Playing Eco-Friendly - Hoffman Homes for Youth

WINTER 2009
Playing Eco-Friendly
A new playground made out of 64,623 recycled plastic milk
jugs was installed behind Trinity and Barkley Residences this
fall. The children’s anticipation grew with each passing week
as they watched the maintenance workers install this new
playground. The colorful new equipment took several weeks
to build and just recently was opened up for children to play.
Whether hanging, gliding, or sliding the new playground
can be enjoyed by all children in care. The funds for the new
playground were secured through the Creative Therapies
Fund as part of the Recreational Programs offered at Hoffman Homes.
Letter from the
Executive Director
Dear Friends:
Children being admitted into our psychiatric
residential treatment program generally range in
age from 6-17. Children come into our care
with a myriad of mental health issues and
concerns, but by law are required to attend/participate in an education program.
Hoffman Homes, in cooperation with the Lincoln Intermediate Unit, provides educational
services to all children in care. We currently
have 11 classrooms in our on-campus school and also provide remedial
math and language services to those children identified as in need.
Due to various backgrounds and circumstances, there are instances with certain children in care who do not attend educational programs on a full time
schedule. Some of the children at HH have, for numerous reasons, not consistently attended education programs prior to coming to HH and find
themselves many credits behind in achieving a high school diploma. For
these children, the best approach may be to prepare for a GED. For other
children, because of specific behavioral needs, a full time educational day
often is not effective.
To assist children who require modified educational programs throughout
their school day, Hoffman Homes offers a Life Skills Therapy (LST) Program.
Currently, there are four options available for HH children.
Building and Grounds: Children have the opportunity to work with our maintenance staff around our campus and learn basic skills in landscaping work.
Culinary: Children learn and help with meal preparation and serving lunches.
Library: Assisted by our education staff, HH children learn about cataloging
books and materials for our school library. Children also take part in checking out materials for other children during the school day.
Custodial: HH children work with our school custodian and assist in performing basic custodial tasks.
In each of the LST programs, children participating are learning vocational
skills that will hopefully help prepare them in gaining meaningful employment at some time upon their discharge from HH. All children involved in
LST programs are reimbursed for their work.
Thanks to our staff in the LST programs who are willing to help exceptional
HH children with special training opportunities that will assist them in their
overall treatment program. We also express our thanks to each of you in
supporting our efforts to help and serve children.
Sincerely,
George Sepic, M.Ed., MSW, LSW
Executive Director
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Fall Walking Party and
Health and Wellness Fair
This year Hoffman Homes celebrated their third annual Health and Wellness Fair. The purpose of this fair
is to raise awareness to employees and community
members regarding the importance of maintaining
good health. In conjunction with Staff
Recognition Week, Hoffman Homes’ employees
and community members were encouraged to
attend events hosted by
the Health and Wellness
Committee at Hoffman
Homes.
with exhibits. A poker walk on Hoffman Homes’ scenic walking trail, cooking demonstration presented
by Chef Carey Ehly, yoga demonstration, and sports
activities on the oval were all part of the many activities offered. Many door
prizes were awarded that
were donated from local
businesses.
The mission of the Hoffman Homes Health and
Wellness Committee is
to “foster an environment through education
and activities that promote physical, emoThroughout the week
tional, and spiritual
there
were
several
events taking place on
well-being for the employees and the commucampus during evening
nity they serve.” The
hours. This year, a
children at Hoffman
Zumba class was offered
Homes were also inwith Alexis Murren involved in the day’s activstructing the class on
ities as they assisted the
Tuesday evening and on
Chef Carey demonstrated how to carve a swan
mental health workers
Wednesday
evening
out of honeydew.
in preparing healthy
Hoffman Homes partnered with Healthy Adams County and hosted one recipes. A recipe book was compiled and distributed
of their six Fall Walking Parties. Those participating in to staff and exhibitors outlining a healthy recipe from
the Fall Walking Party received a free Hoffman Homes each residence.
t-shirt along with refreshments at the completion of
Lori Garman is the Director of Human Resources at
the walk.
Hoffman Homes for Youth. For more information on
The Health and Wellness Fair took place on Thursday, Health and Wellness activities offered in 2009 or emOctober 2nd and included approximately 40 vendors ployment opportunities you may contact her at exfrom the community that filled up the gymnasium tension 2200.
Road Rally
Hoffman Homes partnered with the Adams County Land Conservancy on Saturday, October 18th and was one of the designated stops
during their 10th annual Road Rally. This year the theme was the
“Seven Wonders of Adams County.” When stopping at Hoffman
Homes, the Road Rally participants had to skip stones across the pond.
