Reaching Out

Fall 2002

Staying Active in the community

The "lazy days" of summer presented Home Management Resources with many opportunities to serve families. During the month of June we participated in the annual Summer in the City parade; represented by many client families. It was a wonderful opportunity for the community to become aware of Home Management Resources en masse as over 50,000 people viewed the parade this year.

Home Management Resources on the Road!

On June 19th, Valerie Hite and I traveled to Spencer, Indiana, to present a training seminar for the Deborah Corn Agency. The agency provides "homemakers" to families as a result of a court referral. Each "homemaker" works with a family in the area of housekeeping , parenting, budgeting, and many other home management skills. (Sounds a lot like Home Management Resources, doesn’t it?) During the six hour training session Valerie and I premiered our new video series "The Bail-Out". "The video gave instruction in the one area that I feel will most benefit those I work with", stated Shelly, a Corn Agency participant.

The four-part video series will soon be marketed to local and regional communities and will generate income along with enabling Home Management Resources to continue the work of strengthening families.

Habitat for Humanity

Women Build

This year’s "Women Build" house was built for Doreen Irons, a Spring 2002 Graduate of the Home Management Resources Family Life Seminar. Doreen is a single mom that works full time and is enrolled in the nursing program at Ivy Tech while she has been a resident of The Center for the Homeless.

Peg Luecke, (the wife of South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke) requested that Home Management Resources be in charge of cleaning the house after the construction was complete. Once again Home Management graduates and counselors rallied to the call and worked along side each other to assist a family in our community. The collaboration between Habitat for Humanity and Home Management Resources continues to empower families to be successful homeowners.

Juvenile Justice Center

In July Home Management Resources returned for the fourth year to the Juvenile Justice Center. "We were greeted warmly by the teenage girls, says Natalie Lott, counselor team leader. The girls were very attentive and seemed to really enjoy themselves." The seminar is taught twice a week for three weeks and is an adaptation of the Family Life Seminar. "We add a hands on activity to each class, relates Natalie. "It has been a rewarding experience for both the girls at the center as well as the counselors who present the seminar material."

The Center for the Homeless

July also introduced the first Family Life Seminar at The Center for the Homeless. This partnership will enable Home Management Resources to impact our community in a very exciting way. The seminar, entitled "New Beginnings", is being presented twice a week for five consecutive weeks. Each class is designed in a ‘stand alone’ concept. This format will accommodate the arrival of new clients anytime during the five weeks. The seminar will then repeat in an ongoing format. The New Beginnings Seminar will be the first program motion received in this seminar will help families reduce the stress of being homeless as they work toward their own ‘New Beginning’ .

PARENTS AS TEACHERS

Did you know that YOU (yes, you!) are the first and most important teacher of your child? Early brain development is what an exciting program called "Parents As Teachers" (PAT), is all about. This program is based on neuroscience which shows that early parental involvement has positive effects on children’s growing brains.

Children enrolled in PAT have been shown to be more advanced in language, social development, problem solving and other intellectual abilities. By first grade, these children score higher than their peers in math and reading.

Recently, two counselors from Home Management Resources were trained as parent educators in the PAT program and are ready to go! They will meet with enrolled participants on a monthly basis and provide information and parent-child activities that help stimulate a child’s growth and intellectual development. Screenings to assess development, health, hearing and vision are all done on a regular basis.

If you have children under the age of three years, and are a graduate of any Home Management Seminar you are eligible for this new and exciting program.

To enroll your child (or children) in this FREE program, call the Home Management Resources office. Ask to speak to Elena and she will assist you in the enrollment process.

Give your child ,(or children), the advantage of having a "Parent As Teacher"!

Act Now! Space is limited. Call 574-233-3486

Positive Parenting Class Offered

It is challenging to be a parent today. No matter how loving and competent you are as a parent, you are still only human and you shoulder a huge responsibility. Nurturing is a high priority in parenting, but children also need and in fact crave stability and security. Part of creating stability and security in the home involves establishing predictable schedules and routines for your children.

Establishing firm, clear boundaries that leave no doubt that you are the boss in the home is essential for a healthy and happy family life. Children need limits and consistent discipline that provides clear expectations and guidelines for behavior.

The family unit is a team. Is yours a winning team? If your team is experiencing some growing pains or you’re just beginning to start a team then you need Positive Parenting!

Home Management Resources is here to HELP! Starting Thursday, September 12, 2002, Positive Parenting will be taught by Bertha Anderson. Bert is a trained instructor who will help lead you through the most important job you will ever have...Parenting. Positive Parenting is an eight-week course of instruction. See our Class Schedule for more information. Call today to register!

