<< A newsletter cover from 1976, the year of our first fundraising barbecue!
VOL. 40
www.boysandgirlscountry.org
SPRING, 2011
NO. 2
Boys and Girls Country turns 40 in 2011...and the Spring Festival, to be held on April 30th this year, is not far behind...at a whopping 35 years of celebrations! What started as a small fundraising barbecue has become an enduring tradition that draws thousands of friends in the community to enjoy a day on our beautiful campus, with great food, fun rides and attractions, live entertainment, auctions, sales, and more! Our children will be your hosts...and all net proceeds go toward their care! Right: Members of the Ladies Auxiliary coordinated the event in our early years.
Saturday, April 30th
10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Visit www.2011springfestival.org for details! This year's Spring Festival is bigger than ever, with all new booths and rides, including – hold on for this one! – a mechanical bull, plus great entertainment for all tastes, from the Houston Grand Opera to the music of Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart, performed live by award-winning tribute artist Kenny Holliday (right)! And, as at our first festival, we will have fantastic barbecue, an incredible auction, and sales of all kinds...from plants, crafts, and baked goods to a big yard sale of Priceless Pre-Owned Possessions – perfect for bargain hunters!
$50,000 Title Sponsor $25,000 Presenting Sponsor $15,000 Sustaining Sponsor $10,000 Supporting Sponsor $ 5,000 Partner $ 2,500 Friend $ 1,500 Buddy $ 5,000 Zone Sponsor $100-$2,000 Booth Sponsor
Enter the drawing for your chance to win a trip for 4 to Disney World, a 37" LCD HDTV, or an iPad 2! You do not have to be present to win! Purchase your drawing tickets by filling out the form on the back, or purchase tickets online at www.2011springfestival.org (click on Drawing Prizes). Lend a Hand...Volunteer! As an individual or with a group, you can make Spring Festival happen by selling drawing tickets, collecting auction items, posting flyers, staffing a booth, helping at the auction, or performing on stage! To volunteer, please contact Darla Guerra at 281-351-4976 ext. 243 or email her at darla.guerra@boysandgirlscountry.org. 18806 Roberts Road Hockley, Texas 77447 (281) 351-4976 Fax: (281) 351-4978 info@boysandgirlscountry.org
Donate Online! www.boysandgirlscountry.org
Join us on Facebook! facebook.com/ boysandgirlscountry
Be a Sponsor!
To sponsor or for more information, please contact George O'Neal at 281351-4976 extension 225 or by email at george.oneal@boysandgirlscountry.org.
Inside: Pages 2-3: Message from the Executive Directors...past and present! Page 4: Meet our new board members...Plus, new furniture! Page 5: 2010 Friends of Children
Page 6: Tribute gifts...and upcoming Vision for Children dates Page 7: See our new playgrounds and lighting...and help our kids while grocery shopping! Page 8: Order your Spring Festival tickets...and check out our Wish List
Message from the Executive Directors, Past and Present! We had such a great response to our last newsletter that featured the “vintage” Boys Country logo and the pictures from our first 40 years! My favorite response was a phone call that I received one morning in late February from an alumnus who told me that he loved the cover and when he turned the page and saw the campus as it was, he began to weep. He was touched, I hope, by his positive memories and by our reverence and honor for the past. We work every day to sustain the amazing efforts of those who went before us. It’s always never the same. Just as in your lives, we have lots of structure at Boys and Girls Country but every day is different. Sometimes it’s different in little ways and sometimes it’s different in major ways. On a Wednesday in the first week of February, you’ll remember that we had a “hard freeze”. As the sun came out and the day wore on, frozen and split pipes in our attic spaces, that we thought were safe, began to thaw…and leak. In one of our girl’s cottages, the leak became a burst and the water saturated the kitchen ceiling eventually bringing it crashing down, while the water flooded the main living area of the home. And it all happened just before the girls arrived home from school! There’s an old saying that goes something like, “Anyone can steer the ship in calm seas”. In this instance, our kids and staff showed they had what it takes to steer the ship under the most unfavorable of circumstances. Our Teaching Parents began to plan for alternative ways to serve dinner and to protect the property of the girls and their home. Our Operations staff began a series of cold, wet pipe repairs and began to call for assistance from our most treasured vendors. Our Administrative staff began photographing the damage, contacting our insurance providers, and arranged for gift cards and monies to feed and take care of the kids. Our kids made every attempt to stay focused on their duties as students and worked at helping one another. In our girl’s cottage with the collapsed ceiling, it was clear that they could not spend the night there. As we looked at alternatives, their cottage sponsors, Judy and Joe Veale from Cy-Fair Christian Church, invited the entire family to their home to sit out the repairs. We were so grateful! As it often happens though, the Veales told us they were the fortunate ones. Part of their letter follows: “I just had to write you with the most wonderful story. As you know, our dear Cottage 3 (family) was displaced with the freeze last week. It has been our honor to have the girls, Mr. Robert and Ms. Beth stay with us. It was great. You should be very proud of all the girls. They were pleasant and well adjusted, even in the less than perfect circumstances. Their training showed up in their chores, manners, conversations, grooming, growth, development, grades, prayers, socializations, expressions of love and appreciation. They are so much a part of our hearts. It was hard to let them go home. I am so proud of them and our dear family