2013 Back to School - Westview Boys Home

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Published for the friends of the young men at Westview
Accellus Program
helps youth . . .
At work in the lab
When boys first come to
Westview, 90% of them have
been struggling in school. Many
lack a knowledge of even the
fundamentals of math and
language, which in turn affects their
DJ makes his last pass before shutting down for the day
Park the tractor, it’s back to school!
work in other classes as well, such
as science.
In 2011, a grant empowered
abilities, we can begin to build hope. Next, we
Westview and the Hollis Schools
you may be annoyed, but the problem is easily
give them safety and structure; with no fear
to use technology to advance
solved: just make one pass with the tractor.
of being called names, their steady presence
the academic levels of our boys.
When you miss something in school, though,
in an environment of affirmation helps them
Together we have developed a
the deficit is not always so easily fixed.
begin to experience success once again.
computer learning lab on campus.
If you’re mowing the yard and miss a spot,
Most of the young men who come to
As together we learn their character and
Using laptop computers, the
Westview are struggling in school. Family
strengths, we can help them dream about their
Accellus system, and a tutor
circumstances, often beyond their control,
futures and the person they hope to become.
for assistance, our boys have
cause them to miss important days at school
We also help them see that connection to a
strengthened their fundamentals.
and lose out on learning key concepts that are
godly community makes them even stronger.
In 2012, “Study Island” added
fundamental building blocks for other pieces
of knowledge that follow. When they can’t
catch up (which happens frequently), they
get frustrated and begin to lose hope. Grades
suffer. They become angry and begin to doubt
themselves.
“At Westview, we work to break the cycle
of frustration and doubt; in its place, we
give our young men an opportunity for
transformation.”
Our aim is to help our young men see that,
variety to the program.
Since then, our boys’ grades
have improved dramatically. Each
week the boys have an opportunity
to access these programs and the
results are phenomenal. Boys
At Westview, we work to break the cycle of
with God’s help, they can transform their
whose grades were a problem are
frustration and doubt; in its place, we give our
lives into a joyful, meaningful experience
now passing all their classes.
young men an opportunity for transformation.
that impacts the lives of many others, too.
First, we identify their strengths and their
We thank the many friends who make such
have with the Hollis Public Schools;
transformational experiences possible.
together we make a difference.
struggles; once we know the truth about their
We appreciate our partnership we
Westview Boys’ Home • P.O. Box 553, 120 W. Broadway, Hollis, OK 73550 • Phone: (580) 688-9281 • Fax: (580) 688-2669
3
WBH lends a
hand after the
Moore tornado
From left to right: Sayre elder John Hill; Westview board member, Marvin Stewart; Westview executive director, Ron
Bruner; Westview campus manager, Terry Owens; Gray Chevrolet representative, Jamie Turner.
Sayre Church of Christ purchases
a new vehicle for Westview
The following story recently appeared in
The Sayre Record:
Sayre – Elders from the Sayre Church of
care. The congregation has other programs
that serve youth locally in Sayre.
“The gift of this work truck,” noted Westview
Christ presented the keys to a new Chevrolet
executive director Ron Bruner, “will ensure
2500 pickup truck to Westview Boys’ Home at
that the Westview team will have reliable
Doug Gray Chevrolet this week. Church elders
equipment to pull trailers, help boys with their
and representatives of Westview were on hand
show animals, and to handle other work proj-
for the presentation.
ects on campus. We continue to be thankful
for the decades of compassionate care given
Church elder John Hill said, “This gift will
by this great church.”
meet some of the needs of the young men at
Westview; our hope is that it will challenge
Westview is currently in the process of
other congregations to provide just as gener-
updating key vehicles in its fleet to keep boys
ously for needy children.”
safe and to reduce operating costs.
The Sayre Church of Christ has a long his-
Having served over 2,000 at-risk boys since
tory of caring for vulnerable youth; as a part of
its beginning, Westview is a recent recipient
its work, members of this congregation helped
of the prestigious ONE (Oklahoma Nonprofit
establish Westview in Hollis, Oklahoma
Excellence) award. Westview has expanded an
in 1956. Since then, church members have
initial site of eleven acres into a working ranch
mended clothes, built houses, and given finan-
with 1,500 acres, a farm, a pecan orchard, and
cial support for the young men in Westview’s
six large homes in rural Harmon County.
