caring times - HopeTree Family Services

August 2016
CARING TIMES
HopeTree Family Services
A former resident returns
to tell his story.
“I don’t think the benefits
from this program will ever
stop affecting my life.”
Reaping the Harvest
Return of the ‘Old Kids’
R&R for DDM
In This Issue
The Fruits of our Labor
A former WOODS resident returns
to share his story with today’s youth
and young lady finds her path in life.
Pages 4-7
Coming Home
The Annual Alumni Reunion
brought more than a hundred former
staff and residents back to ‘the Hill”.
Page 10
A Break from it All
Camp Coley-Keaton is just around
the corner and campers could use
your help.
Page 12
Honors & Memorials
May these gifts of love impact
our ministry as those remembered
impacted the lives of the givers
Page 13
HopeTree Family Services provides residential care to at-risk youth as well as adults with developmental disabilities.
All children are treated the same regardless of ability to pay. No discrimination will take place on the grounds of
race, color, sex, or other classification protected by law. All children will have equal access to nutritious meals in
accordance with federal law and USDA policy.
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.), prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity,
age, sex, disability, or ability to pay.
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The
Harvest
A Message of Hope
“Let us not become weary in doing
good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -- Galatians 6:9
Dr. Richerson welcomes alumni back to
We all get tired. The fatally imperfect campus for the annual Reunion.
bodies we inhabit can only function
wonderful harvests HopeTreeFamily
for so long without requiring an
Services has experienced. The most
extended period of rest.
gratifying reward comes when
Our minds can become exhausted
former residents or participants in
trying to keep up with all the
one of our ministries come back
demands, pressures, requirements,
years later to share how HopeTree
and expectations we have to manage
has made a difference in their lives.
day to day and hour by hour.
I trust you will find tremendous
Our souls can become exhausted
encouragement in the stories of
and worn from witnessing the pain,
Joshua and Jessica in this month’s
injustice, and suffering in the world.
magazine. We constantly find
encouragement in both the generous
But we are encouraged in Galatians
support you provide to these
not to grow weary in doing good
ministries and in the progress we see
things. While we may not see the
residents make each day.
immediate results of our efforts,
in God’s own time, and with His
blessing, we will see a wonderful
harvest from the seeds we sow while
doing those good things people most
need to experience.
This edition of the Caring Times
holds many such instances of the
So, please, do not grow weary in
doing good. The harvest you helped
prepare is already at hand.
Dr. Stephen W. Richerson
President
Caring Times is published 4 times per year by HopeTree Family Services, 860 Mt. Vernon Lane, Salem, VA
24153. [email protected] Phone: (540) 389-2112 Select photos may represent volunteers and not
actual clients of HopeTree.
Publisher...............................................................................................................................................Dr. Stephen Richerson
Editor........................................................................................................................................................................Mark Early
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A Life Saved
Joshua Parks arrived at
the Wilderness Outdoor
Opportunity Discovery
School (WOODS) in
November of 2003. His
introduction to HopeTree
at WOODS certainly
was not auspicious. He
eagerly scanned the
campus of the all-male
facility and any slight
enthusiasm he had
quickly began to fade.
“The first thing I thought was ‘where
are all the girls?’ I was 15 years-old
and all I thought about was girls.
So, I thought, this is going to really
stink,” Joshua says with a chuckle.
When Joshua stepped onto the
WOODS campus, those were the
most important steps of his life. He
began a journey that would carry
him from a history of violence
and substance abuse to a life of
compassion and maturity. A series
of other facilities and programs had
failed to steer Joshua away from
trouble. WOODS was his last option.
“I guess I wasn’t bad enough
that they thought I needed to
be institutionalized. I was still
‘recoverable’. It took me about a
month to really adjust to being here.
In that time, the staff evaluated me
to see what I needed to work on and
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how they could best help
me,” Joshua said.
WOODS staff worked on
many things with Joshua
during his eleven-month
stay. They taught him
to be patient. WOODS
helped him curb his violent
tendencies. They taught
him that he could not
control everything about
the world around him, only
how he responded to that
world. WOODS taught him to accept
the consequences of his own actions.
And that those consequences could
be good for him.
“I learned what I was capable of
through all the hikes and canoe trips.
I learned it was not a matter of ‘Can
I do this?’, but a matter of ‘Will I
do this?’. I learned I was capable
of following rules and being a
productive person in society,” Joshua
said.