relationships. Our time together was a high point in my life. I managed to pray with each girl separately, as they went to bed. They are growing into such wonderful young women. Thanks for the place that nurtures our dear girls.” We feel blessed to hear stories like this weekly about our kids. We also know, “if you want to shine, you’ve got to polish”. Our kids and staff work very hard to catch up and “shine”. We know that a good education is the best anti-poverty program available. We have refined our work in this area and we are so proud to report that our “at-risk” kids have earned a campus GPA of 3.2 for the last grading period. That is a B+ average! In fact, 62 of our 86 children here today are on the Honor Roll! Right: The "A" Honor Roll! We know we would not be here to do this without the dedication and sacrifice of those who went before us and those who support us and govern us today. In the last newsletter, we heard from Brother Jack Brewer and his early days and I have invited our 3rd and second most tenured Executive Director, Ms. Shirley Wright, to comment on her time spent leading Boys and Girls Country. From Shirley Wright, Executive Director of Boys and Girls Country from 1995 through her retirement in 2009: When I arrived at Boys and Girls Country in November, 1995 times were hard. • Critical financial problems – how to make payroll each month and pay for basic necessities – and also maintain the commitment to private funding • Program challenges – children discharged too quickly for the same behaviors that brought them to us, or teenagers leaving before they graduated from high school • Facilities – a beautifully designed 24-year-old campus desperately in need of refurbishment to meet current day needs • A Board of Directors with conflicting ideas about mission, operations, and fund-raising Underneath all the challenges was the unique history/foundation about raising children as our own….and women and men (too numerous to name) who believed the vision was right – and possible. (continued on page 3)
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Right: Shirley with Jean Robinson, wife of founder T. A. "Tom" Robinson, in the 1990s
I remember telling a board member that Boys and Girls Country was like spike heels…so out of date that we might just be stylish. (Spike heels returned to be fashionable in the next few years and so did we!) Earlier in life, as a naïve social worker, I adopted a troubled teenager from a Baptist children’s home…a child most organizations had judged "not appropriate for our setting" (the popular phrase for rejection)…a child with strengths and challenges similar to kids at Boys and Girls Country. "Lessons learned" in child care, as well as stressful parenting years, inspired me to a model of care that would be child-centered (not the typical staff-centered, or organization-centered, or funding-centered models). To be child-centered we: • Created a Home atmosphere (within an efficient business model), and made decisions with children’s needs as first priority • Ensured that every staff member (not just houseparents) was a "child care worker" who knew the name of each child, and owned responsibility for meeting their diverse needs • Engaged volunteers to be part of our extended family to help with extras we could not afford within our frugal budget • Stressed that Christian fruits of the spirit must abound: joy in children’s uniqueness and potential, peace that passes understanding to "live through it all" and see the job to the end, patience and forgiveness without ceasing…agape love seventy times seven…and more • And, to build deep trust and make sure to get teens (often education-vulnerable first-generation children) through high school, we established a policy of "No Discharge"…if children were brought to us by God, or born to us through a quality intake process with Ms. Tis, they were ours to raise…through the same hair-pulling experiences and sleepless nights all parents face! Laypeople, foundations, and donors understood the model immediately – often from their own experiences. They supported our ambitious plans to start a College and Career program, to step out in faith financially, as many parents do, to ensure that OUR children had the chance to go to college or trade school at our expense, and "a place to come home to" as they made the journey from dependent to adult. As our dedicated board members became stronger, prouder, and more generous, they introduced new donors and also made certain that our cost of care remained low. (Children’s homes across the country have lost their special mission, or closed their doors, when they can’t raise the private dollars needed to meet inflated budgets.) The more we sacrificed, the harder we worked, the more blessings we received. What was the result over 14 years (1995-2009)? • We graduated 76 children from high school – and graduated 14 from college and trade school. • We operated as good stewards, financially in-the-black and debt-free, every year. • We built a $9 million Endowment fund (our goal had been $10 million) to ensure that the vision continued. What is my greatest joy? To continue being “family” with the children we raised...being a small part of their adult lives. Listening as they make good decisions with values and skills we taught them. Being available for moments of happiness (new jobs, first homes, marriages, babies) and sadness (loss of jobs, struggles in college, death of a loved one). They were my children for 14 years…and so they will always be. What is my greatest hope? That the seeds we planted will grow great fruit and multiply…that the number of high school and college graduates will double or triple in the next 14 years! That Boys and Girls Country will continue to be exceptionally good stewards, frugal in all financial decisions, to ensure the survival of private funding and the extraordinary mission of the Home. I loved my 14 years in Hockley and count it an immeasurable blessing to have been part of the amazing, rich history. Happy 40th Anniversary one and all!
