November Campus Update
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
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
“…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!!!
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For the children,
Beth Frump
Beth Frump, Director of Development
August Campus Update
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
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