Twelve years after completing the
program, Joshua Parks returned to
WOODS this past May to share his
experience with current residents. He
wanted them to hear his story and see
the gratitude he feels for the program
he credits with saving his life.
“WOODS taught me to take
responsibility for my actions. I
needed authority figures who said
‘straighten up or you’re going down
the wrong path’. If it hadn’t been for
the WOODS staff, I’d be in jail or
dead,” Joshua explained.
Thanks to the new direction WOODS
gave his life, Joshua is married and
caring for a family of his own. He
and his wife plan to soon become
foster parents. They hope to make the
same difference in a young person’s
life today that WOODS made in his
over a decade ago and encourage
HopeTree supporters to continue
making differences in the lives of
young men.
“You could buy something and
you would have that item for a
little while, but when you support
WOODS, you’re investing in a
person’s life. I don’t think the
benefits from this program will ever
stop affecting my life,” Joshua says.
Joshua Parks returned to WOODS
while on break from his studies at
Mountain Empire Community College
in Big Stone Gap, VA.
A Life Begun
Jessica’s irrepressible joy cannot be
denied. If eyes are the window to
the soul, you can see that her soul
shines like the Sun. This precious
child is the literal picture of hope,
exuberance, and all that is good and
right and glorious in life.
But life does not take place inside a
photograph.
Five years later, Jessica was in her
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first foster home and toddling along
the path that would lead to her
decision of whether she would ever
allow her birth parents back into her
life. Jessica’s place in their lives had
been overtaken by substance abuse
and addictions.
addiction. You don’t want to say
‘good-bye’ to your parents, but
there’s a certain limit where you
have to protect yourself. You have to
focus on the things you’re trying to
achieve and the people who do love
and care for you,” Jessica says.
Jessica drifted through a seemingly
endless cycle of foster homes, group
homes, and relatives for many years.
Then came the fateful day in 2009
when Jessica’s social worker placed
her with a pair of HopeTree foster
parents, Jimmy and Norma Powers.
Entering their charming home,
Jessica encountered something she
never expected.
For Jessica, those people were Jimmy
and Norma, or as she calls them,
Grandma and Grandpa.
“It was normal; like walking into
anybody’s normal home. Norma had
dinner ready and she showed me to
my room. It was just like you would
walk into anybody else’s house,”
Jessica recalls.
For the first time in life, Jessica
experienced the truly stable, loving
home that she had always craved
but could never actually have. Her
birth parents’ ongoing
addictions proved too
strong for them. After
years of fruitless hope
and longing patience on
her part, Jessica made
the excruciating choice
to end the relationship
with her birth parents.
“It’s hard to have
a relationship with
someone who has an
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The Powers provided a loving home,
gentle guidance, and the perfect
environment to help a young girl find
her way through chaotic uncertainty
to a stable, successful future.
Norma’s constant encouragement
and boundless love earned her the
heartfelt title of ‘Grandma’. Jimmy,
who passed away in 2014, made an
indelible imprint on Jessica’s life.
“Next to God, he was the greatest
father figure I’ve ever had. He
showed me what it’s like to care for
someone unconditionally. He lived
his life serving other people and
that’s the kind of person I want to
be,” says Jessica.
Thanks to Jimmy and
Norma’s unequaled
compassion, Jessica is
still the image of hope,
exuberance, and all that is
good and right and glorious
in life. She graduated
from high school with
honors, has completed
her Associate’s Degree in
General Studies at Central
Virginia Community
College, and is now
enrolled at Old
Dominion University
to earn a Bachelor’s
Degree in Criminal
Justice with a Minor
in Human Services.
Jessica plans to
become a probation
officer to help others
get their lives on the
right track, just as the
Powers helped her
Jessica graduated high school with honors and is on
find her own proper track to complete her Bachelor’s Degree early. She also
path in life.
recently married.
You can hear Josh and Jessica tell their own stories on HopeTree’s
YouTube channel or at HopeTreeFS.org
HopeTree Family Services often receives gifts of volunteer assistance
throughout the year from various groups. These amazing folks from Catholic
Heart braved the July heat for a week to tackle a host of landscaping and other
projects to help beautify our campus. We offer our thanks to all those who
generously lend a hand to help our ministries in any way they can.
