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

5 Things I am Most Proud of at HopeTree

1. Graduation.
   
   The vast majority of students that come to HopeTree Academy are at least a year behind their peers when they arrive. Through the small class sizes, personalized education plans, and year-round classes, students can catch up on their work and be exposed to a variety of opportunities through job placement, vocational training, and secondary education. At HopeTree Academy, these students, for the first time, have the opportunity to achieve.

2.  Baptism.

Most, if not all, of the residents in Residential Care come to us without any time at all spent in a church. Our Christian Education Director works hard to provide sermons and activities that present the Word of God to them in a way that is both accessible and invigorating. That is why, when a resident decides to make a profession of faith, it is quite an endearing experience. Despite their difficult background, they have grown comfortable in their environs at HopeTree and open to the Christian values we try to instill in them.

3. Work.

From the hands-on training in the vocational classes, to the required chores around the cottages, to the job placements in the community, HopeTree teaches students the value of work. Seeing a student who has trouble focusing in the classroom suddenly delight in sanding down and staining a bed frame with such enthusiasm lets me know that he has found his niche in the vocational classroom. Not every student will go to college and some won’t make it through high school, but it makes me proud to know that they have every opportunity to find their passion and guide it towards a career aided by the helpful staff at HopeTree Academy.

4. Community

Despite all the struggles with acclimating to a new home, the residents at HopeTree always seem to pull through when we need their help. The youth are always willing to volunteer for our Walk-A-Thon, alumni reunion, and other special events when we need them. They also become enamored with on-campus community challenges like decorating the cottages for Christmas or building our Salem Christmas Parade float.

I also am proud of the community outreach seen in our Developmental Disabilities Ministry. Whether it’s volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House or serving as the chaplain at the local Civitan, our DDM residents are committed to service.

5. Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . at HopeTree! (I’ll give you a minute to get the song out of your head.) Christmas truly is a great time to be working at HopeTree. Each resident fills out a wish list and the community, even in these tough economic times, always pulls through and ensures that each youth will have a pile of presents come Christmas morning. For many residents, this will be the most plentiful Christmas they’ve had.

Grouped together by area, our DDM homes put on several Christmas lunches throughout the month. Adorned with Santa hats and filled with the holiday spirit our DDM residents enjoy delicious finger food, Christmas music, and fellowship.

HopeTree in the Salem Christmas Parade

"This has been the longest ongoing project I have ever done, and the interest level has never dropped," stated an enthusiastic Wayne Perkins, Vocational Teacher at HopeTree Academy.

The project began two summers ago when students built a small rectangular deck. It ends when an Appalachian-themed cabin sits on top of that deck as it travels along in the Salem Christmas parade on December 3rd, 2010. 

 Perkins’ vocational class and Heather Leisch’s art class have kept students busy this semester putting together this intensive project. The reason it was so time consuming is that most of the work was done by hand: hammers, chisels, hand saws, and a draw knife. 

 "Appalachian Studies specifically has a lot to do with the summer program [at HopeTree Academy]. The history classes were about Appalachian Studies so the kids really got to learn about the region and the era." 

 "We did a lot of field trips to areas that were rich in Appalachian culture and the way things were back then. And we just thought it would be really neat if the kids were creating the same style of furniture to carry that [theme] on to the float," stated Behavioral Support Specialist Dawn Alfonso. 

 After the deck was built students began cutting the logs, stacking them to dry in the hot summer sun, skinning the bark off with the draw saw, cutting them to length and chiseling notches to fit one another; all tools and techniques used by our forefathers. 

 Recently students have been using power tools to get the project ready on time. Students are still building a roof and installing window panes as the final touches. 

 Perkins collaborated with Leisch’s art class on the project that had the students make decorations for the cabin. The art students drew Christmas trees, stars, and snowflakes to be cut out on drill saws by the vocational students. 

 This is the first so many students at HopeTree Academy have been involved in the same project.

"I think all of the students are really excited about working together on something really big. And I know that the students who have worked on the cabin are excited about finishing it and having it have a purpose, using it for something," stated Leisch. 

 "They can see something that they have created and see what they can do with their creativity and their artistry and see something that they’ve put themselves into come to a final product," Alfonso claimed.