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BENJAMIN'S HOPE

YEAR-END | 2024

Opening Doors

BENJAMIN'S HOPE YEAR-END | 2024

Opening Doors

OpeningDoors

YEAR END 2024

THE BEN'S HOPE WAY

COMMITTEDTO LOVINGGODAND OTHERS,WE FIERCELYRESPECT THEDIGNITY, INTELLIGENCEAND VALUEOFALL HUMANS.WEARE CREATIVE, COURAGEOUS,AND COMMITTEDTO EXCELLENCE. THROUGHTHELOVE OFCHRIST,WELIVE THEABUNDANTLIFE TOGETHER.

HELLO from Krista

Hello Dear Friends,

When I was a little girl I thought Jesus had walked around my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I’d imagine that his footprints would magically light up in bright orange and I could place my own small feet right on top of the places where Jesus had walked. I remember thinking that if I could simply make my feet follow exactly in the steps of Jesus, all would be well.

I dont recall how old I was when I understood that Jesus had never tromped around my neighborhood. Occasionally I think back to that childhood yearning to follow, quite literally, in the footsteps of Jesus. I miss that simple and untarnished faith.

By adulthood, life has taught us that nothing is simple. In these pages I will share with you things that have make my heart burst with joy and injustices that make me weep. I pray you will celebrate the wonder of what God is doing through Bens Hope. And, I invite you to wrestle with system realities that deserve the attention of our community leaders, legislators, faith leaders and healthcare providers.

The people we love who live with disability: physical or developmental, seen or invisible, are worthy of a life of dignity Again and again, I see evidence of God’s constant and abiding love through your faithful partnership in this Kingdom work I pray you will stay close as we lean into the evolving and growing call to seek dignity for all

In Gratitude,

Krista

Krista Mason Executive Director

ABOUT BENJAMIN'S HOPE

The 52-acre farmstead campus of Benjamin’s Hope in Holland, Michigan, is a vibrant community designed to create a place of purpose and belonging for adults with autism, their families, and the broader West Michigan community. Offering essential services such as housing and meaningful day programming, Benjamin’s Hope is partially funded through public healthcare dollars and deeply supported by the faithful giving of the community

Beyond its core services, Benjamin’s Hope opens its doors to the wider community, with hundreds of people participating in a variety of programs each week. These include the Church of Ben’s Hope, Rapid Prompting Method (RPM), Club Connect, and the expanding day program, NEXT. These programs offer critical support, respite, engagement, and opportunities for growth.

For many, Benjamin’s Hope is a sanctuary of welcome and belonging a place where connections are fostered, and lives are enriched

Benjamin’s Hope currently provides 24/7 residential care for 32 men and women with autism and other intellectual or developmental disabilities. In this next season of growth, we are excited to expand our family by opening two new homes, welcoming 12 more individuals into the Ben’s Hope community. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our supporters, these homes, scheduled to open in mid-2025, will be built debt-free a true testament to the faithful giving of our community.

MISSION

Benjamin’s Hope is a “live, learn, play, worship” farmstead community where people of all abilities are transformed by the love of Christ

As an integral part of the faith-based fabric that supports special needs families across West Michigan, Benjamin’s Hope holds the anticipation of welcoming new residents alongside the sobering reality that more than 150 individuals and their families are waiting and praying for the opportunity to become part of this community

We are deeply grateful for the steadfast support of our friends, who help us steward the resources already entrusted to us and walk with us as we continue to seek God’s guidance for the future. Together, we are building a place of belonging and purpose, extending hope for today and tomorrow.

LIVE

Home is the place where we feel the acceptance and love to be ourselves

Rising to the Challenge

SUPPORT WORKFORCE GROWTH AT BENJAMIN’S HOPE

Expanding our ministry's impact through increased residential services involves more than just physical construction. With two new homes already funded, framed and well underway, we are grateful for the financial provision that allows us to build these homes debt-free.

Our growth is driven by a mission to offer abundant, fulfilling lives to more people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This mission is made possible by our dedicated team of SideKicks—our direct care workforce. These individuals are the backbone of our organization, providing care, support, and companionship around the clock, 365 days a year.

Why We Need Your Support

Expanding our residential services means more than just building new facilities; it requires investing in a skilled and committed workforce. To serve more individuals, we need to recruit, train, and support new team members well before the revenue from new residents starts to flow.

HiringandtrainingnewSideKicksisacrucial yetunfundedprocess,asMedicaiddoesnot coverthesepreparatoryexpenses.That’s whywe’reaskingforyoursupport.