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Service Locations
HopeTree Family Services
provides a wide range of services
for at-risk children and youth
from locations in:
•Chester •Craig County
•Henry County •Salem
HopeTree’s Developmental
Disabilities Ministry provides
services for adults with
intellectual disabilities in:
•Abingdon •Blue Ridge
•Chase City •Farmville
•Fredericksburg •Martinsville
•Richmond •Salem
•Virginia Beach
For information on these services
and how to support, or gain
access to those services, please
visit HopeTreeFS.org, or call:
Richmond - (804) 545-1202
Salem - (540) 389-2112
Academy Seeks
Uniform Support
HopeTree Academy has adopted a
uniform for all students. Research
indicates students tend to have
fewer socialization problems, higher
self-esteem, and a greater sense of
school spirit when they wear uniforms.
This makes school a more pleasant
environment and students more
academically successful.
The uniform consists of basic fourpocket khaki pants and a burgundy
or heather grey golf shirt. Burgundy
or heather grey sweatshirts are also
acceptable.
The Academy would appreciate either
the contribution of funds toward the
purchase of uniforms, or the donation of
new or very gently worn pant in all sizes
to help our day students and newly
arrived residents with their uniform
needs.
For more information please contact
HopeTree Academy at (540) 389-4941,
Contributions may be sent directly to:
HopeTree Family Services
ATTN: Academy Uniforms
PO Box 849
Salem, VA 24153
Connect With Us
We’re social, are you? Connect with us and get all the latest and greatest
updates, photos, videos and content to help you stay informed and inthe-know about what we’re up to at HopeTree Family Services.
It’s a great way to show your support and share our mission with your
network of family and friends. See you online!
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Become a foster parent.
Teach a child life’s greatest lesson;
they are loved.
2016 Orientation Sessions
August 23 - 6:00 pm
HopeTree Foster Care Offices
Salem, VA
September 8 - 6:00 pm
Martinsville, VA
September 12 - 6:00 pm
HopeTree Foster Care Offices
Chester, VA
October 17 - 6:00 pm
Virginia Baptist Resource Center
Richmond, VA
November 14 - 6:00 pm
HopeTree Foster Care Offices
Chester, VA
January 3 - 6:00 pm
Virginia Baptist Resource Center
February 7 – 6:00 pm
HopeTree Foster Care Offices
Chester, VA
March 7 – 6:00 pm
Virginia Baptist Resource Center
Richmond, VA
If you want to learn more about becoming
a HopeTree Family Services foster parent,
please call (540) 444-0566 - Salem,
(804) 201-9006 - Chester,
or (276) 650-1546 - Martinsville,
or visit HopeTreeFosterCare.org.
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Homecoming
HopeTree’s
resident population
experienced a brief
spike during the last
weekend in June.
The Old Kids came
home.
Former residents
and staff return
each year to renew
Terrence (left) and Fred Brownley shared many
old friendships,
great memories with their friends on Alumni Day.
establish new ones,
and share their
remembrances of
A former resident looks
their childhoods spent in the care of
through memorabilia in the
the agency they know best as Virginia
Children’s Home Museum.
Baptist Children’s Home. Many of the
‘old kids’, as they often call themselves,
lived here for up to a decade or more.
These grounds truly were their home
where they spent their childhood. As
such, they remember the staff who
worked here not as mere employees, but
as cherished members of their family.
Men and women who were often far
closer to them emotionally
and spiritually than their
own flesh and blood relatives
could have ever been.
If you would like to hear
the Alumni relate their
favorite memories in their
own words, please visit
HopeTreeFS.org, or the
HopeTree channel on
YouTube.com.
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Attendees were eager to share stories,
revisit favorite memories, and update each
other on their current life status.
Carla Jones Yuen lived at Virginia Baptist Children’s Home from 1955-99. She and her
late husband have three children. After a career in government, she currently works for
the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office. In this excerpt from her Alumni address, she shares a
few things she did not learn while living at the Children’s Home.
Things I Never Learned
I was fed, clothed and given an
education, something I probably
would not have received otherwise. I
learned to try to be a good person. I
learned to choose right over wrong. I
gained the stability I needed to build
character and self-respect.
Some of the lessons I learned at the
Home were the value of hard work,
of getting along with other people,
and learning about the Lord, which
were crucial in molding me into the
person I am today.
