Starr News Spring 2012

S P R I N G

STARR

2012 I V O L U M E 69 N O

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STARR COMMONWEALTH

RESIDENTIAL

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COMMUNITY-BASED

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We Think The World of Kids

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PROFESSIONAL

TRAININGS

Inside:

Foster Care Month at Starr Foster Care Myths Starr Global Training Network

STARR Foster Care Myths See Page 8

I MPACTI NG

1.3 MI LL I O N CHI LDREN A ND FA MI L I ES WO RL DWI DE

CREATE

POSITIVE

ENVIRONMENTS

WHERE

CHILDREN

FLOURISH

Contents Foster Care Month at Starr See Page 4

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President’s Message

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Foster Care Month

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Champion Boxer Visits Starr

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Chaplain’s Message

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Foster Care Myths

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Commonwealthalia

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Foster Care: Making a Difference

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John Seita Scholarship

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Starr Global Training Network

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2012 Founder’s Day Speaker Dick Vitale

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Honor/Memorial Gifts

Starr News Spring, 2012 Volume 69, No. 2 Starr Commonwealth is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families & Children.

Starr Commonwealth is a non-profit organization serving children and families regardless of race, religion, color, or national origin. Founded in 1913, Starr is licensed by the states of Michigan and Ohio and serves children and families from locations in Albion, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Clinton Township, MI.; Van Wert, and Columbus, OH; and Lennox, S.D. The Albion campus is a Michigan Historic Site. Starr Commonwealth receives funds from social agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Kyle Caldwell, Chairman of the Board; Martin L. Mitchell, Ed. D., President and Chief Executive Officer; Christopher L. Smith, B.B.A., C.P.A., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Wm. Chuck Jackson, MA, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer; Elizabeth A. Carey, MSW, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Administrative Services Officer; Gary Q. Tester, MRC, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer 13725 Starr Commonwealth Rd. Albion, MI 49224-9525 800.837.5591 info@starr.org

Too often, the media attention surrounding foster care highlights the occasional negative aspect of challenges within the system. This can discourage current foster families as well as deter others from joining this important cause.

Foster parenting is no easy task. Children in foster care have often experienced physical and emotional abuse and suffer from an inability to trust or love. Many foster children are more likely to suffer from depression and other challenges that will impact their learning and behavior. Often, when children are removed from their homes and families at young ages, they experience elevated levels of stress and compromised immune systems. There are no shortage of challenges in opening your heart and home to children in foster care.

However, the pivotal role foster parents play in the lives of foster youth is critical to their long-term developmental needs. Safe, stable homes where basic needs are met are important.

So, too, are adults who understand the vital signs for positive youth development: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity.

Through Starr Commonwealth’s foster care programs in Battle Creek and Detroit, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio, we have worked with hundreds of adults who understand that fostering is more than just a bed to sleep in and food for nourishment. They recognize and work to support vulnerable children in their care, whether it’s short-term and temporary or lengthy and leading toward adoption. Our highly trained and qualified foster parents go above and beyond every day, and for that, they all deserve more positive attention and gratitude from all of us. Increasing our appreciation for foster parents is not only long overdue but necessary to grow the number of adults and homes wanting to apply.

Please join me in thanking the licensed foster care providers of Starr and other agencies who are undeniably deserving of recognition, not just this month, but every day. Send an e-mail of appreciation to info@starr.org, and we will share your comments on our Facebook page.

Martin L. Mitchell, Ed.D., President/ CEO

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NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH National Foster Care Month, recognized in May each year, brings awareness to a large population of youth in need of stability and support and the families who selflessly care for them.

According to fostercaremonth.org, there are roughly 424,000 children in the foster care system in the United States. The average age of children entering the system is between 8 and 12 years old, and most of these children enter foster care with histories of abuse and neglect, according to the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections.

Ultimately, the objective of foster care is to reunite youth with biological families if possible. In many cases, however, this is not an option. In fact, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System indicates that only 51 percent of children exiting foster care in the U.S. in 2010 were reunited with their biological parents.

