August Campus Update
“Let them eat cake!” Well, in this instance, it was pie. Mmm, mmm, good! Our residents have been working all summer in their cooking class making all sorts of good food. Our school staff has been teaching the kids the “ins and outs” of how to cook. Every so often, the rest of the staff would get to reap the benefits and partake in the different goodies they created. My favorite was pie day! It was announced that the kids were going to be making desserts in class and they needed us to pick which one we wanted from a list and it would be delivered. The choices were sugar cream pie, blueberry cream pie, red/white/blue layer cake, and apple pie with carmel drizzle. Even though this was a hard choice for some, I immediately ordered a piece of the blueberry cream pie.
As we all settled in to our work day, we set aside the idea of pie. Then, what a treat when the whole class and teachers waltzed through the Administration Building holding trays of prewrapped pie, wearing their aprons and gloves! The staff waited patiently in their doorways for the kids to give them their selected item. I felt like a kid at Christmas because my office was at the very end of the hallway and I had to wait my turn. J
Finally, the kids made their way to my office and I saw my beautiful piece of blueberry cream pie sitting in the middle of the tray. The kids were all smiles to see how excited we were. They laughed as I tore open the saran wrap and stuck my finger in the middle of my pie for a quick taste.
Why am I telling you this? First, I used to be a houseparent for many years and I knew that even the smallest things are important in the eyes of a child. Whether they are 17 or 12, these kids are sponges for positive feedback on things they have accomplished. I wanted them to know I cared.
Second, I wanted you to know that all of us here at Shults-Lewis are safe and having as much fun with the kids as we can, in any way that we can, to help them stay focused on their goals and accomplishments before they move on to the next chapter of their lives.
So, please keep the kids and our staff in your prayers as we get ready to move on to our Fall Semester. Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your love.
For the kids,
Lissa Baldwin Development Director
Faith. Family. Future.
July Campus Update
COVID-19 – A word we are all tired of hearing. It has invaded our lives and intruded on everything we do. As the world tries to find its “new normal”, the staff at Shults-Lewis would like to send out a HUGE thank you.
We thank all of the people who have been on the frontlines dealing with this day after day; trying to keep everyone calm and giving us hope.
We thank everyone in education who have worked tirelessly to get our kids through the rest of the school year, graduate our seniors, and work even harder to prepare all students for the fall.
We thank everyone who has transitioned to working from home so our businesses can continue to operate.
In general, we want to thank everyone out there for everything you have done to help each other during COVID-19. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” –John 15:12
COVID-19 was not the only struggle we at Shults-Lewis had to face these past few months. For those of you who were unaware, our beloved friend and coworker, Beth Frump passed away on April 5th due to natural causes. Beth was the face of Shults-Lewis and loved our kids with a passion. Shults-Lewis would like to thank all of you out there who sent cards of encouragement, called to check on us, or made donations in memory of Beth. We needed you and, as always, you were there for us.
The Development Team is working together to fill some very big shoes (or to those who really knew her well, flip flops). And even though we will never be able to BE Beth, we can certainly follow her Christian example of hospitality and unconditional love.
So, again, we say thank you. Continue to pray for our agency, this mission, and most importantly, our kids.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Lissa Baldwin Kiana Baldwin Hannah Baldwin
Development Director Dev. Assistant Dev. Assistant
Faith. Family. Future.
March Campus Update
February. Of course we are going to talk about Valentine’s Day! Did you get the opportunity to do anything amazing for the Hallmark holiday? Glenn & Angela Robertson hosted a Valentine’s dinner for the staff and kids. We had an awesome Italian dinner and played Valentine’s Scategories. I must admit there were some very creative answers. Something you do not want to receive for Valentine’s Day starting with the letter “L”. Lettuce. How about starting with the letter “S”? Surgery. Lots of fun and laughter as we celebrated together.
It’s not polite to share a lady’s age. So I’ll just say we celebrated Ms. Sherry’s “ZERO” birthday this month. Sherry has been a part of the Shults-Lewis family her entire life as her mother was the cook here back in our early years. Sherry also worked in Development for many years as an office manager, and currently, she helps with our food ordering. We are so blessed to have her as part of our family.