Now there were some things in life
that I did not learn by being raised at
the Home, and I am forever grateful.
Racism – When I was 10 or 11 we
got this amazing little boy in our
cottage whom we doted over, fought
over, competed for. “Sit by me. Walk
with me. Hold my hand.” We, along
with [house parent Mrs. Dowdy]
just loved him so much and he was
so sweet…just precious…to this day
I don’t remember Fred Brownley in
any other way.
Selfishness – I learned to share cause
we had to look out for each other.
It is just impossible to think only of
yourself when there are so many of
you. It is always better to give than
receive (Mrs. Dowdy’s rule) and
it just feels good. Besides, I might
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need to borrow something to wear
to school tomorrow from one of the
other girls.
Self-pity – I learned in my new
extended family of over 200 that
awful things do happen and tragedy
will affect most of our lives at some
point. But there were others worse
off because their parents had passed
on and they didn’t have any family at
all. We got to go home four times a
year for vacation. Some had no home
to go to.
Cynicism - I learned to trust what
is, not what should or could be.
‘Should have’ and ‘could have’ are
grey areas in life that only help us
rationalize the difference between
somebody else’s right and wrong. No
child should grow up feeling guilty
for their parents’ poor judgement or
circumstances, it just makes them
distrust others and have a general
lack of faith in anything.
Vacations are critical opportunities
for rest, recreation, and creating
special memories for the adults
with intellectual disabilities who
participate in our Developmental
Disabilities Ministry.
A Little R & R
Many DDM residents participate
in sheltered workshops or hold
competitive employment.
Their co-workers often
share stories of vacations
and our residents
naturally wish to have
similar experiences
themselves. What’s more,
like anyone else who
carries the responsibility
of a job, they deserve
the opportunity to lay
that responsibility aside
so they can tend to their
own needs for rest and
relaxation.
Unfortunately, many of
the men and women who
live in our group homes,
or receive care through
our In-Home program,
have little means of
taking a true vacation.
That’s why we conduct
Camp Coley-Keaton
at Camp HopeTree each summer.
This event offers a vast array of
outdoor activities, group interaction,
renewal of old friendships, and
the establishment of new ones as
participants spend a few glorious
days with their peers.
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HopeTree strives to keep Camp costs
as low as possible so we can invite
as many residents as wish to attend.
However, like nearly everything in
life, the camp costs continue to rise.
Camp Coley-Keaton is scheduled
for September 6-8 this year and our
expected cost per camper will be
$150. If you can provide that amount,
or even a portion of it, you can make
a tremendous difference in the life of
an adult with intellectual disabilities.
You can use the envelope included
in this magazine to return your
contribution to Camp Coley-Keaton.
“By the seventh day God had
finished the work He had been
doing; so on the seventh day He
rested from all His work.”
–Genesis 2:1
Honors & Memorials
The following individuals are honored or memorialized by contributtions to
HopeTree due to the powerful impact they made in the lives of others.
Children’s Ministry Honors
May 1 - July 31, 2016
Children’s Ministry Memorials
May 1 - July 31, 2016
Beacon House
Mr. Michael J. Boyd
Allen, Carol M.
Mr. & Mrs. Herman L. Allen
Fletcher, George H.
Ms. Abbye Gordon
Beazley, Berniece P.
Mr. Gordon Beazley
Fletcher, Peggy P.
Ms. Abbye Gordon
Bromley, George H.
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Gurley
Mr. & Mrs. Wilbur D. Glaw
Gentry, Arlene
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry A. Farmer
Hale, Rodney J.
Teams Class Huguenot Road Baptist Church
Hash, Lois S.
Mr. & Mrs. Atwood Huff
Hicks, Larry M.
Mrs. Dee Copenhaver
Mr. George Kolmer
Hough, R. F.
Mr. Grey Wright
Lingafelt, Phillip R.
Mrs. Glenna T. Lingafelt
Mothers in Congregation
Midway Baptist Church - Gretna
Preas, Kendall
Mrs. Lorene S. Preas
Prillaman, Phyllis T.
Adult Choir, First Baptist Church of
Collinsville
Smith, Sonny L.
Mr. Garland R. Harman
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Davis, Betty W.
Mr. Ray C. Davis
Duty, Annie R.
Mr. Randy English
Fisher, H. B.
Mrs. H. B. Fisher
Mr. Vernon J. Frazier
Goad, Robert E.