At Starr Commonwealth, our foster care services – offered in Battle Creek and Detroit, Michigan, as well as Columbus, Ohio – work with biological families whenever possible with reunification as the ultimate goal. If that is not an achievable outcome, Starr works to ensure that youth and foster families are supported throughout the process and into other appropriate permanency-oriented living arrangements.

Starr also offers services like MyPlace, an independent living program for adolescents ages 16 and over in Columbus that helps youth adjust to life on their own. Other transitional living programs are offered in Battle Creek and Detroit, such as Supervised Independent Living (SIL), which assists older youth, ages 16-20, in gaining self-sufficiency through the acquisition of day-to-day living skills.

Starr foster care currently serves 172 youth in 128 homes in Michigan and Ohio with the hope of adding more children and loving foster families whenever possible.

Starr Detroit’s foster care program handles case management services for foster youth, in addition to tutoring, possible transition to its SIL program and collaboration with other prevention and intervention services at the Detroit campus.

The Starr Battle Creek foster care program serves the largest number of youth out of the three sites and includes multiple levels of care. Like Starr Detroit, Battle Creek assists with possible transition to its SIL program and works with other services under the Starr umbrella.

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Treatment Foster Care at Starr Columbus provides different levels of care as well, including Traditional, Specialized and Exceptional. Differences include frequency and depth of therapy and program length, with Exceptional being the most thorough and longest program for youth with more extensive needs.

Services offered by Starr’s foster care programs range from case management to in-home counseling, on-campus psychiatric care and therapy from counselors trained in trauma-informed practices through The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, a program of the Starr Global Training Network.

Foster parents undoubtedly make a significant impact in children’s lives. But there are still many youth across the country with no support to meet their basic needs and no guidance along the road through adolescence and into adulthood.

At Starr, our mission is to create positive environments where children flourish. As a foster parent, you can help us achieve that goal.

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CHAMPION BOXER

Right: Olympic hopeful Claressa Shields and a Starr student Below: Pictured from left to right are Trustee George Wilson, Claressa’s trainer Jason Crutchfield, CDO Gary Tester, Claressa Shields, CSO Elizabeth Carey and CEO Marty Mitchell.

Starr Commonwealth was privileged to have Claressa Shields, Olympic hopeful and U.S. National Champion boxer, visit the Albion campus March 17 to speak with our staff and youth.

She detailed her experience as a young female boxer in a male-dominated sport and the difficulties of growing up in Flint, Michigan without her father. Her message of perseverance resonated with our youth, and she was gracious enough to take part in a question and answer session with nearly 160 boys and girls.

The 17-year-old Shields has a 25-0 record and will be traveling to China soon in her final preliminary action before the first-ever women’s boxing tournament at the Olympics.

Claressa has promised to come back to Starr for our Founder’s Day celebration on Sunday, Oct. 7 if she wins the Gold Medal. We wish her the best on her continued journey.

Watch your gift grow.

Do you work for a company that offers a matching gifts program?

Or, are you retired from a matching gifts company? If so, you could double – maybe even triple – your gifts to Starr Commonwealth children simply by letting us know. Just ask your employer or former employer to provide you with the paperwork you need. Fill it out and send it to Attention: Development Office, Starr Commonwealth, 13725 Starr Commonwealth Road, Albion, MI 49224-9910.

Thank you for caring!

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Starr provides kids with certainty in our uncertain world.

A popular commercial featured on television at the moment is one centered on financial planning. The narrator says that, according to an ancient Mayan calendar, Earth is to be hurled into space on December 21, 2012. If this is the case, then the world will come to an end, and there would be no need for financial planning. However, if we are here the next day, then of course one would need to plan for the future. It’s a clever commercial which plays upon both uncertainty and certainty of the future. Now what do I mean by this?

However, life is filled with great uncertainty, and no amount of planning will remove uncertainty from our lives. Occasionally, clouds block out the sun. Winter often lingers on even though the calendar says it’s spring.