Shawn, youth in care, assisted those who preferred not to skip stones.
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Hoffman Homes celebrated their 5th annual Autumn Gala on Friday, November 7th at the Hanover
Country Club. This event helped secure additional
funds to offset the cost of the new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that was installed
this summer in the school building. Once again,
Susan Shapiro of WGAL 8 served as celebrity emcee
and assisted Randy Dickensheets with the live auction. CORQI provided musical entertainment during the evening.
There were six Champaign Sponsors this year including Highmark, Frey Lutz, Essis and Sons Carpet
One, River Rock Academy, Bell Insurance, and PNC
Bank. With 167 guests in attendance, the evening
proved to be a true success raising nearly $15,000!
A special thanks went out to Jason Detter, Lori Garman, Becky Hagan, Holly Saporito, Mitch Snider,
Amy Teal, Jennifer Wall, Brecia Nevada, and Liz and
Arthur Woods at the end of the evening for their
hard work in volunteering their time and talent to
help make the evening possible.
Susan Shapiro, Celebrity Emcee WGAL 8 News, and
Jennifer Wall, Director of Development, enjoy musical
entertainment provided by Corqi.
Don’t forget to put next year’s Autumn Gala date on
your calendar: Friday, November 6, 2009! We hope
you can join us as we begin to kick off our centennial anniversary.
George Sepic, Executive Director of Hoffman Homes, presented Bill Witman with the Volunteer of the Year Award.
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Annual Appeal
The 2008-2009 Annual Appeal hit mailboxes the week before Thanksgiving.
This year, the "Warming the Heart"
Campaign will conclude with this appeal and all monies raised will be used
to offset the $2 million dollar cost of
the new heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning system that was installed
in the Myers building this past summer.
Your Annual Appeal letter should have
arrived. If you did not receive one or
for more information on other programs offered at Hoffman Homes for
Youth please contact Jennifer Wall, Director of Development at (717) 3597148 ext. 1502.
Pageant and
Holiday Open House
The annual Christmas program took place on Saturday, December 13th in the Chapel at Hoffman
Homes. The real meaning of Christmas was expressed through songs and scripture. With direction from Brenda McCabe, the Christmas program
touched the hearts of many as the children put
many hours of practice into this performance.
Upon the conclusion of the Christmas program,
family members, visitors, and staff joined the children during the social hour in the dining hall with
food provided by Chef Carey and culinary staff.
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Friends of Hoffman
Homes present check
for $10,000
On Thursday, November 6, 2008 the Friends of Hoffman
Homes presented a check for $10,000 to be used towards new
furniture for each of the ten residences on campus. The
Friends of Hoffman Homes is a volunteer committee aimed
towards raising funds to improve the programs at Hoffman
Homes. Their annual fall membership meeting involved the
election of new officers and plans were discussed for the upcoming Chicken Barbecue and Raffle to be held on May 30,
2009 at the Battlefield Harley Davidson.
Officers elected for 2009 were
President: Cherry Snyder
1st Vice President: Estelle King
2nd Vice President: Nan Frost
Secretary: Maryann Brenneman
Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Downing
Treasurer: Carol Spangler-Solomon
Assistant Treasurer: Madge Armstrong
Historian: Delores Small
Nominating Committee:
Luann Myers (chair), Mary Rippel, Ruth
Gallagher, Mildred Kline, Carolyn Poff,
Jane Johnson, Carla Smith
Hoffman Homes
Welcomes New
Director of
Health Care
Services
Tamela Mummert came to Hoffman
Homes with experience in psychiatric and pediatric nursing and was
hired as the new Director of Health
Care Services. She holds a Bachelors
Degree in Organizational Management and Associate Degrees in Nursing and Business Administration.
Tamela anticipates starting her Master’s program in the coming months.
Meanwhile, she will be adjusting to
her new role as Director of Health
Care Services and learning about the
unique treatment programs offered
at Hoffman Homes.
In addition to the $10,000 check for furniture, the Friends of
Hoffman Homes also presented a $500 check for the Holiday
Gift Program, which ensures that all children in care receive
Christmas presents.
Plans for the 2009 Chicken Barbecue and Raffle are now underway and raffle tickets are being sold for $1.00 a piece or 6
tickets for $5.00. This donation to Hoffman Homes allows you
to choose between several different raffle items. Raffle tickets
can be purchased from any Friends representative or by contacting Jennifer Wall, Director of Development at 717-3597148 ext. 1502. The winners of the raffle items will be
announced at 1 p.m. at the Battlefield Harley-Davidson on
May 30, 2009 and individuals participating in this raffle do
not need to be present to win.
