An Eventful Weekend

  In the last five days I've seen puppies, hot dogs, story tellers, karate kicks, and Frank Beamer. I don't think too many people can make that claim. The Hot Diggity Dog & Tall Tales Festival on Saturday was a fun, albeit windy, day. People enjoyed being able to bring their dogs to the HopeTree campus and participate in the Cutest Dog Competition (sadly, my dog did not win). There were plenty of hot dogs for everyone and the Homestead Creamery's ice cream was fantastic.

  The Tall Tales Competition was incredibly entertaining and something I look forward to even more next year. This year's winner's story about training a fish to be his out-of-water pet had me in stitches. The entire event exceeded all of my expectations.

  More recently, I had the opportunity to hear Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer speak at our Hopes & Dreams Gala last night at The Hotel Roanoke. As he spun story after story about how just one specific event -- good or bad -- can be all a person is remembered for, I thought of our at-risk youth at HopeTree. What will they be remembered for? What will their legacy be? Our dedicated chaplain, teachers, social workers and cottage staff work each day to make HopeTree a positive experience for our residents. Maybe one resident will be remembered at HopeTree as the person who excelled in Vocational class and learned a new trade, or earned top grades, or gave their life over to Christ and became a positive role model to others.

  Whether we are in high school, college, a new job, or even a festival, life moves pretty fast. Before we know it, it will be over and we will be on to the next phase of life. So while we are here, what do we want to be remembered for?

  This current school semester has been a little different for me. First of all, I'm referring to a time period as a "school semester", something usually reserved for students and teachers and not someone who works in Development & Communications. This semester, however, I have been teaching a Digital Journalism class to one of the students at HopeTree Academy.

  It has been quite an experience for me and I've loved every minute of it. I have been blessed with a student who is well behaved and eager to learn. I have learned patience when explaining how a complicated program works to someone with little prior knowledge of it. I have been humbled by being asked questions I don't know the answer to, only to find out the answer and learn something new myself.

  We color corrected old pictures with a horrible yellow background. We enhanced photos to make them more eye catching. We practiced photography, journalism, and design layout. We shared laughs, traded stories, and became frustrated when a program wouldn't do what we wanted it to do.

  Sure, the class takes time out of my day and I have to plan the rest of my work around it. I also have to prepare material for each class and follow a rough course outline. But it is so important to me to know that a student at HopeTree Academy has an option like this and can develop their interests. Certainly other schools have similar courses that teach similar skills, but nowhere else will a students be able to build a one-on-one relationship with a teacher and have hands-on experience that will take them to the next level.

  Today I had the blessing of attending and giving the invocation for the dedication of the Bledsoe Home, our newest DDM home on our Salem Campus.  While looking around the room, the world "hospitality" came to mind.  The home is warm and inviting, and impeccably decorated.  Yet even more welcoming were the people it contained, from the excited residents with their proud families, to the dedicated staff, our administrative staff who have worked so hard to pull it all together, and sponsors including our board, architect, and friends.  While our gifts are all different, it took all of them working together to make this dream a reality.  From the person who made the punch, to those who cleaned and readied the house, to those who see to all the day-to-day details, all were working from a sense of hospitality.  We get this passion from God, who in his grace is so welcoming to us and gives freely of his many gifts.  When we have received God's love, we can't help but share it with others, extending God's hospitality.  And through it all, God's love is revealed to the world.

  In 1 Corinthians 3:6, the apostle Paul says, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow."

  In your work this week, think about what kind of seeds you are planting and who will continue the work, but above all, trust in God who makes it grow.

Rev. Jenny Frazier Call, M.Div.  
Director of Christian Education 
HopeTree Family Services

The Many Ministries of HopeTree

  I really enjoyed reading this Wall Street Journal piece about the benefits of orphanages. In a first-hand account, the author cites the advantages of orphanages and other group homes over foster care and includes some pretty impressive figures comparing orphans to the rest of the population. The author didn't swing too far in the other direction and call for the elimination of foster care either. In fact, I stand with him in agreement on his central thesis: children need options.

  There has been a shift within our state government to move more at-risk youth into foster care. I am certainly not against foster care as it is one of the many wonderful ministries at HopeTree. I also know that Residential Care is not the best option for all kids. What I would like to see, is the people making these decisions being the ones that know the kids the best. The social workers, Residential Care directors, and others who work with at-risk youth each and every day and are most equipped to determine the best environment for them.