Funding Corner

A Quantum Leap

I have worked in both small and large organizations over the last 25 years. But, I have to say that I have never worked in an environment where the individual employees bring to the workplace such a sense of purpose and dedication for any project or task regardless of its size or importance. The Home Management staff brings with them dedication and commitment for the mission of strengthening families for a stronger community and work each day as a team to reach that common goal. I feel privileged to be a member of this team.

Now, as I am stepping from Fund Development Director to Executive Director I feel I am taking a quantum leap. To attempt to fill Gwen’s shoes would be an impossibility. By my taking over the daily operational tasks Gwen will have the freedom to do what she does best…tell of the important work Home Management Resources does in strengthening families. It is time for us to step forward as a model program not only in South Bend, Indiana, but on a state and regional level as well. You can be assured that the entire Home Management "team" is working toward that goal everyday.

We need your help too! Word of mouth has always been a powerful form of spreading the news. We need you to continue to talk to others about the importance of our program. We need you to volunteer, whenever you are able, in order that the work can continue in the most effective way, one person helping another. We need you to consider Home Management Resources when you are making decisions where your charitable donations will go. As a not-for-profit agency our work is dependent on financial contributions and volunteerism.

I am confident that with you on our team Home Management Resource will continue to make a difference in the lives of many families throughout our community and in other communities too!

Change is Afoot... Good Change!

From the very first counselor training class in 1985 until this very day, I’ve witnessed the transformation that comes about when our students interact with counselors. The best of what we do has always been this interaction, whether in the classroom, in one-on-one coaching, or in the home of a client. There is something personal and direct in the interchange, an energy that you can feel and see in the expression on people’s faces, in the excitement of their voices. This interaction between clients and counselors has truly been a labor of love. Because of it, over 900 have graduated from our courses since we began in 1986 - most are mothers, some are fathers and some are teens. Five years ago, the average number of students who graduated from our main courses each year was 80; last year that number rose to 200. However, you and I both know we should be reaching thousands instead of hundreds. Many more families and individuals in our own community and beyond need what we offer. It’s become clear to us this year that to make our vision of Home Management Resources future come true, two things need to happen: (1) We need to educate the community about the opportunities Home Management Resources offers, and (2) We need the community’s support in underwriting our programming costs. Therefore, the Board of Directors and I have decided together that I should devote most of my time and energy to making these two priorities a reality. In order to do this, I have asked Devee Mulanix, who is a staff member known to many of you, to take over the day-to-day operations. On June 17, 2002, the Board of Directors officially appointed her Executive Director. Devee has an extensive background in business and finance, is a trained Home Management counselor, and is devoted to our mission. I have every confidence that she will handle the management and daily operations of the organization with skill and style. In exchange, I have been elected to our Board of Directors as Vice President in charge of community relations. In this new capacity, I will be able to extend my outreach on behalf of Home Management Resources. With my time freed up to promote our services, we will be able to get the good news out , to both potential clients and potential supporters. It takes faith to set out on a new path. We have to work hard, and trust that God will go before us with honor and favor to prepare the way. Surely, we must embark on this journey, because we know the need is great, and also know that we have something of value to offer. Some people are afraid of change. I don’t know about you, but I relish the challenges change brings. There’s still lots of work ahead, but this is, after all, a labor of love, just as working at having a happy family life is. Looking ahead, it’s a good place to be, wouldn’t you agree? Consider this your invitation to get involved in our growing organization! Counselor training begins in September…would you like to sign up? or perhaps help to underwrite the costs of one of our five seminars each semester? Just as in a family, there’s always plenty to do, but the job is easier when everyone works together. And we will, as we always have.

I extend my fondest greetings and wishes to you all.

2^nd Quarter Giving

City Chapel

Crest Manor Church of the Brethren

Don and Pat Cressy

Kristi Gerber

William Zuber

Mothers’ Day Gifts

John and Bertha Anderson

Mary Ann Armour

Douglas and Anita Beebe

Don and Pat Cressy

Sally Dorey

Kerby and Claudia Falkenberg

Evelyn Goad

Carol Govek

Marcia Hartleb

Nathan and Julie Hatch

Sue Hockman

Rae Lee Hudson

Chris Hysong

Jane Mason

Jerry and Birdie McElroy

Martha Merritt Gasparetti

Devee Mulanix

David and Vicki Niswonger

Mary Norman

Pete and Nancy Owsianowski

Mary Pegle

Ron and Ruthanne Seitz

Jackie Shaw

Mary Shaw

Bill and Kathy Shoufler

Doug and Karen Small

Abbie Teeter

Ann Ullman

Lenny Weingarten

Tom and Margie Yarger

In Honor Of: Marie E. Kiley

Given By: Patricia Migas

Larry and Deborah Dwyer

Bill and Elena Flynn

Marian Kavanagh

 

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1202 Northside Blvd. South Bend, Indiana 46615
(Between IUSB and the Farmers Market)
574-233-3486, fax 574-234-7220