Hav e yo u r e m e m b e r e d t h e b o
Westview Boys’ Home undertakes a list
of new projects for the boys . . .
Many individuals, churches, and foundations
Replacement vehicles—Over the last two
partner with Westview Boys’ Home to make
years, friends of our boys have replaced two of
transformational experiences possible for the
our vans with new equipment. Also, the Sayre
young men who come to the Ranch. To keep that
Church of Christ (see the article on p. 2) replaced
important work moving forward, the Westview
a pickup truck on our campus. Their generosity
team works hard to maintain the very best of
has kept our boys safe and reduced our cost of
facilities and equipment for our young men.
operation. Currently we need to replace another
This fall, the Westview team is beginning work
on dozens of projects to improve our program-
15 passenger van.
New windows—Since we built our houses
ming, our campus, and the quality of life for the
over four decades ago, the windows need
young men who live here. If friends of the Home
replacement. Though the windows were good
would like to help us raise the funds to complete
at the time, modern windows are much more en-
these projects, we would be grateful!
ergy efficient. Replacement of the windows could
Kitchens on campus—There are six large
save Westview thousands of dollars per year in
kitchen/dining rooms on Westview’s campus;
utilities. One church and one foundation has
each of these kitchens was built in the 1960’s or
already given us money to get started—we need
70’s and is in need of remodeling. Since West-
addtional funding to finish other houses.
view serves young men in family settings, these
Replacing ZTR mowers—Living on a ranch
rooms are central to the work that we do with
means that we have a lot of grass to cope with;
young men—they tend to be the hub of activity
some gets grazed, some becomes hay, and the
at each house. Westview has already remod-
rest has to be mowed. Tractors deal with large
eled one of its kitchens (please see the photo
open areas, but there are still large yards that
of Molloy’s new kitchen below). We are now
are maintained with zero-turning radius lawn
seeking contributions to match grant money that
mowers. We have two mowers that have served
we have been given so that we can update these
us well, but now need replacement. If you would
important facilities.
like to help, please call: 580-688-9281.
The remodeled kitchen and dining room at Molloy House
o y s at W e s t v i e w i n y o u r w i l l ?
Glimpses of the
Summer Work
Program . . .
A Message
from Home
Transformation. This summer
at Westview has been very much
about transformation: the ongoing
improvement of our campus, the
continuous learning process of our
team, and, most importantly, the
opportunities for transformation
that our young men are pursuing.
As this bulletin has shown, we
Wide open spaces: looking across Westview’s north campus toward the ranch manager’s house (Moody House).
are in the process of improving our
campus for the benefit of the boys
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be
yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase
in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding.” - Proverbs 9:9-10
who live here. We’ve made some
progress, and we have a plan for the
distance we have yet to cover.
The Westview team is also
working to improve our skills.
Team members are taking classes,
doing research, and sharing the
information that they’ve gained
with other team members. We want
We value education!
Building a life requires solid foundations,
faith being the first of those. One of the next
most important footings is education, and
that is a primary focus at Westview. This
emphasis does not end with high school
graduation; a good number of our young
men go on to pursue college degrees.
BIRTHDAYS
The Westview Foundation
P.O. Box 714
Hollis, OK 73550
(580) 688-3608
The purpose for all of this work
is to better serve the young men
who live among us. Their time on
Kaleal Smith . . . . . 9/4
Zach Paul . . . . . . . 9/14
Eric Aguilar . . . . . 9/17
the ranch may be one of the most
transformative moments in their
lives; our hope is that it launches
them well into a life of faith and
service in a world that needs them.
In all these things, we give thanks
Your caring contributions to the Westview
Foundation help sustain the ongoing
education of at-risk youth who live at
Westview Boys’ Home. Your legacy can
provide the means to help our boys pursue
their dreams for many years to come.
If you have questions about what you might
like your legacy to be, or if you have a gift
you wish to make, please contact us at:
to keep getting better at what we do.
to a God who seeks to transform us
into a better people. May we please
God and give God the glory.
Blessings,
Westview is supported
by its many friends, and
local congregations of the
Churches of Christ
Ron Bruner
Executive Director
Westview Boys’ Home • P.O. Box 553, 120 W. Broadway, Hollis, OK 73550 • Phone: (580) 688-9281 • Fax: (580) 688-2669