Shirley Wright Shirley retired in June, 2009 with her husband Dennis, and lives in Tybee Island, GA. (Right: Students of the Normative Leadership Council, the leadership group that Shirley started, visit Tybee!) When not keeping up with her big family of children from Boys and Girls Country, she is traveling and writing a memoir. Now, as it was then, our mission remains locked on planting those seeds that will continue to “grow great fruit”. We continue to raise our children in a “Christian home environment…to become self-sustaining and contributing adults” and it is with your gracious support and the competent passion of our staff that we are able to do this. When we partner together, miracles happen at “the place that nurtures our dear [children]”!
Lou Palma
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In With the New!
David Bishop Bishop Lifting Products, Inc. CEO
Jan Cameron Patterson & Sheridan LLP Patent Administrator
Ryan Rodgers Schlumberger M&A Transaction Manager
Chuck Scianna Sim-Tex, L.P. President
Mark B. Slaughter RigNet, Inc. CEO & President
Steve Stephens Amegy Bank of Texas President
Mike Gatewood Merchant’s Choice Payment Solutions Chairman
Over the past 40 years, many incredible men and women have contributed their time and resources to our Home and children as board directors. The growth of our organization, from the land and facilities to our programs, has been guided by – and often funded by – our dedicated board. We proudly welcome new directors David Bishop, Jan Cameron, Ryan Rodgers, Chuck Scianna, and Mark Slaughter to this amazing group, and welcome back returning board directors Steve Stephens and Mike Gatewood. Thank you for being a part of our mission in our 40th year...and beyond!
Left: Founder T. A. Robinson (left) with board member, and early architect for our Home, Thompson McCleary. Far left: Dr. Phil Leggett (left) and Tom Steele, also board members in earlier years
New Cottage Bedroom Furniture! The original Ranch Oak furniture in our children's cottages was put into place in the '70s and '80s...and was built to last! Last it did...and we used it for decades until we could no longer keep up with the constant repairs needed! In 2008, with the help of many friends in our community, we replaced most of the old bedroom furniture on campus...but one girls' cottage remained. This year, our friends at the Houston Junior Woman's Club and The Robert W. and Pearl Wallis Knox Foundation helped us purchase the final set of new beds, dressers, and nightstands for our girls...and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Right: The old furniture has been a part of our Home for decades...providing hundreds of children with a sense of home. Our girls love the new furniture...and the solid wood construction will ensure many more years of use!
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Friend of Children Awards We could not have made it to our 40th anniversary without the help of our friends! Earlier this year, we honored those friends who have been a part of our family for decades with our Friend of Children awards. Counterclockwise from left: Alexandra presents Jean Robinson, the wife of our founder T. A. Robinson, with the From the Heart award for her heartfelt and unwavering commitment to our Home and children since our founding in 1971! We also recognized Friend of Children award winners (in various categories), including El Paso Corporation (Corporation), presented by Jason to Sue Ortenstone, Chris Jones, and our own Board Director, J. R. Sult; Kelsey-Seybold Clinic (Professional Services), presented by Cash to Michelle Lovelady and Laurie Touchet; Waller Independent School District (School), presented by Meadow to Danny Twardowski, Superintendent of Waller ISD; Cypress Creek Christian Church (Church), presented by Haymanot to interim pastor, RenĂŠe Hoke, along with our wonderful friends, Tom and Patsy Patterson and Michael and Jane Price; and the Northwest Houston Chapter of the San Jacinto High Rollers (Club/Civic Group), presented by Michelle to Immediate Past President, T. J. Smock, President Brian Colburn, and members of the High Rollers motorcycle club. Thank you for loving our kids and helping to make us who we are today!
