We are very much alike, you and I

A HopeTree Family Services Publication
Caring Times
June 2012
We are very much alike, you and I...
Emotionally, we generally treasure
are important for communicating,
our friends and cherish our families.
taking care of myself, living at home,
Spiritually, we tend to worship the
interacting socially, keeping myself
same God who made both the limitless
safe, performing academics like
universe and the Mayfly with the same
reading, writing, and basic math, and
loving care.
many forms of work. I may also have
Socially, we enjoy many of the same
a serious physical ailment or two.
activities with the same passion. We cry
I have an intellectual disability.
at sad movies, cheer for the underdog,
I can perform
and love ice cream.
many of the skills
Physically, we
Developmental Disabilities so-called ‘normal’
resemble each other
Ministry
people do. It may
a great deal. We may
take me a little
be skinny and tall or
longer
or
I
may
have
to learn those
shorter and heavier. We may even be
skills in a different way, or may not
getting a little grey around the edges.
be quite as good at them as you, but I
That’s okay, though. There may be
can do them. Suppose you decided to
snow on the roof, but there’s still fire in
sing in the choir on Sunday morning.
the furnace. But there is one important
Would they let you? Certainly. Are
thing I ask you to remember:
you Luciano Pavarotti or Sandi Patti?
I have an intellectual disability. That
No. But you can still sing, can’t you?
means my brain works differently than
I have an intellectual disability. I
many people you know. I may have
am
not content to be a wallflower.
trouble with some of the skills that
I want to live. I want to hold
a job and earn a living and pay
my bills like anyone else. I have
hobbies and interests that I
derive the same joy and sense of
accomplishment from as you do
from yours.
I have an intellectual
disability. I want to help my
community and participate in
my church. I know who God is.
I love Jesus for what He did for
me. I share that love with those around
me as well as I can whenever I can.
I have an intellectual disability. I
am not always happy or pleasant. I have
bad days just like anyone else. I am not
always ‘lovable’ or ‘cute’ or any of the
other stereotypes you may have heard.
“We Are Very Much Alike”
continues on page 3.
HopeTree Family Services was founded in 1890 as the Baptist Orphanage of Virginia
and still proudly serves as a ministry partner of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
Progress Report:
Blessings Home
A Message
of Hope
We all seem reach a point when we
seriously question who we are and why
we are on the Earth. Wrestling with
those answers often leads us to ask
those same questions of others. How
much do we really know about our
friends and co-workers? What talents
or skills might they have hidden under
the bushels of their everyday lives?
The question of identity, both our
own and that of others, can be tricky
to answer. Pastors and psychologists
alike have struggled for years to help
people find satisfactory answers to
who they are and why they are in their
current lives. HopeTree Family Services
has been blessed not to struggle with
an identity crisis, nor a question of
purpose. We were founded in 1890 to
provide care for children and youth
in need by mission-minded, forwardthinking Baptists. We have held to
their mission and to their forwardthinking mindset.
From Foster Care to the Wilderness
Outdoor Opportunity Discovery
School to HopeTree Academy to
Residential and Independent Living,
our commitment to children and youth
is the same as it was 120 years ago.
Dr. Stephen W. Richerson
President & Executive Director
Twenty years ago we recognized a
need to nurture a slightly different facet
of our ‘personality’. We began caring for
adults with intellectual disabilities in
response to a request from the Baptist
General Association of Virginia. These
men and women are legally adults. They
have often been primarily cared for by
their parents or immediate family. They
remain someone’s child just as you will
always be your parents’ child. Just as we
are all children of God.
The question of why HopeTree Family
Services is here is clearly answered each
time we look into the eyes of one of our
residents. We are here to provide the
shelter, nurturing, and encouragement
each individual needs to become the
person God intends them to be.
With your support, we provide the
answers they all seek.
Your generosity through the
holidays was remarkable.
We are steadily moving closer
to our goal of $400,000 to
complete the Blessings Home
on the Salem campus.
As of 6/1/12, our total raised is
$106,890.
We would appreciate your help
in recruiting new friends to our
cause. Please refer your friends
to our website,
www.HopeTreeFS.org,
so they can learn more about
this exciting project.
$400,000
$300,000
$200,000
$96,332
$100,000
4/23/12
The Mission of HopeTree Family Services
is to provide Christian residential, educational,
and support services to at-risk children and youth,
and to adults with intellectual disabilities
throughout Virginia.
HopeTree Family Services provides residential care to at-risk youth as well as adults
with intellectual disabilities. In accordance with Federal law and US Department of
Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write
USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (voice). TDD users can contact USDA through
local relay or the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice
users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The Developmental Disabilities Ministry shall develop, carry out, and regularly
monitor policies and procedures governing discrimination in the provision of services to
adult residents with developmental disabilities. HopeTree Family Services shall comply
with all state and federal laws, including any applicable provisions of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (42 USC 2101 et seq.), that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, ethnicity, age, sex, disability, or ability to pay.