Many people cannot find work or go long periods of time between work, and if they are able to find work, often it is not fulfilling.

Love hurts, just listen to all the songs or read the many poems or stories which attest to this. Before our lives come to an end here on Earth, they are filled with joy, disappointment, laughter, tears, enlightenment, a lack of understanding, you get the picture.

And eventually, for all of you Cubbies’ fans out there, the Chicago Cubs will be in a World Series. Uncertainties!

CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE

There is a certainty about life which helps to ground our lives and provides some measure of control and stability. This certainty is expressed in many ways. For example, the sun always rises. Spring follows winter.

Work is rewarding and necessary. Love is worth pursuing and being “caught by.”

Our lives here on Earth will come to an end at some point in time. And the Chicago Cubs will miss out on yet another baseball World Series. Certainties!

Chaplain Ken Ponds

From its beginning, Starr has worked hard to deal with both the certainties and uncertainties of life through the development of outstanding programs and opportunities for young people and their families. One such program is foster care, which strives to provide the certainty of a loving, nurturing, accepting and functional family for many young people who have known nothing but the uncertainty of life.

As I write this message, we are standing in the shadow of two great religious events which have just occurred, Passover and Easter. Both events remind us that because God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, no matter the certainties or uncertainties of our life, God will be in them providing us with the love and strength to endure and thrive. This is certain.

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MYTHS

As a foster care provider for 27 years, Starr is acutely aware of the myriad of myths and misconceptions surrounding the foster care system.

These misunderstandings unfortunately cast foster parents, who open their homes and hearts to children in need, in a negative light and mistakenly paint a picture of children who have committed unimaginable offenses.

In an effort to dispel the fallacies that surround the foster care program, listed below are responses to set the record straight.

Myth #1: Foster parents are “in it for the money.”

Foster parents invite children into their homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These children may present issues ranging from insomnia to behavioral disorders to learning disabilities or have previously abused alcohol or drugs, to name a few. The motivation for foster parents is more than any monetary assistance that provides care and support. Knowing they have helped a child and family in crisis is what makes fostering a rewarding experience.

Myth #2: Foster parents should treat foster kids like they would their own in all situations.

Treating foster children as “your own” is ideal if referring to household chores, having the expectation of being kind, using manners, obeying rules and experiencing extracurricular activities. The reality is that foster children have real, serious challenges and problems which may require some alterations to your parenting style.

A child who has been a victim of abuse and neglect or experienced a traumatic event has much different needs in order to heal and feel as if they are in a safe environment than your “typical” child.

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Myth #3: I’d love to be a foster parent, but seeing children leave would break my heart.

To imply that foster parents can let kids go because they don’t get attached is simply not the case. As with any relationship, the level of the bond varies. Some foster parents enter into the field with the notion of eventually adopting. Others simply learn to care for the child and let go when it is time. For many children in the foster care system, family reunification is the ultimate goal. Foster parents work closely with the case manager, child and sometimes even the parent(s) or guardian to make this goal a reality.

Myth #4 : The term foster child means the same as adopted child.

These terms should not be used interchangeably.

Labels should be avoided as children from either situation are incredibly sensitive to these terms. Children in the foster care system are still under state care whereas children who have been adopted are strictly cared for by the parents without state oversight.

Myth #5: Foster parents are kept hidden from the birth parents.

This is only true in extreme cases. For the majority of cases, soon after a foster child is placed, they have visits with family members who are considered safe to lessen the child’s sense of abandonment. Throughout placement, foster parents often assume the role of modeling healthy parenting skills or act as a source of information for the biological parent(s).

Myth #6: I could never be a foster parent because I’m not married and don’t make a lot of money.

I don’t even own my house.

While there are requirements to becoming a foster parent, whether you are married, single, a home owner or renter, you are capable of becoming a foster parent as long as you have enough income to support yourself and your family aside from the money you are paid to care for foster children.

Myth #7: My children are grown and out of the house. I’m too old to be a foster parent.

