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Reaching Out

"For Summer Fun, try PEACE"

Searching for a few ways to keep the children busy this summer? Try PEACE - Parking, Exploring, Activating, Creating and Experiencing- as your strategy.

P - Parking It! Picnicking at Potawatomi, Potato Creek, and Merrifield Parks generate multi-levels of fun from swimming, through fauna and critter hunts, to sporting activities. Visit a different city, county, or state park each week keeps the adventure fresh.

E - Exploring! Pick a neighboring town and visit it. Go with no agenda other than to discover. Stop at the Visitors Bureau for a list of attractions and tour the community on foot, bicycle, or car.

A - Activating the Imagination! Use your backyard to set up a kiddie carnival - draping sheets over the clothesline for activity tents, making squishy Jello brains; and arranging the flower pots, chairs, and ladders for an obstacle course.

C - Creating! Mix and match activities for a summer-long series of fun. A golf tour could consist of visiting the area's Frisbee/disc golf sites and miniature golf courses, with some computer golf sprinkled into the mix for rainy days. For home bodies, a tournament featuring card games may be up your alley.

E - Experiencing the Senses! Try the Northern Indiana Center of History (sight), Borders Books and Music (sound), the Chocolate Café (taste), HealthWorks Kids Museum (touch), and the fragrance counters at the stores in the University Park Mall (smell) for adventures with the senses. Attending an area festival would activate all of the senses.

Our community is rich with activity and resources for creating a fun summer! By bringing PEACE into your home, you'll be able to connect to them.

Jeff Roberts is the author of "You TOO Can Have Fun in South Bend (& Its Neighbors)" and founder of Community Fun Web, Inc. For information on his book and fun workshops, call 219-288-5960 or e-mail mrfun@michiana.org.

"I'm Not Lost Anymore"

Gwenyth M. DeLee

Recently I attended the graduation day activities of all three of our Family Life Seminars. The graduates' sharings reinforced my belief that every ounce of effort put forth by our staff, counselors and volunteers is worth whatever sacrifice is needed. Listen to what they have to say, and see if you don't agree.
"I'm a single parent who had a lot of stress and chaos. These classes have taught me how to deal with it. The paper organization skit really spoke to me! Now there's no more mail stacked all over the counters and dressers. .. It takes discipline and willingness to change, but I'm using the 5% course correction and daily chore list, and my house is orderly, quiet and peaceful…I am not lost anymore. I know that it's up to us to apply what we've learned from now on…I'm telling all my friends, 'They feed you and it's free!' I wouldn't have been able to afford it if it hadn't been free. I also know that I can only keep it by giving it away."
"Home Management Resources takes concepts out of the abstract by breaking them down so you can start in simple ways. They give you knowledge and application techniques that families can really use!"
Such successes are surprisingly rare - and vital - in the world today. William Bennett who served under two presidents as Secretary of and Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (the drug czar), voiced his concern about the plight of our families in a recent speech he gave in Washington, D.C.
"The family is the first department of health, education and welfare…Today the family is under siege, under attack, and if it goes, the nation goes with it."
But there is another all-too-prevalent set of circumstances that is wreaking havoc on the internal stability of families. In general today, people simply haven't been given the knowledge or the mentoring they need to competently manage a home and raise a family. The truth is: Parents can't teach what they don't know! The quality of life for every family is literally dependent on the knowledge base and level of commitment of the parents.
In a positive home environment family members feel safe, secure, loved and supported, even in the midst of normal life stresses. If it is more negative than positive, with lots of disorganization and constant crises that "safety net" begins to erode, causing isolation and feelings of loneliness and fear, eventually giving way to mistrust, violent episodes, and ultimately the destruction of all that is nurturing and life giving. The bottom line is that families cannot thrive without positive reinforcement and mentoring from people who care.
The good news is that parents, who learn new ways of behaving, alter their life circumstances and the relationships that accompany them. Case in point are the recent graduates who you read about today. These parents have begun to utilize techniques and strategies to improve their own departments of health, education, and welfare right at home. Get ready Bill Bennett…one of these days, I'm going to bring a busload of our graduates to Washington, DC, and let them tell President Bush about real life solutions that work.
"I now realize how important good nutrition is! I used to eat in fast food places every day for lunch; now I go home most days and fix something that's good for me...We used to rush around insanely every morning; now we do things at night to prepare for the next day. In the morning my kids make their beds and I teach them that there's a place for everything, because clutter makes it hard to concentrate or entertain guests…I'm so much more peaceful because I don't have to tackle the whole house at once anymore; I use the 5 degree course correction instead…I realize that saving just a little all the time gives you something for an emergency. Because of HMR I'm prospering more and so are my kids… When you come here (HMR) you see that you aren't the only one with problems. You hear about others' lives and see that other people care. For two hours someone will be there who will listen and give you feedback. "
To our friends who support our mission to strengthen the families of our community, I say "Congratulations"! You've made a good investment of your money and time. In the past year, with your assistance we've helped almost

100 new families gain insight, inspiration, skill and confidence because we care enough to be there for them, and congratulations to the new graduates who just completed the Family Life Seminars. Together, we're building more competent, committed families who will show others - here and everywhere - how to do it, and do it well!