Volume 46 - No. 8
June 2012
Caring Times is published 16 times per year by
HopeTree Family Services, 860 Mt. Vernon Lane,
Salem, VA 24153. CaringTimes@HopeTreeFS.
org Phone: (540) 389-2112 Select photos may
represent volunteers and not actual clients of
HopeTree Family Services.
Publisher..............................Dr. Stephen Richerson
Editor........................................................Mark Early
Hope Events
2012 Walk for Hope
The most recent Walk for Hope
events were conducted by:
HopeTree Family Services - Salem
Round Hill Baptist - Round Hill
Waterford Baptist - Waterford
Atlantic Baptist, Old Chincoteague
Baptist, Horntown Baptist Chincoteague
Southside Baptist Association
Congratulations are in order for Donny (above left) and Quan. They have been
accepted for admission to King College in Bristol, VA. Donny and Quan reside in our
Independent Living program and attend nearby Salem High School.
Without your support, these two young men would not be on the threshold of successful adult lives. In upcoming editions of Caring Times, we will keep you appraised
of their continued success.
“We Are Very Much Alike” continued from page 1.
We extend our deepest gratitude
to all who have organized and
participated in Hope Events all
across Virginia so far this year.
As of June 1, a grand total of
$25,151 has been raised in support
of HopeTree Family Services’
ministries at Hope Events across
Virginia.
Please consider lending your
support to our ministries to at-risk
children and youth and to adults
with intellectual disabilities by
hosting a Hope Event of your own.
Have a Bike for Hope, Rock for
Hope, or Anything You Want for
Hope....we’ll provide the promotions
and materials, you provide the place
and the people.
Call Shauna Chastang at
(540) 389-2112 or send an
e-mail to
[email protected].
Statewide
Hope Events
I have an intellectual disability. I have the capacity to love quickly and deeply.
Sometimes I am guarded around strangers as most people are, but I can quickly
open my heart and my arms to embrace nearly anyone. I know I could embrace
you as a friend and cherish your companionship for many, many years.
Because we are so very much alike.
9/15
Henry County Baptist
Association - Walk for Hope
Martinsville, VA
Ways to Give
Tried and True
The Men of Ruth Camp Campbell Cottage II - (left to right) Ricky, Jon, John,
Scott, and David.
These gentlemen live in Ruth Camp
Campbell Cottage II. For some, it has
been their home for a decade or more.
The two-story structure was originally
constructed as the Straley-Kinchloe
Infirmary in 1938. Seventy-four years
later it is still as structurally strong as
the day it opened.
However, ten years after most of the
men moved into the re-named Cottage
II as part of the Developmental
Disabilities Ministry, they are not quite
as sturdy as they were in their younger
days. As they continue to age, the
building’s central staircase will become
more and more difficult for them to
manage. The two-story structure also
presents a challenge to staff who care
for the men and provide many different
types of life-skills training.
That is why we are conducting the
Building upon the Pillars campaign to
construct a new home for these men.
This project actually began in February
2008 when ground was broken for the
Bledsoe Home on the Salem Campus.
Our original plan called for two
new homes for adults with intellectual
disabilities to be built on the Salem
Campus. Unfortunately, expected
funding for the second home
disappeared in the economic troubles
of that time. Since then, we have been
attempting to discover new sources of
the necessary funds to complete that
second home we call the Blessings
Home.
A foundation has been laid
and roughly one-quarter of the
$400,000 necessary to build the
Blessings Home has been raised.
By sharing your blessings with
the men of Cottage II, they can
soon move into the Blessings
Home and continue to enjoy
fulfilling, productive lives as
God has intended for them.
Please complete and return
the form below with your
contribution to the Blessings
Home. Thank you.
Please address the
form below and all
other correspondence
regarding the
Blessings Home to:
HopeTree
Family Services
Attn: David Wilson
PO Box 849
Salem, VA 24153
Mailing a check is still the primary way
many people contribute to HopeTree
Family Services.
Quick and Simple
You can easily donate via credit card on
our website (HopeTreeFS.org) or with a
secure electronic funds transfer through
your local bank.
Its Negotiable
HopeTree Family Services accepts
donations of stocks, bonds, Certificates
of Deposit, Money Market Accounts, and
other financial investments.
“We remember before our
God and Father your work
produced by faith, your labor
prompted by love, and your
endurance inspired by hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ.”
-- 1 Thessalonians 1:3
( ) I want to help build the Blessings Home. Please accept my gift of $________.
Name:_______________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City:__________________________State:____Zip:_____Phone:__________
E-Mail: ______________________________________________________