yummy egg nog for all to enjoy. This is one of our favorite days because several of our retirees come and join us for some treats and laughs.

Speaking of treats, we had our annual cookie exchange. From sugar cookie Christmas trees to buckeyes, we shared some amazing goodies. It’s a good thing that we had kicked off our month with the workout at a local gym because calories were abundant in December.

December’s Theme of the Month was “Foundation of God’s Love”. The idea of all of our commitments—open communication, emotional intelligence, democracy, growth & change, non-violence, social learning, and social responsibility—all echo the way God expects us to treat each other. So with that in mind, we used the month to recognize the commitments we have seen in each other during 2018. Every resident and staff member received an ornament filled with commitments that everyone else saw in them during 2018.


Our kids were blessed by several congregations, individuals, and local friends who provided Christmas presents, goodie baskets, and so much more for the holiday season. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love that occurs during the holidays for our kids. By the Sunday before Christmas, the boys were nearing the end of their patience and were ready to start ripping into their presents. They were so excited!! All of our kids were truly blessed and were very appreciative of everything they received.

As we file away our 2018 calendars, and begin to plan and dream for 2019, we just want to thank you for everything you do for our kids.

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

December Campus Update

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November brought snow (that’s a yuck in my book!), but it also brought friends, laughter, and memories.  Mid-November was our Annual Staff Appreciation Banquet where we honor the staff for all of their hard work.  We had dinner at Sand Creek Country Club and enjoyed a night together, without the kids.  It’s one of the few times our staff is able to do that.  At the banquet, the Board also honors a person or group of people with the Board of Trustees Award for their “above and beyond” support and efforts for the ministry at Shults-Lewis.

This year, the Eagle Valley Church of Christ (Indianapolis) received the award.  We are so grateful for them for all they do for us.

Tony, our young man who is attending public school, received Student of the Month for November.  How awesome is that?!?  He made the Varsity basketball team and continues to do well academically.   We are so proud of him.

Our kids and houseparents were able to go to the circus, thanks to one of our board members.  The kids and houseparents had a great time.  They always come back with great stories of their favorite part.  This time, I heard more about Cotton Candy and Popcorn, probably because I talked to the boys about it more than the girls.

Another really cool thing we were able to participate in was a local gym, Lift Life Fitness, who chose us to be their Charity of the Month and members, friends, and families, came to a group workout class, where they learned a little about Shults-Lewis.  Rather than paying for the class, the trainers asked that people make a donation to Shults-Lewis.  It was an awesome event that many of our staff were able to attend and just a unique way for us to get our name out in the community more.  I am so grateful for this opportunity, and others like it!

We placed two new girls in November, maxing us out on the number of kids we can take.  And broken record sound or not, WE NEED A COUNSELOR.  The position of therapist is vital for our agency, and we are struggling to find someone to fill that role.  Do you know of a counselor who may be interested in working with teenagers?  Perhaps a minister who has their degree in counseling that might want to do some mission work at Shults-Lewis?  Who do you know?!?!

I do hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that you will enjoy December and all of the holidays and activities this month can bring.  I am so thankful for you and all you do for the kids, this agency, and for the role you play in my life.  I think of you often and thank God for you daily!

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

November Campus Update

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The biggest news from October, you have most likely already heard, read, or seen. One of our young men made the decision to be baptized. We are so proud of him and the choices he is making to become the man he was created to be!

October also brought “Spirit Week”. The kids dressed like their favorite puns, sported their favorite college’s colors, dressed like a nerd, and had a bad hair day. The kids enjoyed a Party Day where they played games, enjoyed grilled dogs for lunch, and were able to go see a movie for the afternoon. All of them enjoyed the break from classes!

Ms Becky created a “What Flavor Is This?” game for the staff and kids. She had 14 flavors of M & M’s and the staff & kids guessed which was which. Ms. Lissa rocked the game by getting all 14 correct! We had a great time discovering the variety of flavors!

As you read in the Telegram, the Theme of the Month was Social Responsibility. The kids took a field trip to a local recycling center to learn more about recycling and taking care of our planet. They also had a trip to a local bank where they learned more about financial responsibility. We enjoyed a potluck together, each person being socially responsible to provide something for the lunch for the kids. The themes of the month allow us the opportunity to find creative ways to teach the kids our commitments—Open Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Democracy, Growth & Change, Non-Violence, Social Learning, Social Responsibility, and most importantly, having a foundation rooted in God’s Love and Word.