To learn more about the Friends of Hoffman Homes organization please visit www.hoffmanhomes.com and click on the
link to Friends of Hoffman Homes.
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Tamela Mummert, RN, BA
New Director of
Health Care Services
A.B.A.T.E.
On Saturday, November 22nd, A.B.A.T.E. (Alliance of Bikers
Aimed Towards Education) made their annual visit to Hoffman Homes. With “Red Man” Santa leading the way, the motorcycles circled the oval as they honked their horns for all
the children to hear. The children were delighted as they
waved and admired the Harley-Davidson bikes. Santa presented a $5,000 check to Mr. Snider, Associate Director, to be
used towards recreation equipment. The children are able to
play games such as table tennis, Playstation 2, and pool in
the recreation room. For the children, this offers an excellent
opportunity to help build friendships, improve social skills,
and visit with family members. This year, members of
A.B.A.T.E. had t-shirts custom made for each child in care.
This helped bolster the children’s self-esteem as they quickly
realized that their t-shirt was made especially for them! With
more than 120 children in care, this took a lot of time and
coordination from members of A.B.A.T.E. Thank you
A.B.A.T.E. for bringing smiles to the faces of children during
this holiday season!
2009 YOUTH DAY EVENTS
DATES ANNOUNCED
Youth groups from all churches are welcome to attend
the 2009 Youth Day Events. For United Church of Christ
congregations, this event is when confirmands learn
about the mission of the church and how Hoffman
Homes for Youth is related to that mission. This year’s
events will be held on March 21 and March 28 from
10:00-12:00 a.m. The day begins with a light breakfast and short introduction into the “mission” of Hoffman Homes for Youth and how it relates to the church
and youth groups. Visitors will take a tour of campus,
learn about the programs offered at Hoffman Homes,
and complete a service project. For information and to
reserve a date for your group, contact Jennifer Wall,
Director of Development, at extension 1502.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
CHICKEN BARBECUE & RAFFLE at
BATTLEFIELD HARLEY-DAVIDSON
The Friends of Hoffman Homes for Youth invite you to
attend the Annual Chicken Barbecue and Raffle to be
held on Saturday, May 30th at the Battlefield HarleyDavidson. Although this event has been taking place
annually for many years, it will be their first time selling at the Battlefield Harley-Davidson. All proceeds
help support the programs at Hoffman Homes for
Youth. Chicken dinners go on sale at 11 a.m. and are
$7.00 with the option of purchasing baked goods
and soda. For information regarding this event
please contact 359-7148 ext.1502.
Monday, June 8, 2009
12TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Don’t miss the 12th Annual Golf Tournament scheduled at the Hanover Country Club. Join us for lunch,
a shot-gun start at 12:30 p.m., dinner and more giveaways than you can imagine. The profits from this
year’s golf tournament will help to furnish each of
the ten residences with new furniture.
Friday, November 6, 2009
AUTUMN GALA
SAVE THE DATE: Friday, November 6, 2009
More details to come!
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HOFFMAN BY THE NUMBERS
2007 STATISTIC TOTALS
159 children admitted
170 children discharged
12.7 was the average age
8.9 months was the average length of stay
74% of children admitted had previous
inpatient psychiatric hospital stays
37% of children admitted had made at least
one serious attempt of suicide
25% of children admitted had been sexually
abused
43% of children admitted had been physically
abused
91% of children admitted had a history of
aggression
WINTER 2009
Playing Eco-Friendly ................................page 1
Letter from the Executive Director .........page 2
Fall Walking Party....................................page 3
Road Rally ................................................page 3
Autumn Gala ...........................................page 4
Annual Appeal .........................................page 5
Pageant & Holiday Open House .............page 5
Friends Present Check .............................page 6
New Director of Health Care Services ....page 6
A.B.A.T.E. .................................................page 7
Upcoming Events ....................................page 7
Holiday Gift Program ..............................page 8
Members of the Trinity UCC in Gettysburg, PA deliver
Christmas Gifts for the boys in Trinity Residence.
Holiday Gift Program
The Holiday Gift Program ensures that all children in care receive Christmas gifts during the holiday season. Each year individuals, churches,
schools, clubs, businesses, and organizations contact the development office and receive individual gift tags to go out and purchase the child’s desired gift. Additionally, some opt to make a monetary donation restricted
to the Holiday Gift Program. This takes a lot of coordination in order to
ensure that the children receive what is on their Christmas Wish List.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this possible for the children
in care this year!