OurImmediateNeeds

Tofullystaffourtwonewhomes,wewill needtohire30newSideKicks.Eachnew teammemberwillundergoapproximately 60hoursoftraining,whichmustbe completedbeforeresidentsmovein.

KeyAreasofFocus:

HiringNewStaff:Recruitmentand onboardingof30newSideKicks. Training:Ensuringnewhiresarewellpreparedtoprovidecarethatalignswith Benjamin'sHopevalues.

AdministrativeExpansion:Growingour administrativeandclinicalsupportto ensurescalable,sustainablesystems.

Your Role in Our Mission

We are deeply grateful for your prayerful consideration as we seek to extend the reach of Benjamin's Hope. Your support will enable us to make essential investments in our SideKicks—who are at the heart of everything we do. Together, we can continue to grow and serve more individuals, providing them with the community, care, and abundant life they deserve.

YEAR END GOAL $100,000

Be Yourself in honor of Sawyer Schipper

If you are a long-time follower of Ben’s Hope you are accustomed to reading a story about Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) in these pages. We have shared stories about non-speaking people who (with time and extraordinary effort) have learned to communicate thoughts through typing. Words fall short to express the way lives are changed with the gift of communication.

This a story of a different tempo, both heart wrenching and redemptive.

I have in my office a small orange couch. Next to my couch is a box of tissues. From time to time I have the privilege of spending time with someone, often a Ben’s Hope Sidekick, who comes to sit on my couch with a story to tell.

On a recent Thursday afternoon I sat with Henry and his Aunt Libby, both SideKicks (Direct Care Professional) and part of our Ben’s Hope family. Henry extended his forearm, tender with a stillfresh tattoo. I read the words, “Be Yourself”. Just days earlier his younger brother, Sawyer, was enjoying a drive with friends.

That Sunday afternoon Sawyer found himself in the arms of his Savior, Jesus.

Henry holds out to me a small, spiral bound notebook; his brother’s journal. “You can read it,” he says. Holding this little notebook, and seeing the handwritten words of Sawyer (a boy I did not know) feels misplaced in my hands. To be invited to read Sawyer’s heartfelt thoughts, written just weeks before his death, feels sacred, and too precious for a virtual stranger.

And I read.

With fresh teenage honesty that makes me feel like I know him, Sawyer describes his joy at being included by his older brother. He writes, “Henry let’s me hang with his boyz.” Sawyer’s words overflow with happiness; being included by his brother literally made his summer.The love Sawyer felt from and for Henry jumped off the page right into my heart.

Sawyer also expresses trepidation about the upcoming school year. Normal feelings for a boy of 16. Will kids be nice to me? Will I be accepted? How will I respond if they are not kind? The things all teens wonder and worry about.

With tear filled eyes Henry and Libby share that Sawyer often found it difficult to be accepted. He could relate with the Ben’s Hope men and women. He understood them, sharing an ache to be accepted for who they are; a desire to be understood when expression does not come easily.

And then, Sawyer reflects on a conversation with his Dad. He recounts bold words from his Dad that filled him with assurance for the upcoming year, and bravery that can only pass from a father to a son. Sawyer closes his journal reflection with two words, now engraved on Henry’s arm for all of life.

“Be yourself.”

Thank you, Sawyer, for these wise and simple words. What a gift you have given us, in this little notebook of yours. As you now live in the presence of the Lord Jesus, fully yourself, we will hold your words in our hearts and honor your life as we seek to live in grace, acceptance and love of one another.

Scholarships in honor of Sawyer may be supported through gifts to RPM@Benjamin’s Hope. This is a legacy to Sawyer, as lives will be changed through the gift of communication.

I like to go to the Church of Ben’s Hope with my Mom and Dad.

Pastor Eric is nice. I go to Club Connect and play t-ball. I go to NEXT on Monday and Wednesday and Friday and I like to play the drums. I take lots of pictures for my scrapbook.

I have lots of friends at Ben’s Hope.

I’m Jennifer, but you can call me Giggles.

APRIL 2024 TED

Ted* has lived at Ben’s Hope for nearly 10 years. He is a dancing man, full of life and humor, loved by all. Ted lives with bipolar and autism. Due to his bipolar diagnosis, Ted “cycles”. When this occurs he experiences severe mania. He becomes restless, agitated, unable to sleep and is prone to elopement (running away). I will share with you that we agonize when we observe the onset of a manic episode, bent on robbing this typically delightful man of joy, stability and safety.