The only age requirement for becoming a foster parent is meeting the minimum age in your state.

In Michigan, the minimum age is 18, while Ohio requires foster parents to be 21. Many “empty nesters” find foster parenting to be a rewarding experience.

Myth #8: I don’t have any children and to be a foster parent, you need to have parenting experience.

Many foster parents are childless. However, they are responsible, caring individuals who have made a commitment to helping children in need. Training is provided by Starr to support our foster parents.

Continued on page 11

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COMMONWEALTH

by Amy Reimann, Director of Archives

The history of foster care in the United States and how Starr Commonwealth became involved.

The Old Testament contains references to the duty of all to care for children in any situation. Early Christian church records also show that widows were paid from congregational collections to care for orphans. It was English Poor Law that led to the development of family foster care in the United States. In 1562, these laws allowed the placement of poor children until they came of age. In 1636, less than 30 years after the founding of the Jamestown Colony, Benjamin Eaton became this nation’s first foster child at the age of seven.

In 1853, Charles Brace began the free foster home movement. A minister and director of the New York Children's Aid Society, Brace was concerned about the large number of immigrant children sleeping in the streets of New York. He devised a plan to provide them homes by advertising in the south and west for families willing to provide free homes

for these children, whether for charitable reasons or whatever help these children could be to them.

As a result of the New York Children's Aid Society's placements, sectarian social agencies and state governments became involved in foster home placements. Massachusetts, prior to 1865, began paying board to families who took care of children too young to be indentured. Pennsylvania passed the first licensing law in 1885, which made it a misdemeanor to care for two or more unrelated children without a license. South Dakota began providing subsidies to the Children's Home Society after it was organized in 1893 for its public childcare work.

During the early 1900s, social agencies began to supervise foster parents. Records were kept,

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children's individual needs were considered when placements were made, and the federal government began supporting state inspections of family foster homes. Services were provided to natural families to enable the child to return home, and foster parents were now seen as part of a professional team working to find permanency for dependent children.

At Starr Commonwealth, many children worked local farms near the Albion campus in the 1940s and 1950s. Starr’s housemothers, and eventually house parent couples, could also be compared

to foster parents, as they lived and made their home here with the children they served.

The external Starr Foster Care movement began in 1985. Norman Ostrum, our first Foster Care Licensing Supervisor, and Deb Watkis, our first Foster Care Secretary, placed the first child that year. Deb remembers that they received training at Eagle Village on how to create files and begin the program. Starr now has foster homes throughout Michigan and Ohio. Both Deb and Norm still work for Starr, as well, although in different capacities. Deb is our Assets Manager in the Albion Finance Department and Norm is Admissions Director for Montcalm School, a private therapeutic boarding school of Starr Commonwealth.

Foster Care Myths continued

Myth #9 : Foster children have been abused so much that they’re beyond repair. I wouldn’t be making much of a difference anyway.

Research completed by Starr’s own Clinical Team reinforces the fact that children are amazingly resilient. Foster parents who provide a structured, nurturing environment make an incredible difference in these children’s lives. Starr foster parents have behind them a wealth of knowledge and experience through counselors who are trained in providing trauma-informed and resilience-focused care.

Starr Commonwealth operates Foster Care programs in Battle Creek and Detroit, Michigan, and in Columbus, Ohio, for a total of 128 foster parents who provided homes to 409 children in need in 2011. For more information on Starr’s Foster Care program or on becoming a foster parent, visit www.starrfostercare.org or call 800.837.5591.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Fostering a child, even if it is only for a short period of time, can change their life forever. Two of Starr Commonwealth’s foster parents dedicated to that mission are Hollis Conway, a foster parent with Starr Battle Creek, and Chris Battle, a foster parent with Starr Detroit.

Hollis and her partner, Jamiee Clark, became licensed foster parents in April 2011. They were weighing the options of bringing a child into their home and decided to go the foster parenting route.

Chris and his wife, Donna, took a very different path to foster parenthood.

