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.

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.

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.

Giving the Future Some Thought...

   There's a lot of talk on the airwaves and in government meetings about the massive increase in the need for medical care in the coming years as the Baby Boomers begin to start feeling the effects of their long, full lives. As this historic wave of increased population rolls into its Golden Years, there will come another wave of need on its heels that no one seems to be talking about.

   The need to care for adults with intellectual disabilities.

   Anyone even remotely associated with Special Olymics, Special Education, or a friend or family member with intellectual disabilities can tell you our society has offered woefully few options for this segment of our population. In recent years, the quality and amount of care available nationwide has made great strides, but there is still a long way to go to provide the qualilty and quantity of services the intellectually challenged.

HopeTree Family Services has been making a dedicated effort to provide the highest standard of service to adults with intellectual disabilities and their families for nearly 20 years. In that span of time, we've learned a lot and make every effort to share what we've learned with anyone facing the dilema of providing long-term care for an adult with intellectual disabilities.

Perhaps the most valuable bit of advice is: PLAN AHEAD. The demand for services is high and will get substantially higher in the coming years. The supply of quality care facilities is limited. It is not unusual for a family to wait 6-8 years for a space to become available in a care facility.

Make sound, informed financial plans. Medicare Waiver funds for adults with disabilities are also in high demand and short supply. The waiting list is long. Families should begin as soon as possible to develop financial strategies to cope with the high cost of long-term care.

HopeTree Family Services encourages all families caring for someone with intellectual disabilities to explore as many options and alternatives as possible. The more information you have at your disposal, the greater chance you will make the most appropriate decision for the welfare of your loved one.

If you would like to discuss the options we offer, please call 540-389-5468 and ask to speak with someone in the Developmental Disabilities Ministry.

The Joys of Sunshine

   There are two inescapable aspects of this day; high wind and sunshine. It's somewhat amazing that in the span of possibly an hour, a dense, world-enclosing fog was swept away and replaced by brilliantly clear skies and a pummelling wind. The steady, chill rain of the night is banished and a crystalline day stands proudly before us. Though the wind probably runs before another change in the weather, we will enjoy the warming, cheerful sun while we can.
   Days like this are fantastic at HopeTree Family Services. The campus is beautiful in any season and any weather. But when the sun shines clear and strong, the residents seem to step a little lighter, smile a touch brighter, and laugh a little more often. It's as if God's love pours down on them through the sunshine and it seeps into their souls. With a weather forecast like that, how can you go wrong?

Finding a Foothold

   I love going to the beach. The surf, the sand, the smell of salt on the air; all surge through me, restoring my spirit and relaxing my mind. My favorite spot on the beach is just before the breakers, where the water comes up to my knees. From there, I can gaze out to the ocean and watch the waves pour toward the shore in their timeless, relentless patterns. But the sand along that stretch of the beach often shifts underfoot as the tide rolls in and returns. I slowly sink and soon become off-balance. I have to adjust my footing and reset my stance. I can never truly physically rest there, but my view of what lies before me is worth the occasional physical effort.
   At HopeTree Family Services, we seek to provide roughly that same experience for those in our care. We are here to restore souls and minds. From here, we provide a better view of what the future can be. But we are not a place to remain stationary. From here, we not only provide a view of the future, we supply the encouragement and the guidance to actually obtain that future. HopeTree Family Services provides not shifting sand, but a firm foothold beneath the waves rolling in from the ocean of life.

I have hope…

that this year will be full of God’s blessings, if we open our eyes to see.

that we can each make a difference, every one of us.

that beauty and creation will overpower hate and destruction.

that lives can and will be transformed.

that the light will shine in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

that we can learn to be and live as the people of God and bring about the kingdom of God.

that hope is greater than fear.

that God will give us faith hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

that love will grow here.

that love will win.

Rev. Jenny Call, M.Div.

Director of Christian Education