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In Memory Of Received January 15, 2011 - March 4, 2011 Tim Baker Judy Higginbotham Jaunette Baucum John & Cynthia Birdsong Craig Bleimeyer Fern Basden Doug Brant Jack & Carolyn Brewer Thomas Charles Brennan III John & Susie Adams Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Davis Beverly Dawson Betty Bobbitt DuBose Mark & Olivia Fisher Pat & George Jumonville Susan Lawhon Amy McKenzie Marvin Stapper Arnold & Joanne Tauch Bill & Nancy Taylor Gloria Cobb Paul & Debbie Blackshear
Greg Cypert Tom & Patsy Patterson Sharon Plumb Pete & Marilyn Wardenburg Baby Dawson Davis John & Kay Krebs Ruddie E. Drab Mr. & Mrs. A.C. Von Minden Jean Franklin Edgar & Carolyn Reeves Martha Fry Louise Sinclair Thomas Gohmert Debbie Hileman Hope Abigail Gordon Clyde & Melinda Gordon Albert Gunkler Willie & Orca Willhelm Margaret Haney Archie & Royse Roberts Walter Heffler Cecil & Shirley Bishop Auline Henderson Jim & Margery Ambrose
Gusta Lee Lenert James & Paula Suchma Bobby Martin Charlotte Humphrey Jo Frances Mays Judy, Nancy, Tom & Buddy Mary Sue McAlpine Willie & Orca Willhelm Randal McDonald Janette McDonald Tracy Mead Owen & Virginia Hale Betty Meyerhoff Dennis & Wilma Butler Pattie R. Miller Jason, Lana, Adam & Natalie White Lon C. Mitchell, Jr. M. Sean Blakley Christian Mohn Karen Haug Tiffany Haug Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Mohn
Richard Mueller Terry & Geneva Feuge Angela Hahn Richard & Lou Ellen Higgins Dorothy Kemp The J. Lewis Family F.G. & Johnette Oakes Jim & Sherry Patterson Tom & Patsy Patterson Ed & Sandy Rybicki William & Amy Savage Dan Sylvester & family Warrior Transition Brigade Wallace Norris James O. & Wilma Watkins Lee Palfreyman Cecil & Shirley Bishop David Piel Sharon Plumb Carolyn Pierce Sammy Pierce Ethelyn Hedges Rather Jean Robinson
Beatrice Reich Jim & Ruby Bloodworth Eric Robertson Crescent Shores Civic Club Douglas Daugherty Tammy Edwards Howard & Lori Henderson Bette Lachicotte Chip Lachicotte M. Jane Roberts & family Kathryn Salas Mrs. Charles Wiggins Travis Starr, Sr. Harriette Higginbotham Edgar & Carolyn Reeves Lloyd Taylor Jim & Pat Ingram Cecil & Shirley Bishop Tony Tullis Cecil & Shirley Bishop Sandra S. Williams Cris & Margie Criswell
In Honor Of Received January 15, 2011 - March 4, 2011 Charlie & Nan Austin Avon Duson Wayne & Michele Brown Robert Brown
Caldwell Companies Staff at SEC Planning, LLC Alyse Jones Raymond & Kathy Komar
Katelynn Jones Raymond & Kathy Komar D. Wayne Klotz Jack & Carolyn Brewer
Patsy Patterson – 75th Birthday Tom Patterson Zachary Reed Susman Bunny Halvorson
Martha Wiebe – 90th Birthday Tom & Jane Liles
You can make your next tribute gift securely online at www.boysandgirlscountry.org. Click on "Donate Now!"
A Vision for Children You’re invited to take a tour of our Home and learn more about the children we serve – and how your support helps us to raise them. Bring only an open heart and a friend.
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We’d like to host at least 10 people at each of our upcoming sessions: Saturday, June 18th Saturday, July 9th 10:00-11:00 am.
Everyone is welcome! You do not need to RSVP, but if you would like for us to know you’re coming, please visit our website at www.boysandgirlscountry.org and click on "Register Now". You can also find future Vision for Children dates on the site under “Events”.