“Becoming licensed foster parents was a natural evolution for our family,” Chris said. “We were unofficial foster parents for years. We took in and assisted in the care of children of family and friends during times of difficulty because we believe that is what a community should do.

“The decision to become licensed occurred during a Christmas season, when a fellow church member made a presentation during a service spotlighting the need for good foster homes. She was employed with the Department of Human Services. Seeing the faces of the children presented struck a chord in us.”

Both Chris and Hollis believe that being a foster parent allows them to have the greatest impact on a child who desperately needs a safe and stable environment.

“We had always been drawn to the idea of fostering, and having our own children hasn't been a priority for us,” Hollis said.

“After considering our options in adding children to our family, we felt that helping children through fostering was the most meaningful to us.”

But as with any situation where children are brought into a new home, there have been difficulties along the way. The hardest part, Hollis said, is knowing that the child is leaving the home at some point.

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Jamiee Clark and Hollis Conway

“We have to remind ourselves that our foster child isn't our child forever,” Hollis said. “The frustration of not knowing what will happen next takes a huge emotional toll on us.”

Chris believes that biological families can be difficult to interact with when they do not realize that foster parents are working with the child’s best interests in mind.

“Some of the most significant challenges to being a foster parent involve convincing the children to trust you, as well as convincing any involved birth family to understand that you are not the enemy and only want what is best for the child,” Chris said. “The outcome has always been best for the children when birth families work with us rather than against us.”

The positive aspects of fostering far outweigh the negatives, however, and both Hollis and Chris believe that their foster children have had just as big of an impact on them as they have had on the children.

“The biggest reward of being a foster parent is the joy we get while watching (our foster child) grow and develop into an amazing kid,” Hollis said. “He has touched our lives in ways we will never forget.”

Chris also reaps the benefit of seeing his foster children excel while in his family’s care.

With many youth across the country still looking for direction in their lives, the guidance that foster parents can offer is invaluable.

“The most wonderful rewards that we have ever received as foster parents have been being able to see the growth and successes of those we have fostered,” Chris said. “While the youth deserve the ultimate credit for making good choices and being able to overcome whatever challenges they have endured, fostering makes us feel like we have played a small role in that success.”

Hollis believes that her and Jamiee’s positive life experiences, especially as children, give them the ability to provide a loving and supportive atmosphere for foster children in their home.

“We think about the wonderful childhood we both had growing up and hope that we can offer that to the children who enter our home,” Hollis said. “We are motivated knowing that there are so many kids who need someone and the difference a loving home can make.”

Providing some stability in an otherwise tumultuous life can give purpose and direction to foster children feeling overwhelmed by their circumstances. That is the ultimate goal of both Hollis and Chris.

“We continue to be foster parents for the same reasons that we began fostering,” Chris said. “We believe that whenever our time here is done, we will have fulfilled our purpose by loving God's children and showing them what love should look like. We always strive to make our home feel like home for them.”

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Honor a foster parent or child.

Here’s the perfect opportunity to honor a foster parent, child or others like alumni and staff, and tell the world of your support for them and Starr Commonwealth. When you reserve a commemorative brick, bench or picnic table, you get to choose the Starr campus – Albion or Columbus – where you’d like it displayed. You also get to choose the message you’d like engraved, and your tax-deductible charitable contribution will help our campuses remain beautiful, comfortable and easily accessible for all.

Take a minute now to fill out the attached order form below and own a piece of the walk.

Please return the form below along with payment to: Starr Commonwealth, 13725 Starr Commonwealth Rd., Albion, MI 49224

Official Order Form Designate a Campus:

Mr. & Mrs.

__Albion Campus

Mr.

Mrs.

Ms.