  Some youth need the group home setting of our HopeTree campus. Some youth need a more restrictive environment like our Camp on Craig WOODS program. Some are almost ready to enter the adult world and need the life skills classes found in Independent Living. Whatever the case may be, HopeTree is in a position to determine what is best for the youth placed in our care and I hope to see that continue.

A Story For All Ages

  I am very excited about HopeTree's Tall Tales competition at our Hot Diggity Dog and Tall Tales Festival in May. Story telling is an art as old as mankind. It is a common thread that all cultures around the world use to pass on their traditions. Its delivery has changed with the advances in technology, but its message is almost always the same.
 
  When I think of great story telling, I always think of Jesus Christ and the parables he told to the apostles. He was smart enough to know that simply answering difficult questions about life can often be confusing. By using parables, he gave the apostles context and perspective to the meaning of truth. These parables have lasted for 2,000 years and still bring comfort and insight to millions of people across the globe. What an impact!

  Television seems to have replaced most of the story telling in our world today. Sure, it still is a form of story telling, but there is such a disconnect between the viewer whoever is writing the script. There is nothing like sitting in front of a compelling story teller and getting lost in the moment. So if you miss that old fashioned story telling or you are a story teller, please come to our Tall Tales Contest on May 8. Contact David Wilson at (540) 389-2112 for more information.

  My thin black dress socks don't do much to prevent the cold. Normally, this isn't much of a problem as I am only traveling outside from my house to my car, and my car to my office. Yesterday, however, was not a normal work day. Yesterday, I was standing on  top of a mountain at Wintergreen Resort for the Virginia Special Olympics in the cold, cold weather.
  Do I resent being there on that chilly morning as the snow seeped in through my dress shoes and soaked my socks? Not one bit. First of all, the feeling has returned to my feet. Second, I was there to support two of our DDM residents, Mark and Peter.
  I always enjoy the time I spend with HopeTree's DDM residents because I am reminded of what amazing people they are. Most residents, or any persons with intellectual disabilities, are some of the most happy, thoughtful, and selfless individuals whom I have ever met. When I saw Mark at the finish line after one of his runs, he looked at me and met me with his arms wide open for a big hug. (His mom later told me that he's so friendly with strangers that she has to keep a watchful eye on him at all times.)
  The radiant smiles from our DDM residents are enough to make me forget all my troubles. When Peter was presented with one of his several gold medals he looked as if he had just won the lottery.
  It's little moments like these that remind me just how special these people are. I am so fortunate that there is an organization like HopeTree that can provide the nurturing care that persons with intellectual disabilities need.
  So yes, it was cold. And yes, it was my fault for not dressing properly. But once again, I found that whenever I spend time with our DDM residents it is always an enriching and rewarding experience.

Happy New Year

  Happy New Year!  How are your resolutions going so far?  If you haven't made any yet (or the ones you have made have already been broken), let me share some inspiration I just found in a great book I'm reading called An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor.  Brown, a minister, left the church to become a professor.  In leaving behind the sacraments of the church that she dearly loved, she struggled to find new symbols of faith in her "ordinary" life.  Thus, this book is made up of the spiritual practices of daily life (i.e. The practices of waking up to God, paying attention, wearing skin, walking on the Earth, getting lost, encountering others, living with purpose, saying no, carrying water, feeling pain, being present to God, and pronouncing blessings).  

 

  I was moved by a particular practice in chapter two, which focused on developing an attitude of reverence.  Reverence is the awe of understanding that there is something greater than ourselves.  While it can be found in many places, Brown comments on how often we lack it in our lives due to our busy pursuits that seem to state that we are of the utmost importance.  She suggests instead taking moments out of our day to pay attention to others.  

 

  Instead of being annoyed or angered when others cut us off in traffic or disturb our peace with loud cell phone conversations, we could take a moment to pay attention to these other individuals, realizing they have their own lives, issues, and struggles.  We may see them as being on the periphery of our important lives, but they likely view us the same way.  When we take a moment to value their humanity, we accept our own as well. We may then recognize them as a neighbor, whom we are to love as we love ourselves. 

 

  And wouldn't this, this second greatest commandment, make a great resolution for 2010?

 

  May God grant us eyes to see, hearts to feel, and hands and feet to serve and share God's love in this new year.

Rev. Jenny Frazier Call, M.Div.
Director of Christian Education
HopeTree Family Services

P.O. Box 849