Let There Be Light...and Fun! The stars at night are big and bright in the heart of Texas...but the original lighting system on our campus was not! We had just a few lamp posts, all installed in our early years, and as our campus grew, the lighting was not sufficient to maintain safety at our Home. Early this year, we installed new lighting...and new playgrounds! Both projects are part of the Growing for the Future capital campaign launched a few years ago to help us make critically needed improvements to our campus, such as construction of the Student Life Center and other recreational facilities, as well as new drainage and road systems. We thank all of our friends who contributed toward the campaign...and helped us lighten up our days with play, and brighten our nights! Left: The original play equipment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a few swingsets and jungle gyms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was installed in early years as cottages were built, and has become rusty with time. Right and below: We constructed three new playgrounds, plus an outdoor fitness area, and installed bright new lighting across campus!
Attention, Kroger Shoppers!
Shopping at Randalls?
You can help our kids when you go shopping through the Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Donation Program! Present this barcode, along with your Kroger Plus Card, to your cashier upon checkout. After the cashier has scanned the barcode and your Kroger Plus Card, you will be enrolled for the current year of the Neighbor to Neighbor Donation Program, through April 30, 2012. Every time you shop at Kroger with your enrolled Kroger Plus Card, Kroger will contribute a percentage of your eligible purchases to the Neighbor to Neighbor Donation fund for our kids!
Download the Kroger Customer Letter, with our barcode, and the Randalls card from our website! Visit www.boysandgirlscountry.org and click on "Get Involved" and then on "Other Ways to Get Involved".
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NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE
PAID PERMIT NO. 11163 HOUSTON, TEXAS
Boys and Girls Country of Houston, Inc. 18806 Roberts Road Hockley, Texas 77447 Address Service Requested
g n i r p S
Order Your Tickets for Spring Festival! April 30th, 10 am-5 pm
WISH LIST Our Activities Department Needs: Exercise equipment (stationary bike, jump rope, dumbbells, treadmill, stair climber) Poster board and arts & crafts supplies Air Pump, for inflating sports balls Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 Games DVD players & DVDs (G, PG, PG-13; exercise DVDs such as Zumba and P90x) Our Clothing Closet Needs: In all sizes, except where indicated: Girls’ and Boys’ Black No-Show Socks Boxers and Boxer Briefs (boys' sizes 1014, men's sizes S, M) Undershirts (all boys' sizes; men's S, M) Girls’ Training Bras & Women’s Bras (size C, D) Hipster and Bikini Style Panties (women's sizes 8-9; girls' 10-16; youth girls' 5-8) Tennis Shoes and Casual Shoes (youth sizes 12-5; adult sizes 6 and up) Adult and Youth Sleepwear (sleep shorts, pants, and T-shirts) Our Commissary Needs: Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets Men’s Razors and Hair Products Shampoo and Conditioner Canned Chili Kitchen Cleaner (Spray) Bath Cleaner (Spray) Our Cottages Need: Batteries (AA, AAA, AAAA, C and D) Stove burner drip pans (style/type A and/ or B at Wal-Mart) Heavy-duty white plastic shower curtains Cheese Graters Twin-size mattress sets Laundry baskets Our Maintenance Department Needs: Compact fluorescent light bulbs Goat, rabbit, and heifer feed 50' and 100' water hoses Full list at www.boysandgirlscountry.org Click on "Donate" and "Wish List"
(General Admission is Free)
Please send me ________ Kids All Day Event Pass(es) at $15 each Please send me ________ Lunch Ticket(s) at $6 each Please send me ________ Drawing Ticket(s) at $10 each* Please send me ________ set(s) of 6 Drawing Ticket(s) at $50 per set* I cannot attend but would like to donate $___________________ Name________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________ City________________________ State______ Zip_____________ Phone________________________ Email____________________________________________________________ Signature__________________________________________________________ Enclosed is my check in the amount of $_______________ made payable to Boys and Girls Country Please charge my:
VISA
MasterCard
American Express
Discover
Account Number: ________________________________________ Amount $_______________ Expiration Date _________ Mail your completed form to: Boys and Girls Country 18806 Roberts Road Hockley, TX 77447-9327
Questions? For more information, please contact George O'Neal at 281-351-4976, extension 225 or by email at george.oneal@boysandgirlscountry.org. Or, visit our Spring Festival event website at www.2011springfestival.org. You can also order your drawing tickets online!
*You do not have to be present to win in the drawing!