___Columbus Campus

Miss

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your Name Daytime Phone Email _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address City State Zip Designation:

___Memorial

___Honor

___Chapel

___Employee

___Alumni

___4"x 8" Bricks (1 to 3 lines) at $100/each = _________ ___8"x 8" Bricks (1 to 6 lines) at $200/each = _________ ___Bench at $2000/each = _________ (1-4 lines; 25 spaces) ___Picnic Table at $1500/each =_________ (1-4 lines; 25 spaces) Total Donation

_________

Please bill my ___VISA

___MC

___AMEX

___Check enclosed

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #2 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #3 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #4 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #5 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #6 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn #1

____________________________________________ Card #

____________________________________________ Expiration Date

Here’s the text for my engraving. Up to 15 characters per line including spaces and punctuation. Use “&” for “and” to save space.

JOHN SEITA SCHOLARSHIPS

A scholarship created in 2008 and named after Starr Commonwealth alumnus John Seita assists students attending Western Michigan University who have aged out of foster care.

Seita, a WMU graduate and associate professor of social work at Michigan State University, was once a troubled boy receiving treatment at Starr Commonwealth in Albion, Michigan. He is now an expert on resilience, positive youth development and foster care, having authored several journals and books.

He has presented on topics related to the issues and his personal experiences as well.

The John Seita Scholarship is available to first-time freshmen or transfer students who were in foster care or were wards of the state at the time of their high school graduation. It assists the students with full tuition, year-round housing and a network of academic and social support.

Since its inception, the WMU Seita Scholars program has supported 209 students with a total of $3.39 million in tuition assistance. In the fall of 2011, 17 Seita Scholars made the dean’s list. While WMU is finding the average timeframe for these former foster youth to graduate with their bachelor’s degree is six years, the program is changing lives.

According to WMU’s website, the first graduate of the Seita Scholars program, Michael Fombang, who graduated in May 2010 with a bachelor’s in biomedical sciences, has hopes to attend medical school.

For more information on the Seita Scholars program, including the eligibility requirements, visit www.wmich.edu.

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STARR GLOBAL TRAINING NETWORK? Starr Commonwealth is fortunate to have many terrific programs aimed at creating positive environments where children flourish. Two of these, The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) and Reclaiming Youth International, are members of the Starr Global Training Network. These programs train professionals in best practices when treating children who have experienced trauma and assist with building resiliency in youth.

The Starr Global Training Network, formerly the Starr Institute for Training, has recently changed its name to better coincide with Starr’s vision to actively engage with communities worldwide to develop the greatness in every child. This new image better reflects the nature of Starr’s training programs, a worldwide network of industry experts with one goal: training professionals in leading-edge techniques to care for children and families across the globe.

Foster children in particular have often experienced a great deal of trauma throughout their lives. At Starr, we are working to get all of our clinicians, therapists and those who work with youth trained in trauma-informed practices through TLC. This will allow each of the direct care staff to truly understand the impact trauma has on children, including those in foster care.

TLC also has a Foster Care Workbook, which provides foster parents and professionals with a number of helpful tips when caring for and working with a traumatized foster child. Parents have access to TLC’s Parent Trauma Resource Center as well, a free source of useful information relating to children and trauma available on the TLC website.

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Reclaiming Youth International uses Circle of Courage,® a model of positive youth development built around meeting the four basic needs of all children: belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. Through Reclaiming Youth International, childcare professionals are equipped with the tools needed to help children feel empowered and resilient.

These knowledge- and skillbuilding trainings are offered for teachers, counselors, youth workers, juvenile justice personnel, faith-based providers, alternative schools, residential program staff and more.

The Starr Global Training Network has already trained childcare workers in over 50 countries. But expanding into more communities across the world will allow Starr Commonwealth to increase its global reach with the objective of positively impacting the lives of children and families everywhere. TLC and Reclaiming Youth International are just two of the programs that will help to achieve that ambitious goal.

For more information on TLC, please visit www.starrtraining.org/tlc. For more information on Reclaiming Youth International, please visit www.reclaiming.com.

