Just as Spring is trying to creep back into our lives, HopeTree Family Services offers a couple of new reasons why you can sit snugly inside for just a little while if you want. First, our March magazine will soon be hitting mailboxes across the country. It is already available on our website for those of you who like to view it electronically.
The second reason you can curl up with a warm monitor, would be to read a note posted on our Facebook page. This 'note' provides some spectacular perspective on the need to begin now planning for the long-term care of an adult with intellectual disabilities. This document provides three different examples of families who took care to begin their planning well in advance of the day when care by someone outside the family would be needed. As you read their stories, you will see why planning needs to take place as soon as possible so that the family can have all their resources and desires addressed when the time comes for their loved one to take up residence in a new environment. This article also contains some important financial and legal considerations that should be carefully investigated.
So...now that you have some good reading to do, off you go....the wonderful world of words awaits. You can always smell the flowers when they finish blooming.
Of course, if reading really isn't your thing, please call HopeTree Family Services at 540-389-2112 and we can answer your questions.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
In times of trouble
The catastrophic situation in Japan seems more like a horrific Hollywood script than a series of real events. Seeing millions of people's lives completely devastated by conditions so far beyond their control as to be unimaginable leaves even the stoutest heart trembling.
"What if that happened here," we ask ourselves. "There, but for the grace of God, go I," we say.
"How can God allow something like this," we ask. "God doesn't give us more than we can handle," we say.
Those same questions and statements have often been used when discussing the many, many different individuals HopeTree Family Services cares for each year. The challenges our residents, clients, and charges face seem to pale compared to the obstacles, dangers, sorrows, fears, and trauma faced by those in Japan in the foreseeable future. While the world turns it's attention and compassion toward this devastated island nation that must begin completely rebuilding itself for the second time in a century, please don't let your attention completely stray from the care and support those in our care need. Yes, the tragedy in Japan needs, deserves, requires response from all those who can offer some sort of solace, compassion, or relief, but we ask that the very real needs of our ministry, and others already in motion, not be completely abandoned. In meeting the needs of ALL those who call out for support, we must all seek new methods, ideas, procedures, and yes, sacrifices, in providing that support.
May God bless us all.
"What if that happened here," we ask ourselves. "There, but for the grace of God, go I," we say.
"How can God allow something like this," we ask. "God doesn't give us more than we can handle," we say.
Those same questions and statements have often been used when discussing the many, many different individuals HopeTree Family Services cares for each year. The challenges our residents, clients, and charges face seem to pale compared to the obstacles, dangers, sorrows, fears, and trauma faced by those in Japan in the foreseeable future. While the world turns it's attention and compassion toward this devastated island nation that must begin completely rebuilding itself for the second time in a century, please don't let your attention completely stray from the care and support those in our care need. Yes, the tragedy in Japan needs, deserves, requires response from all those who can offer some sort of solace, compassion, or relief, but we ask that the very real needs of our ministry, and others already in motion, not be completely abandoned. In meeting the needs of ALL those who call out for support, we must all seek new methods, ideas, procedures, and yes, sacrifices, in providing that support.
May God bless us all.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mini-Fundraisers
There are lots of different ways you can support HopeTree Family Services that don’t require a lot of heavy lifting or tedious legwork on your part. Here are just a few to consider.
1) Make your online purchases through Good Search and designate HopeTree as your charity of choice. A portion of the money you spend will be contributed to us.
2) Contribute to HopeTree through the United Way campaign at your place of employment. We are a Write In Participant.
3) Grocery Store Shopping Cards - Most major grocery chains now offer Shopper’s Cards you can link to a charitable organization. A percentage of the money you spend on groceries is donated back to the charity of your choice. Consult your local grocer for details.
4) Matching Gifts from your employer. Many companies will match their employees’ contributions to charitable organizations. Check with your Human Resources or Business Office personnel to find out if your company provides this service.
5)Make a contribution on our web site and you can choose to have it automatically renew each month.
6) Share the word about who we are and what we do with your family, friends, and neighbors. You can find HopeTree Family Services on Facebook and Twitter.
1) Make your online purchases through Good Search and designate HopeTree as your charity of choice. A portion of the money you spend will be contributed to us.
2) Contribute to HopeTree through the United Way campaign at your place of employment. We are a Write In Participant.
3) Grocery Store Shopping Cards - Most major grocery chains now offer Shopper’s Cards you can link to a charitable organization. A percentage of the money you spend on groceries is donated back to the charity of your choice. Consult your local grocer for details.
4) Matching Gifts from your employer. Many companies will match their employees’ contributions to charitable organizations. Check with your Human Resources or Business Office personnel to find out if your company provides this service.
5)Make a contribution on our web site and you can choose to have it automatically renew each month.
6) Share the word about who we are and what we do with your family, friends, and neighbors. You can find HopeTree Family Services on Facebook and Twitter.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Growing through Grief
HopeTree Family Services specializes in taking young people out of bad situations and making things better. In the area of adults with intellectual disabilities, we provide comfort, security, and the perfect environment that nurtures growth. Sometimes, however, troubling situations still happen in the lives of our residents. Recently, we lost three members of our DDM community to health issues, prolonged and sudden. A staff member died after a nine-month battle with cancer and two residents died very quickly of health complications.
All three passed away within a span of four weeks.
To have that much loss in so short a time can lead to major questions of faith. Much to their credit, our staff, the residents, and their families, were not only able to ask those questions, but search for and provide solid, comfort-giving answers.
Through major efforts to support, encourage, and comfort each other, the tight-knit community that is DDM grew even closer as a result of the passing of these three cherished individuals. They all came to rely on each other and their varying levels of Faith to come to understand that death is very much a part of life and that God had a plan for us all in transitioning to a great life with Him once we have finished with the current life he has given us.
You can read about this extraordinary situation in the upcoming issues of the Caring Times magazine and insert in the Religious Herald. If you do not receive these publications by mail, they will also be available on our website, http://www.hopetreefs.org/. Watch this space for publication announcements.
All three passed away within a span of four weeks.
To have that much loss in so short a time can lead to major questions of faith. Much to their credit, our staff, the residents, and their families, were not only able to ask those questions, but search for and provide solid, comfort-giving answers.
Through major efforts to support, encourage, and comfort each other, the tight-knit community that is DDM grew even closer as a result of the passing of these three cherished individuals. They all came to rely on each other and their varying levels of Faith to come to understand that death is very much a part of life and that God had a plan for us all in transitioning to a great life with Him once we have finished with the current life he has given us.
You can read about this extraordinary situation in the upcoming issues of the Caring Times magazine and insert in the Religious Herald. If you do not receive these publications by mail, they will also be available on our website, http://www.hopetreefs.org/. Watch this space for publication announcements.
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