Promises to Keep

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 4 OUR VISION:AHEALTHY COMMUNITY WHERE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN COME FIRST. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND SERVICE PROVIDER. www.chail.org Promises to Keep AmeriCorps: Opportunity through Service BY JULIE SIEBERT “Everybody can be great Arnesha is the dropped out of high school and began because everybody can serve.” devoted mother working to support her family. With a of three young part-time job and public assistance she -- MARTIN LUTHER KING,JR. children who is able to “get by,” but Arnesha enjoys singing, anxiously awaits the day that she truly writing music becomes independent! and has a keen eye for fashion. In an effort to further establish her She attends independence and create a better life church regularly for her family, Arnesha became a and has helped several individuals find member of the AmeriCorps program at housing and food assistance simply Children’s Home. because it is “the right thing to do.” As AmeriCorps is a national service she looks to the future, she is excited initiative that gives individuals of all about taking the first of many college ages and backgrounds the opportunity courses to become a nurse. to address our nation’s educational, Looking at Arnesha today, it is public safety, human and difficult to imagine the environmental needs challenges she has already through service. In overcome. As a child, return, AmeriCorps she was placed in a members receive foster home when her education awards parents’ drug to help pay for addiction became college or their top priority. vocational After moving from training, or to foster home to foster pay back their home (some good, student loans. some bad) and While there is no changing schools just as typical AmeriCorps many times, she was member, the majority adopted at the age of 13. of those who serve in Although this should have been a Illinois have an Associates happy time for her, Arnesha was abused Degree or higher and are in their while living in her adoptive home. early twenties. Many members are During this time she also lost touch college students who view AmeriCorps with her siblings as they were separated as a year-long internship and a way to after being removed from their parents’ help pay for college, but the home. Then at the age of 16, Arnesha AmeriCorps program at Children’s gave birth to her first child. Scared and Home is different. alone with no family support, she continued on next page MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO Holiday time is now in our rearview mirror and I am still blown away by the outpouring of support and kindness our community provided to our children and families again this year. Your contributions have made a difference in the lives of so many and from the stories our staff share, the kids were excited about every gift delivered to them. For many of our children these gifts, made possible because of you, were the only gifts they received for the holidays. Thank you! Now that the holiday fun and excitement are behind us, we have much work to do going forward. We are currently exploring some new program initiatives including several mental health initiatives and the expansion of our foster care program, to name a few. Children’s Home remains committed to providing services to those who need them most and when new opportunities to serve are presented, we accept the CLETE WINKELMANN challenge. These new opportunities will allow us to impact the lives of even more PRESIDENT & CEO children and families who need our care. While these new initiatives are exciting, there are also some concerns looming on the Children’s Home horizon. The State of Illinois budget crisis continues to be a concern for all Human Service organizations throughout the state. There is grave concern that devastating Annual Report cuts are coming to service providers. These cuts will do immeasurable harm to the “safety net” that helps catch those who are struggling and prevents them from After much discussion regarding the production completely falling down. All of our services do just that - catch children and families of our 2009 Annual Report and provide them with the support they need to get back on their feet. Without these and in order to remain services, our community will change. I am concerned that many more individuals will fiscally responsible in the turn to a life of crime, many more will require psychiatric hospitalization and, coming year, Children’s ultimately, our children will suffer. Home will not print/ distribute a report for 2009. Children’s Home will continue to live its mission far into the future regardless of the Instead, please visit our outcome at the state level. We remain strong and have a rich history of commitment to website (www.chail.org) at our community. That will always be the case. I am concerned, however, about the any time to view our organizations that will not survive, as the needs of their clients will go unmet. Statement of Financial Position for 2008. Children’s Home services will then be in greater demand but, with limited funding, many children and families will have to “wait in line” for those services. This is why we We are, however, happy to need your support now more than ever! announce that we will once again be producing a At some point this Spring we will ask you to take action and help us advocate for those complete version of our who have little to no voice in Springfield. We will need you to make phone calls and Annual Report for 2010 that write letters to the decision-makers who are allowing critical services to disappear. We will be available this must all continue to work together towards our vision of “a healthy community where summer. If you would like to families and children come first.” get on the list to receive the 2010 report electronically, At this time I ask that you please send us your email address to Linda Keown, please send your name and Executive Assistant, at [email protected] so we can add you to our database. I am email address to Linda certain we will need you this Spring. On behalf of everyone at Children’s Home, I Keown, Executive Assistant, at lkeown@chail. org. thank you for your generosity and support this holiday season and for all you do for Thank you! our children, our families and our community. For the Kids, Clete The Magic of Giving Children’s Home is proud to announce that our staff contributed over $13,100 for the children and families in our community through the 2009 Heart of Illinois United Way Campaign. That’s an increase of $4,250 from last year! In addition to making pledges, staff contributed to the campaign by participating in a carnation sale, bake sale, pajama day and wing-eating contest. To increase the amount of money raised this year, our CEO, Clete Winkelmann, agreed to let a randomly selected group of staff (from any program that achieved 50% participation) throw pies at him! Children’s Home is fortunate to have such a wonderful group of professional staff working with our kids. We thank them not only for the work they do here every day, Mark Alcorn, Activity Coordinator, figures out that the but for going the extra mile to ensure high-quality services in our community for best way to ensure accuracy is to “fling” the contents of many years to come! the pie pan at Clete instead of throwing it! 2 FROM THE COMMUNITY &DONOR RELATIONS OFFICE OF BRIGITTE GRANT “If you want to do something to help change your world, you can do that - - one child at a time.” -- CLIFTON DAVIS On behalf of our children and their families, please accept my heartfelt thank you for the love, generosity and compassion you have shown our children in 2009! It is truly inspiring to see so many friends come to the aid of our kids. This past holiday season was the most amazing example of philanthropy we have seen in recent years. Co-workers, congregation members, entire grade schools and BRIGITTE M. GRANT extended families each shared the giving spirit to make the holidays special for all VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY & of our children. Even at a time when we all see uncertainties around us, we can DONOR RELATIONS count on you to provide the care that the kids at Children’s Home so desperately need. This year I challenge you to evaluate your role in changing the world around us. “Promises to Keep” Are you sharing your passions, talents and resources to improve a child’s life? Do to become more you encourage your family and friends to get involved with you in these efforts? fiscally and How can you put hope in a child’s life? environmentally conscious! Never forget, together we can change our world, one child at a time! In our continued efforts to be more fiscally and …continued from page one environmentally conscious, Children’s Instead of utilizing college students to Children’s Home Good Beginnings Home has decreased the serve as members, Children’s Home program where she assists staff in number of Promises to actively recruits former clients to delivering services to at-risk teen Keep issues we mail each become members who provide 900 parents and helps transport clients to year and will also begin sending the newsletter hours of service for one year. This and from parenting groups. Arnesha electronically at the unique approach is just one of the states, “AmeriCorps is going to help me request of each donor.

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