DICK VITALE Starr Commonwealth is pleased to announce Dick Vitale as our 2012 Founder’s Day speaker. Most know him as an energetic college basketball commentator, but he is also heavily involved with many charitable efforts. A decorated philanthropist, Mr. Vitale has been awarded the Ronald McDonald House Man of the Year Award and the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Chris Greicius Award, given for exceptional dedication to helping grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. He also had an advanced training program in pediatric cancer research at Johns Hopkins University named in his honor in 2011. Please save the date of Sunday, October 7, 2012. Mr. Vitale’s message of positivity and perseverance is sure to have a lasting impact on our youth, staff and community.

For more information on this Speaker/Performer, please visit www.apbspeakers.com.

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GIFTS HONOR GIFTS are thoughtful ways to remember a special person and/or a special occasion, such as a birth, birthday, anniversary, graduation, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, while also helping Starr children. When sending an honor gift, please provide the address of the honoree. We will send an acknowledgment card to let them know of your thoughtfulness, but we won’t mention the gift amount. You may call in your honor gift for faster acknowledgment at: 800.837.5591. Honor gifts also may be made online at: www.starr.org.

MEMORIAL GIFTS offer an enduring tribute to the memory of a friend or loved one, while extending a helping hand to the children of Starr Commonwealth. When sending a memorial gift, please provide the address of a family member of the deceased to whom we can send an acknowledgment card. We will let them know of your thoughtfulness but won’t mention the gift amount. You may call in your memorial gift for faster acknowledgment at: 800.837.5591.

Memorial donations also may be made online at: www.starr.org.

Here is a listing of Honor and Memorial gifts received from 1/14/2012 – 4/19/2012. Donors are listed below the name of the person in whose memory or honor they contributed. Gifts not listed here will appear in a future issue of Starr News. If we missed your name or an error has occurred with your listing, please forgive us and contact us so we may correct it in the next issue.

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IN HONOR OF: GEYWA ELLIOT Ms. Elisa Elliot JIM OLIVER Mr. Robert Macadaeg DALLAS AND LEONA SEILER Dr. Linda M. Muul Dr. and Mrs. Arlin E. Ness Ms. Karen Yankie JOHN R. SEITA Mr. Brian F. Talty

IN MEMORY OF: WILLIAM M. BLACK Mr. Darrell J. Black CONCETTA FALCONE Mr. John Falcone JEANNE GABLE Dr. and Mrs. Arlin E. Ness CATHERINE HEINLEN Dr. George H. Lauff MARY ANNA LAUFF Dr. George H. Lauff PATRICK L. MURPHY Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Mitchell FLORENCE NESS Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Colness Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Charles Zimmerman BLAKE PATRICK RANKIN Mr. William Hobson Dr. Pamela A. Lemerand Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Mitchell Dr. and Mrs. Arlin E. Ness

Mrs. Sylvia S. Richey Mr. Jon Van Oss MARILYN REED Ms. Norma A. Pitts RICHARD G. ROEDER Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Michels Mr. and Mrs. Philip Lang IRIS A. SHAW Dr. and Mrs. Brian Shaw CHRISTOPHER SOUTHWICK Mrs. Charlotte Southwick ELLA STOVER Dr. and Mrs. Arlin E. Ness Mr. and Mrs. Millard Winningham JACK H. TOWNSEND Ms. Leslie Brown Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Kipp Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Mark Veich ELLA WASHINGTON Mr. and Mrs. George D. Goodman Dr. and Mrs. Martin L. Mitchell NANCY STARR WISE Dr. and Mrs. Ross Vann Ness

Thank You! Starr Commonwealth would like to thank you for your kindness and generosity during our March “Matching Gift” Appeal.

With help from supporters like you, more than $12,900 was raised to help Starr’s youth. We thank you for your continued dedication to helping us achieve our mission of creating positive environments where children flourish.

Gift Annuity Rate Tables (Single Life)

The Starr Commonwealth Charitable Gift Annuity.

The more you give, the more you get back.

A gift annuity is the win-win of charitable gifts. You get the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing something important for the present and future children of Starr Commonwealth, and you’re guaranteed a stream of income for life!