We'll pray that you have a safe and happy summer.
My best to you all,

Gwen

"Funding Corner"

A Changing of the Guard

At the spring board meeting of Home Management Resources, the reins of the development committee were officially turned over to the new co-chairs, Marijo Kelly and Jo Ann MacKenzie "As our first official act, we would like to recognize the outstanding job that Pat Cressy has done this past year as chair of this important committee, " stated Marijo Kelly. "She led by example with integrity, generosity and passion."

The goal of the development committee is to raise the funds necessary to assure that the mission of Home Management can be implemented at the highest level. The services that we offer are essential to realize the vision that strong families make strong communities. To achieve this important goal, we have implemented a number of partnerships with other community organizations that share our vision and mission. Our new home and recent partnership with the YMCA is just one example of the synergy at work.

The recent changes that Home Management has experienced offer wonderful opportunities for growth. These changes also present significant challenges to raise the funds needed to increase the outreach of our programs and services. fully realizes that we need help from others. For the first time n the 15-year existence of the program, we will be paying rent.

There are many ways to make a gift to Home Management Resources. You can always send a gift of cash or you might want to transfer stock or other appreciated assets which can provide special tax benefits. Please consider including Home Management Resources in your estate or financial plans. To remember a loved one or to honor someone who has held a special place in your life, you can set up a memorial fund at Home Management. For information on any of these gift opportunities, please contact Natalie Lott at 219-233-3486 or Nataliehmr@aol.com .

To our donors and sustaining partners, know that we could not have done it without you. We are grateful for your commitment and support. We appreciate that you share our vision for the future. We pledge to continue the wonderful work that Pat Cressy started to assure the financial viability of this wonderful organization.

Marijo Kelly and Jo Ann MacKensie

Development Committee CO-Chairs

Single Parents Raise Good Kids Too

It is difficult and challenging to be a parent today, and it is even more difficult to raise children alone. But good solid parenting has less to do with the number of parents in the home and more to do with the quality of parenting. Whether the single parent household is headed by a mother, father, or a grandparent, raising children alone is an enormous task.

Nurturing is a high priority, but children need to feel secure and protected, and it is our job as parents to create a nurturing environment where they can thrive. Your children need to hear how much you love them and how proud you are of them. Some children may require more affection and attention than others, so know your child, and take your cue from him/her.

If you would like to learn more about parenting effectively, Call 219-233-3486 to register for "Creative Parenting".

Time In - Job Done

Summertime and the livin' is easy….or that's the way life ought to be, so we thought we'd share one of the best ideas we teach to take control of those impossibly cluttered areas (the monster jobs) you've been putting off tackling for too long. We call it Time In / Time Out. The hardest part is getting up the courage to begin. Once you've made the decision to begin, take a timer with you and set it for 10 or 15 minutes. Go into the area and make a plan of attack, or whatever you can do in that period of time. When the timer rings, it's Time Out! Stop working, leave the area, and close the door behind you. Each day, take your timer with you and repeat the same process. At some point, you'll become so excited about the progress you've made that you'll want to work until you finish the job! (This approach is good for a parent to use when you want a child to undertake projects that seems too big to manage). Best of all, you don't have to get all hot and bothered on a lazy summer day. During your Time Out, pour yourself a refreshing glass of cool lemonade that you can enjoy in the shade of an old tree. Ahhh…summertime, and the livin' is easy.

Home Management Resources would like to thank the following underwriters for their generous in-kind donations to our facility renovation project:

David Sassano, Architect
Vern Casteel, President, Casteel Construction
Denny Heckeman, Casteel Construction
Casteel Construction
Circle Lumber
St. Joe Valley Plumbing Heating & Cooling
Contractors Solutions Systems
Midwest Tile and Interiors
Eckler Lahey
SPESCO
Garden Patch Market
Makielski Art Supply
The Finer Point Professional Painting
Interiors by Design
Midwest Blinds
Birdie McElroy
C.E. Lee Company
Meijer, Inc.
Hermann and Goetz
Bob Miller Appliances
Plumbing & Pipe Fitters Local #172
Kimble's Plumbing
Michiana Tops
Harmony Market
J.C. Penney
Carpet and Tile Depot
Michiana Carpet Supply
Home Acres Building Supply
William Cressy
Christianson Furniture
Trans Tech Electric
NE Indiana Carpenters Apprenticeship Program
E. J. White Plumbing
Harmon Glass
Comfort Carpet
Leo Shafer
Dave Novotski
Werntz Building Supply
Piser/Thanos Decorating Center
Habitat for Humanity
Sharpe Interiors
Gene's Camera Store
Interiors Etc.
Susan Hockman

Material Needs

Do you have any of the following items that you could donate?

Blenders

Heavy Duty Standing Mixer

Dehydrator

Large set dishes

Large area rug

Office desk lamps

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1201 Northside Blvd. South Bend, Indiana 46615
(Between IUSB and the Farmers Market)
574-233-3486, fax 574-234-7220