April Campus Update

Over $214,000 pledged during the Phone for Children Campaign!  Thank you!  Thank you for your prayers and your continued support of this ministry.

 

For me, March is always a blur of activity and is over so quickly.  Each day is filled with time with different congregations who volunteer for the Phone Campaign, with phone calls with donors, and with face-to-face conversations with you.  While it is a difficult month as we try to raise the necessary funds through phone calls, it always returns ten-fold in blessings—not only in the funds raised, but in the encouragement from you.  THANK YOU!

While Development was out blazing the trail, campus was still full of activity.  The Park Forest AWSL hosted their Annual Chili Supper for Shults-Lewis, raising over $2,000 for the kids!  Our kids and staff had an awesome time enjoying the amazing food and even better company!

The awesome ladies of Royal Oak and Waterford worked together, creating quilts for each of our kids.  The amount of love and prayer that went in with each stitch was felt as the kids each received their own quilt.

Our kids were also blessed by Easter Baskets from a local Boy Scout Pack as well as amazing goodies from the Royal Oak congregation, and a special young lady from the Waterford congregation!  I am so thankful for each of you and how you use your talents and gifts to bless our kids!

 

Thank you for being a part of this ministry, for giving hope to children and families.  May you be blessed as you have blessed us!

 

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

 

Faith. Family. Future.

March Campus Update

Have you “Answered the Call” for the 2018 Phone Campaign?  If so, THANK YOU!!!!  If not, you can call us (800.462.0513), e-mail me (bethfrump@shultslewis.org), text, SnapChat, Facebook Messenger, or send a carrier pigeon with your pledge.  It is my goal that families will honor our 62 years of serving children & families with a gift of $62.  That’s just $5.17 a month, or you can give  however it best fits your budget ANYTIME this year!  Again, if you have already pledged, I am so very grateful for your partnership in this ministry.  Thank you!

February, we focused on Emotional Management with the kids.  The thought behind Emotional Management is that it is perfectly fine to have emotions and feelings, but it is how you act upon those emotions that matter.  For example, you can be angry, but need to stay in control while you are angry.  With Valentine’s Day being in the midst of Emotions month, we had our Progressive Dinner with the back-drop being the emotion of LOVE.  We had an awesome meal—my group were the “lucky” ones who went in order, and NO I didn’t plan the dinner, I just lucked out.  After the three courses, we landed together at the Caf-A-Gym-A-Torium to share dessert and Jim Powell shared a message with the kids based on 1st Corinthians 13.

 

As Jim Powell finishes his days as Executive Director, the Board of Trustees has named Peter Bumpass as an Interim Director.  Peter has been a part of our Board for about 30 years and has been a part of this ministry for even longer.  He has agreed to step in while the Board makes the final prayerful decision regarding the next Executive Director.  While we are sad to see the Powells go, we know that Peter will be an asset in this transition.  Again, if you have any questions regarding this transition, feel free to contact me anytime.

We have placed two new residents this month—a girl and a boy.  Please pray for them as they begin their journey with us.  I am so thankful for you and your role in the positive changes in their lives!

 

Thank you for being a part of my community!!

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

 

Faith.  Family.  Future

February Campus Update

SAFETY was our theme for January.  If you follow us on Facebook, you saw that each week we focused on a different aspect of SAFETY—Moral Safety, Emotional Safety, Physical Safety, and Social Safety.  A local power company came in and taught the kids to not electrocute themselves, not to fly balloons near power lines or to let balloons go, not to get out of a car if you hit a power line (unless car is on fire).   The police department sent Lt. Chavez to campus, who taught the kids not to bully or cyberbully.   A local group that teaches positive teen health came and taught the kids not to drink or make poor choices with their bodies.   And finally a former housemom who is a physical therapist came in and taught the kids how to breathe deep, use reflexology, and to create new healthier habits to deal with stress and bad days.  And as one of our boys pointed out this morning, “And Safety month had FOOD!” as we kicked the month off with a lunch from Firehouse Subs.  What a fun month for the kids (& staff)!!

You may have seen or heard that our Executive Director, Jim Powell, and his wife, Carren, have decided to resign from their roles at Shults-Lewis.  In Jim’s words, “it’s just time for us to simplify.”  They are moving to Colorado and will still be involved in the mission of childcare.  However, they want to enjoy a simpler life, with more travel (to see more of the west side of the country).  Obviously, we are sad to see them go, but we appreciate the years of service they have given to us and wish them the best as they journey on.

The Board has already begun to search for the next Executive Director.  We know that God has begun preparing the next Director.  In the meantime, we will continue to care for children and families.  If you have any questions regarding Jim’s departure, feel free to call him or me anytime.

Day by day God is changing the lives of children and families.  I am thankful that He chooses to use us.  He will continue to do amazing things this year at Shults-Lewis and I am grateful that I get a front row seat, next to you.

Thank you for being a part of my community!!

For the children,

Beth Frump

Beth Frump, Director of Development

 

 

Faith. Family. Future.

January Campus Update

How crazy busy was your December?  If you are like me, it can fly so quickly that I miss it.  I have to be intentional about Being Present, to not rush past the laughter of a 3-year-old as he beat my dad in Hungry, Hungry Hippos AGAIN, to not rush watching a Christmas movie with my niece & her husband (I feel like just yesterday she was the 3-year-old playing the games).  Be Present.  We will never get this time back and I want to make sure I don’t miss it.

Our kids enjoyed a Saturday at the Circus, thanks to a Board Member purchasing the tickets.  They thoroughly enjoyed the day, as did the staff.  Be Present.  Watch the kids squirm as they held a huge snake (yikes!).  Laugh with the kids as they show off their blue tongues from slushies and cotton candy.

Be Present as our kids presented their 4H projects for this semester.  Be Present as they showed their goats, gave their speeches, and shared their creative writing stories.

Several staff members enjoyed the South County Love Your Neighbor Christmas dinner.  Be Present in our community.  We enjoyed an amazing dinner together, laughing together, being entertained by various singers and groups, all while spending time with people from our community.

Christmas parties!  One of the best days of the year is the Staff Christmas Party.  It is the one day where we are able to gather (almost ALL of us) for a lunch.  Be Present as we play Mean Santa and watch the gifts exchange as one person steals another’s new found treasure.   Be Present as we simply enjoy time together, no kids, no worries, no stresses, just us.  Together.

The Kids’ Christmas Party included a game of Bunco and a visit from Santa!  Be Present as the kids receive their gifts from Santa.  Be Present as the kids see all the amazing gifts and stockings that congregations provided for them.

Then there are the simple quiet days during break.  Be Present as they share the plot to the new book they are reading.  Be present and play another round of cards.  Be Present and shoot some basketball or play some ping-pong.

Thank you for supporting this ministry and allowing us the ability to Be Present in the lives of these precious children.

For the kids,

 Beth Frump, Director of Development

Faith. Family. Future.