Here’s how it works: You transfer cash, securities or other property to Starr to create your charitable gift annuity. Starr then pays you or the person you designate a fixed amount each year for life. You can receive a nice tax deduction for the year you create the gift annuity, and if you had donated appreciated property, you may save on capital gains tax. Among other benefits, part of your gift annuity is income tax free. Plus, the rates are based on age, so no health exams. When the gift annuity ends after your life, the remaining principal passes to Starr Commonwealth to benefit children in need.* For a detailed, no obligation analysis of what your gift might mean to you and the children of Starr Commonwealth, please call the office of Planned Giving at 800.837.5591.

Age 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90+

Rate 4.0 4.4 4.7 5.1 5.8 6.8 7.8 9.0

*not available in all states

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit #975 Lansing, MI

® 13725 Starr Commonwealth Rd. Albion, Michigan 49224 www.starr.org

®

www.starrtraining.org

www.montcalmschool.org

Officers

Board of Trustees

Martin L. Mitchell, Ed.D. President Chief Executive Officer

Kyle Caldwell, Chair President and CEO Michigan Nonprofit Association Lansing, MI

Christopher L. Smith, BBA, CPA Executive Vice President Chief Financial Officer Wm. Chuck Jackson, MA Executive Vice President Chief Clinical Officer Elizabeth A. Carey, MSW Executive Vice President Chief Strategy and Administrative Services Officer Gary Q. Tester, MRC Executive Vice President Chief Development Officer

Lawrence Givens Blackmond and Givens, Inc. Southfield, MI George A. Goodman Ypsilanti, MI

Michael Leach, Vice Chair Chief Financial Officer Nationwide Insurance Columbus, OH

H. Ronald Griffith President (Retired) Baker College of Jackson Jackson, MI

Tom Kolassa, Secretary Senior Vice President Hub International Battle Creek, MI

Jack Kresnak President and CEO Michigan’s Children Lansing, MI

Honorable Eugene A. Moore, Immediate Past Chair Chief Probate Judge (Retired) Oakland County Pontiac, MI

Dr. Pamela Lemerand Professor Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI

Duplicate mailing? Call (800) 837-5591 Address service requested

Erick Stewart President Stewart Industries LLC Battle Creek, MI Gary Taylor Owner Taylor Auto Sales Inc. Van Wert, OH Bruce Vande Vusse Attorney Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. Farmington Hills, MI George Wilson General Agent Wilson Insurance Services Gilbert Wiseman Agency Flint, MI

Trustees Emeritus

Scott Bennett Vice President UBS Financial Services Birmingham, MI Ralph J. Burrell President and CEO SymCon, Inc. Detroit, MI

William C. Rands Managing Partner Sagres Partners, L.P. Grosse Pointe, MI

Michael J. Gable Chief Operating Officer Howard and Howard Royal Oak, MI

Craig Carrel President and Partner Team 1 Plastics Albion, MI

Cornelia Romanowski Educator Shavertown, PA

George D. Goodman Executive Director (Retired) Michigan Municipal League Ann Arbor, MI

Honorable John Hallacy District Court Judge 10th District Court Battle Creek, MI

Ahmad E. Sinno Chief Information Officer Bricker & Eckler LLC Columbus, OH

Anne Willson Dupré Granddaughter of Floyd Starr Toronto, Canada Diana Starr Langley Montecito, CA Sylvia Starr Richey Granddaughter of Floyd Starr Seal Beach, CA

President Emeritus Arlin E. Ness President Emeritus Anthem, AZ

Locations

Albert Little Vice President and Business Development Officer Greenleaf Trust Kalamazoo, MI

Dr. Velma Clay Director of Equal Employment Opportunity (Retired) Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center Battle Creek, MI

Honorary Trustees

Margaret Starr Leutheuser Daughter of Floyd Starr Haverford, PA

Dr. Russell G. Mawby Chairman Emeritus W.K. Kellogg Foundation Battle Creek, MI William K. Stoffer Chairman and CEO Albion Machine & Tool Co. Albion, MI

Michigan: Albion, Battle Creek, Detroit, Clinton Township Ohio: Van Wert, Columbus South Dakota: Lennox