As part of our on-going training for our direct care staff, we have been diving into TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention). This is a trauma-informed, connection building training that empowers our staff to meet the complex needs of our kids. We are so blessed to have Jon O’Keefe, our Program Director, as a trainer of this program. As we say around campus, “more tools for the toolbox” as we continue to strive to offer the best care for our kids!
In February, we placed another young man in Home #7. As always, I ask you to pray for his transition into our program! We are truly blessed to be able to work with these amazing kids! We would love to serve more kids, but we need houseparents in order to do that! And as mentioned above, our houseparents are given training and tools in order to help understand and help meet the needs of kids.
Also, be prayerful of the Phone Campaign happening this month. Please pray for our volunteers, donors as they make their prayerful decision regarding donations for 2020, and for the development staff, as we spend a lot of time traveling throughout the month!
Thank you for your prayers and your support!
For the kids,
Beth Frump, Development Director
February Campus Update
Have you seen the meme? The one that says something like “Today is the 3,652nd day of January”? I completely feel that. The rest of the year FLIES so quickly, that when January arrives, with its calm, less chaotic schedule, it feels to drag on forever. That being said, January was still full of changes and progress at Shults-Lewis.
We placed two new girls and a new boy this month. Please pray for them as they begin their journey with us. It is always a challenge to adjust to a new environment.
Kim & Fred Lucas have shifted into Home #7 to fill the role of full-time boys’ houseparents. We are grateful for their willingness to adjust to the role we need them in, and for the staff who are filling into our relief roles while we search for houseparents. PLEASE be prayerful for this. We NEED houseparents!!!
Last month, Mike Zandstra, our Science teacher, resigned and headed back “home” to Michigan. He and his wife, Jen, have been part of the Shults-Lewis family for many years, working here the last 12. We will miss him, but we know he is doing what is best for his immediate family. Pray for the Zandstras as they are dealing with the move and Mike is starting a new teaching position.
I was on the phone with a dear friend this week, and we were talking about mission work. The world is a HUGE place with so many opportunities. However, we discussed, that sometimes we miss the mission field right in our back yards. We can sometimes miss the opportunities because they come in ways we don’t expect, and not looking like what we expect. Mission work may come disguised as being a houseparent at Shults-Lewis, a therapist, a teacher, or principal. I cannot emphasize enough that we need missionaries. We need help. The amount of families and children we can help is limited because of our limited number of staff.
Thank you for your prayers and your support!
For the kids,
Beth Frump,
Development Director
January Campus Update
THREE KIDS! Three of our kids left our program successfully in December. They’ve already ‘friended” and “added” me on social medias. One of the girls who left had actually worked part-time in development over the last few months. I sent her a message that I already miss her! I’m so excited for her and the others as they are moving forward with their lives, but I definitely miss them when they leave here. Please pray for all of them as they transition back to home and school.
Christmas was amazing here! Our kids were blessed with fantastic gifts from various congregations and local organizations. They were all so excited to tell me about their Christmas goodies that they were practically talking over each other to let me know about their gifts. Holidays can be difficult for our kids because it can bring up past traumas and issues regarding separation from their families. And while it is NOT about the gifts, for them to see and understand that people (YOU) are supporting them and loving them because of your love for the Father, is incredible. Thank you!!
In December we contracted someone for our accounting. I am so grateful we were able to find someone to help us with those accounting tasks as I knew that I could not continue working in both roles for 2020. Stephanie comes to us from Valparaiso and is a CPA, and is already fitting in with our staff. We still have empty offices that need filling—Therapist, Principal, Houseparents, Teachers. Please continue to pray and pass along the word that we need staff!
I love new calendars and new planners and new To Do lists….I get so excited about planning the year ahead of us. I just can’t wait to see what God is going to do in 2020! Have you marked the calendar for all of our events for 2020?!?!
March is our Phone for Children Campaign.
Sunday, May 31st is Day of Prayer & Giving for Shults-Lewis.
Friday, June 12th is our Annual Golf Tournament
Saturday, September 19th is our Annual Day/Open House Day
I am constantly amazed by the way God works through YOU to bless the children and staff of Shults-Lewis. Thank you so very much!
For the kids,
Beth
Beth Frump, Director of Development