Last April we observed the well-recognized onset of a manic episode. We worked with his behavioral health team at Ottawa County Community Mental Health (OCCMH) to stabilize him using environmental strategies, medication, prayer, music. Everything we could think of. Nothing was working, and his behavior esclated to the point of danger to himself and others. His OCCMH psychiatrist instructed us to take Ted to the emergency room at our local hospital where there is a respected psychiatric unit.

Ted had been hospitalized here previously, and was able to return to his home at Benjamin’s Hope, stable. However, this time, we were told that there were no beds available. This happens, of course.

However, at the same time, a Ben’s Hope staff-person was experiencing a mental health crisis. She does not have Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), she is verbal and does not have severe behaviors. She was not injuring herself and others, and she had private insurance. She was immediately offered a bed on the psychiatric floor. Ted was informed that there were no beds available in Michigan. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital in Indiana known for taking people with I/DD on Medicaid. We had a prior and very negative experience with this hospital that caused us and his family great concern. But this was Ted’s only option.

Ted returned to Benjamin’s Hope 2 weeks later: incontinent, overmedicated and with bruises and open cuts on his body. We reported this and were told it is difficult to investigate abuse across state lines. Today, over a half year later, he has not returned to base-line. He now uses a walker, has altered speech, and his “spark” for life is dim. He no longer dances. We have since learned that the Indiana hospital is under investigation.

Is this the best we have to offer?

*Details adjusted to ensure privacy.

FELLOW HUMAN TOWARD A BETTER WAY

TO CARE FOR OUR

Ted’s story is a powerful and heartbreaking illustration of the gaps in our current mental health care system, especially for individuals with both Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and serious mental health conditions. Ted's experience highlights a critical issue: the inadequacies in available crisis care and the inequities in treatment based on insurance and diagnosis. The contrast between how Ted and the staff person were treated speaks volumes about systemic failings.

Ted's journey, from the lack of appropriate care during his manic episode to the devastating aftermath of his hospitalization, raises important questions about how we care for our most vulnerable citizens. It underscores the need for alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization that are equipped to manage both the I/DD and mental health aspects of a person's condition.

The story of Ted is an urgent reminder that we must do better—not just in terms of access to care, but in the quality, dignity, and compassion with which it is delivered. Ted's loss of mobility, personality, and joy is a deep injustice that speaks to a need for reform in how we approach crisis care, particularly for those with complex needs.

How does this urgent need connect with the work of Ben’s Hope? We are strategically working with Community Mental Health, legislative policy makers and thought-leaders to explore innovative approaches. As for today, we want to raise your awareness.

There has to be a better way.

THE CHURCH OF BEN'S HOPE

EVERY SUNDAY AT 6PM

Everyone is welcome!

CLUB CONNECT

MOST THRUSDAY NIGHTS AT 6

Check the Benjamin’s Hope facebook page for schedule

WORSHIP

Connecting people of all abilities with Jesus and one another

Silence and the Call to Speak

by Tom Elenbaas, Chief Operating Officer

For 30 years before coming to Benjamin’s Hope, I served as a pastor, a journey filled with incredible joys, opportunities, challenges—and some regrets. One of my biggest regrets is the times I remained silent, particularly in moments of profound injustice. The politics surrounding what is considered appropriate to address from the pulpit are complex. There were times I spoke up, but other times I stayed silent.

Some say, "Silence is complicity." Whether or not that’s always true, for me the deeper question is one of calling: Is God asking me to speak?

Working at Benjamin's Hope has given me a fresh perspective. We live in a world that doesn’t always listen to every voice. Some communicate with words in ways the world readily understands, while others express themselves through non-verbal or less conventional means. To speak with and alongside those who are often misunderstood matters. To help the world recognize the value of nontraditional communicators matters. To amplify the desires, needs, and experiences of people whose voices might otherwise go unheard matters. To stand for justice in the face of inequity matters.

When Moses told God, "I’ve never been able to speak well… I speak slowly and don’t use the best words," God responded, “I will be with you when you speak; I will give you the words.” And again, “I’ll send someone to help you.”

I often wonder, should I speak or stay silent? It is easy to experience a crisis of confidence in the face of institutions, systems and problems that seem, well, insurmountable. Who am I to make a difference? And then I hear a still-small voice saying, “You. I am talking to you.” Perhaps the answer is to lean toward boldness, to courageously call ourselves and one another to love and value all people.

The Church of Ben’s Hope meets every Sunday night at 6pm. Everyone is welcome!