Mrs. Vera J. Goad
Griffin, Katherine
WMU - Lawrenceville Baptist Church
Griffith, Doris
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry A. Farmer
Griffith, Jimmie
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry A. Farmer
Hamrick, Ector L.
Mr. & Mrs. Sean Berryman
Mr. & Mrs. Ted Borny
Mr. & Mrs. William C. Payne, Jr.
Mrs. Catherine I. Cumbie
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Fogg
Mr. Richard W. Francis
Ms. Virginia Hayward
Mr. & Mrs. Grady C. Inscoe
Mr. & Mrs. Jim T. Inscoe
Ms. Lynn Lavender
Mr. David F. Long
Mr. & Mrs. John G. Mizell, Jr.
Ms. Anne W. Stultz
Mrs. Donna Lohr Weinz
WMU - Collinswood Baptist Church
Hayes, Gertrude R.
Mr. Garland R. Harman
Hurd, Paul
Mr. & Mrs. Michael B. Hurd
Keller, Florence H.
Ms. Elizabeth K. Bruton
Keller, Marion
Ms. Elizabeth K. Bruton
Luckett, Evelyn
Mr. & Mrs. Currie W. Stout, Sr.
Martin, Donald R.
Mr. Charles V. Hoback
Ms. Betty McKew
Mr. Ollie W. Pickral
SFCS, Inc.
Mr. Jim Shelton
McCorkel, Lloyd
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry A. Farmer
Pearce, Ann D.
Mr. Dudley Pearce
Petersen, Virginia
Mr. George E. Petersen, Sr.
Richerson, Catheryn
Ms. Deborah G. Corell
Smith, Jane P.
WMU, Lawrenceville Baptist Church
Stillman, Katy
Ms. Sandra S. Johnson
Stout, Nora L.
Mr. & Mrs. Currie W. Stout, Sr.
Thompson, Norma Jean
Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Bass
Wilson, Esther
Mr. & Mrs. Bill M. Gentry
Wilson, Thomas
Mr. & Mrs. Bill M. Gentry
Developmental Disabilities
Ministry Honors
May 1 - July 31, 2016
Amos, Ann
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald E. Johnson
Ashby, John
Mr. & Mrs. Garland R. Miller, II
Ashby, Patricia
Mr. & Mrs. Garland R. Miller, II
Scott, Rachel Ann
Mr. & Mrs. William E. Thomas
Whynot, Nathan
Mrs. Rena C. Costner
Developmental Disabilities
Ministry Memorials
May 1 - July 31, 2016
Amos, Peggy H.
Mr. & Ms. Melvin P. Carabo
Mr. Harry F. Dalton
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy A. Handy
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy E. Hobbs
Investors Financial Advisors
Roanoke Valley Hokie Club
Fisher, Annice W.
Mr. Ralph Borello
Mr. Stewart Boswell
Ms. Elizabeth A. Brown
Mr. Lee M. Christopher
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Diamond
Mrs. JoAnn F. Ferguson
To recognize someone who has impacted your life, complete the
form on the reply envelope included with this magazine and return it
to the Advancement Department along with your gift.
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Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Fisher
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Freedman
Mr. & Mrs. D. K. Johnson
Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Lamb
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Livolsi
Mr. & Mrs. Christian I. Marshall
Mr. John Pulliam
K. D. Reed
Mr. & Mrs. Ransom Stokes
Ms. Susan Walker
Ms. Pamela Watson
Mr. & Mrs. Kendrick Whitehurst
Houston, Mildred W.
Mr. Robert Freed
Lane, Donald M.
Mrs. Merilene D. Paciulli
Plott, Glenn L.
Mr. & Mrs. Earl McLane
Price, Jack M.
Mrs. Melanie D. Green
Shaver, Ted
Elsie C. Hopkins Estate
Need a location for your
next church gathering
or youth retreat?
Come to the Tree.
Camp HopeTree
Camp HopeTree Retreat &
Conference Center
2494 Camp Jaycee Rd
Blue Ridge, VA 24064
CampHopeTree.org
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For more information, please call
Director Jenny DeLorenzo at
540-947-5697
or e-mail
[email protected].
PO Box 849
Salem, VA 24153
“The Lord Jesus Christ...
will transform our lowly
bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body.”
Philippians 3:20-21