Development had the great opportunity to go visit friends in Elgin, Illinois and Florissant, Missouri. We appreciate being able to visit with you all and give you updates on what’s happening here at Shults-Lewis!

November brings our country to a point of being thankful. As you gather around for the Thanksgiving holiday, know that in Valparaiso, Indiana, there is a campus of people who love you and are so very thankful for you!

Thank you for all you do for the children!!!

For the children,

Beth Frump, Director of Development

October Campus Update

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Leading up to the big ANNUAL DAY, we were blessed to have twelve Sojourners spend 3 weeks with us.  The Sojourners always help get our campus ready for Annual Day, and prepare our Gym-Sized Garage Sale.  We appreciate all of their hard work all over campus.  The kids always enjoy the time with the “bonus grandparents”.

As I always do, I had an amazing time at Annual Day.  The fellowship was incredible.  The food, oh goodness, the food.  It was SOOO good.  God provided a perfect weather day.  So many congregations came to provide food booths, craft booths, KidZone and games.  I am so thankful to you all for all the effort you put into making Annual Day a success.  The preliminary totals show that we raised nearly $17,000!  You are so awesome!!!  (Mark next year’s date down now—Saturday, September 21, 2019)

At the end of September, we were blessed to open another home for girls.  We currently have 2 homes for girls, a home for boys, and a relief home!  We placed two new girls and a new boy.  Pray for them as they transition into our program.

We are excited about our homes and the ability to serve as many kids as possible.  However, we still are in need of a counselor.   We need a therapist with a Master’s degree, either licensed in Indiana or willing to get licensed in Indiana.  This role is crucial and we need someone IMMEDIATELY!  This salaried position offers benefits such as insurances and retirement. Please pray for our search and if you know of anyone, please send them our way.

Thank you for all you do for the children!!!

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

September Campus Udate

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“…Fall.  It makes me want to buy school supplies.  I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils” is a quote from a movie that always pops in my head during this time of year.  I was texting with a donor last night and she was organizing and cleaning which made me smile because I feel like everyone is doing that right now.  It must be the Fall.  Our kids started their Fall semester, newly sharpened pencils and planners all set for them.  We almost have a full teaching staff!!  Our veterans, Mike Zandstra, our Interim Principal teaching Math & Science, and Fathe Davis, teaching History, was joined by Maddi Nelson, housemom, who is a licensed Indiana teacher and is now teaching English, and Fred Lucas, housedad, is a teacher’s aide.  Prayers for our teachers and our students!

August brought us a lot of new friends as groups from Livonia (Michigan), Eagle Valley (Indianapolis, Indiana), Muscatine (Iowa), and Cloverdale (Indiana) came.  We have enjoyed meeting new people, making memories with each group that comes.  And words cannot express how much we appreciate the hard work they all have put in.  On a campus as large as ours, it is awesome to receive help with all the projects!

We are gearing up for Annual Day, Saturday, September 15th!  We have booths of food and crafts.

We have our awesome KidZone with inflatable Bounce House and Obstacle Course.  One congregation in IL is trying to organize more teen focused activities throughout the day.  We have our Benefit Auction.  And, we have the BEST Garage Sale in our gym.  Practically fills our entire gym.  Clothes.  Home Décor.  Furniture.  So much stuff!  Look forward to seeing you!!!

Are you following our Social Medias?  We post different information and insights on each of our medias.  It is rare that the posts are “shared” between them, so follow on all the medias that you use.  Also, our website is constantly updated, especially the photo gallery.

Stay Connected:

 

 

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

August Campus Update

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I just finished my “module” of training with our NEW HOUSEPARENTS, Kim & Fred Lucas.  What an awesome couple!  I can’t wait for you to meet them!  They come to us from Arkansas where they were houseparents at a Christian children’s home.  They wanted to move back to Indiana to be closer to their kids and grandkids.  They arrived mid-July and they truly just fit in.  They are an awesome blessing to our houseparenting staff!

 

We are still in need of houseparents as Derric & Aley are leaving us this month.  As I’m sure you are aware, Derric has been accepted into preaching school.  We are excited for their future, but they will be dearly missed!

Besides the changes in staff, July was JAM PACKED with awesome activities.  We started the month with a 4th of July party at our Executive Director’s home.  The kids had a great time playing baseball and enjoyed the fireworks show that Glenn put together for them.

We had a brand new group from Northeast (Detroit) who gave a day of service to us and enjoyed some time with our kids and staff.

Plymouth came mid-month.  And while they worked hard and got so many things accomplished for the campus, the lasting memory of the trip will be the 1st No Fun Color Run.  Don’t let the name deceive you.  It was one of the most fun days we have ever had.  All over our campus there were “obstacles” for the kids to do and as they successfully completed the tasks, they “earned their colors”.  We ended that night with a cook-out and a Bean Bag Toss Tournament.  What an awesome day.

Literally just hours after Plymouth left campus, a group from Florissant, MO, arrived.  They brought 35 people!  THIRTY-FIVE!  That’s is the LARGEST group we have ever had on campus.  When they arrived, I told them that we had some challenges with having that many people visiting campus, but this group is amazing.  They do such a great job of breaking into smaller chaperone-led teams and tackling projects.  They are hard-working and do such an awesome job of being patient and considerate.  They have brought smaller groups to campus over the years, and they always just do an incredible job working with us.

The last group of July was Park Forest.  They joined us on Day of Prayer & Giving at church and joined us in prayer for the agency and for the kids.  What an awesome opportunity.  They also spent the afternoon serving by doing some deep cleaning, sorting in the pantry, and even some office work for us.  Park Forest is located less than an hour away and we are truly blessed to work with them throughout the year with various projects.  We are blessed to have them so close!

It is so refueling and energizing to spend time with groups and with you.  I cannot wait to see you on Annual Day, Saturday, September 15th!  Come spend the day with

us.  Let me introduce you to our new houseparents.  Come eat some amazing pie with me and catch me up on how things are going in your congregation.

July was a busy, busy month.  And August is looking to be the same….and I LOVE IT!

See you soon!

For the children,

Beth Frump,

Beth Frump, Director of Development

July Campus Update

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Campus Update for July

I had to sign and date a form today and quickly had to scratch out the “6” and make it a “7”. Just like that, June was over! But we made some awesome memories in that month!

Our amazing friends from Whiteland Church of Christ (Indiana) came and worked hard on various projects around campus. They also took us all out for a fun Saturday with pizza and a movie! They have made that part of their trip for several years and we are so very thankful for the entire congregation for allowing us to have such an awesome day out!

We welcomed a brand new group from Green Valley (Indiana). What a fun group! They helped with some work down at the barn, yard work, and other various projects during some major heat wave days. What a great group of positive, hardworking kids (and adults!).

The other group we were able to spend time with last month was from Greenfield, Indiana. Typically, this group makes the journey during the winter, and usually during some major snow storm. So this year, they changed it up and came in June….and managed to come on one of the hottest days of the year, thus far. My question, “which is worse, fighting the snow storms or working in the heat?”. Jury’s still out, but either way, we always appreciate their visit to campus. They brought some great gifts for the homes, helping us cross off some of our houseparent’s “Wish List” items.

Besides groups, we had our Annual Golf Tournament in June. The rain and storms that were predicted and ALL around us, stayed away. We prayed for a BUBBLE around the golf course as the stormy weather was less than 10 miles away. And God provided a beautiful day with not a single drop of rain. So thankful for that and for the opportunity to spend time with my favorite golfers as we raised money for the children and families of Shults-Lewis!

As our new Executive Director, Angela Robertson, is settling into to her role, we are excited about the future of Shults-Lewis. However, to continue our ministry, we NEED STAFF! We need a clinical therapist!!! Right now, our Program Director is having to handle all things program related, as well as do the individual counseling and family therapy. Share the word that we need a clinical therapist, please!

We also need houseparents. We do have a new couple who will be joining us this month and we are extremely excited to work with them. However, as they arrive, the Franklins will be leaving (They are headed to Preaching School!). We would like to hire TWO more sets of houseparents. Who will you tell today about our need for a therapist and houseparents?

Thank you for being a part of our community. You are making a difference in the lives of children and families!

For the children,

Beth Frump, Director of Development