Omaha Home for Boys Fall 2014 Twig

Branching Out ‘Cleans-Up’ (Page 3)

the

Supporting and Strengthening Youth, Young Adults and Families

Landon’s New Lease on Life... Page 5

Fall 2014 Vol. 35, No. 3

Cedric learns progress is a gateway to other possibilities

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Cedric made the most of his learning opportunities during his seven months at the Omaha Home for Boys, including being a regular participant in the Helping with HorsepowerTM Bike Rebuild program.

ike many of the youth who come through the doors at the Omaha Home for Boys, Cedric arrived with some baggage last Christmas.

Along with his duffle bag filled with clothes and other personal items, he also brought his own history of poor choices that he made while living and going to school in Lincoln.

First, there was an arrest for vandalism, followed by one for theft. He smoked and hung out with the wrong crowd — influenced by people he knew didn’t have his best interests in mind.

He said his problems could be traced back to some unfortunate occurrences in his life, and he didn’t know how to cope with them.

Cedric said his seven months at the Home gave him perspective about where he’d been and where he wanted to go.

It didn’t take long for him to start making the right choices for his life.

“I’d been given multiple chances I didn’t deserve before coming to the Omaha Home for Boys, and when I arrived here, I knew I wanted to make changes in my life,” Cedric

said. “I wanted to go to college, I wanted a future. I started to realize that it’s not bad to make mistakes in life as long as you choose to learn from them. Progress is a gateway to other possibilities and opportunities.”

During his time at the Home, Cedric became involved with numerous activities and projects, taking every opportunity to learn and better himself.

He discovered his attitude about life — especially about school and his family — started to improve. He no longer had a problem with authority, choosing to see it as a learning experience rather than punishment.

“We all have choices; it’s really what we make of those choices that determines where we go in our lives,” Cedric said. “I was headed in the wrong direction before coming to the Home. Now, I’m excited to see where I can go from here.”

Cedric graduated from the Home in June and returned to Lincoln to work.

He starts classes this fall at Southeast Community College, where he’ll take care of his prerequisite classes before transferring somewhere to major in herpetology — the study of reptiles.

“I might look into working for a zoo some day or open my own exotic pet store and breed,” Cedric said. “Whatever I do, I know I have possibilities thanks to my time and experiences at the Home.”

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President’s Corner

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Jeff Moran

President, Omaha Home for Boys

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The Twig is a publication of the Omaha Home for Boys 4343 N. 52nd Street Omaha, NE 68104 www.omahahomeforboys.org The Omaha Home for Boys is a member of the National Fellowship of Child Care Executives, the Alliance for Children and Families and the Nebraska Association of Homes and Services for Children.

Founded in 1920, the Omaha Home for Boys is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-sectarian organization, licensed by the state of Nebraska and nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation Services for Families and Children.

If you would like more information about the Omaha Home for Boys, please call us at our toll-free number, 800-408-4663, email us at giving@omahahomeforboys.org or visit our website, www.omahahomeforboys.org.

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y letter in this Fall 2014 issue of The Twig is a Big Thank You to our team at the Home for their work this year to prepare for and ensure our reaccreditation.

We learned the good news in June when I received an email from Richard Klarberg, President and CEO of the Council of Accreditation (COA), confirming that the Home had successfully completed the reaccreditation process with flying colors.

Early preparation for the COA visit began in October 2013 with the first Accreditation Committee meeting. The Accreditation Committee consisted of staff members from throughout the organization.

This group was responsible for gathering all of the information from different departments for the self-study and any onsite evidence COA requested.

They went above and beyond their regular job responsibilities to make the COA review as a whole a tremendous success. Some members even put in extra hours to ensure that the job was complete.

The on-site visit was only a brief example of the work that entailed the whole review. The Accreditation Committee worked tirelessly to ensure that all policies/ procedures were updated, board-approved and dispersed to necessary staff members.

The group also worked diligently to organize the information so that it was easy to review. The members of our Information Technology department provided computers in necessary areas for the review team to use while on site.

All programs and departments did an excellent job of being flexible for interviews and ensuring that all of our facilities were in top shape for the visit.

The peer review team was incredibly

impressed with the Omaha Home for Boys.

They really liked how organized we were and could tell a lot of work went into preparing for the visit. They stated that they wished every agency was as prepared and organized as we are.

All of their comments were very positive and anything that they needed, they were given right away.

Typically it takes weeks to decide on reaccreditation, but it only took a few days for COA to reaccredit the Home because we showed compliance in all critical areas of the COA standards areas.

This is just one example of how everyone at the Home — youth, staff and board members — comes together to make things happen.

Right now, we’re out in the community selling raffle tickets to win Ole Black Rose, the 1987 motorcycle rebuilt and customized

by Home youth as part of the Helping with HorsepowerTM Bike Rebuild program, and I expect our team to come together again to make this a great success.

It truly does take a village, and in our case, it takes a Home. Opportunities and challenges like these prove that the Omaha Home for Boys is more than just bricks and mortar.

The Home is first and foremost, people working together for the betterment of the young men and women in our care.

RESTORING HEARTS WITH BIKE PARTS CELEBRATION — I’m excited about the second year of our Restoring Hearts with Bike Parts celebration scheduled for Thursday, September 25. I’m particularly excited because we have a former “Home” boy as our inspirational speaker. Read more about Rudy Reyes and his story on the back page of this issue of The Twig, and I invite you all to Help Us Celebrate!

Sincerely,

Jeff Moran President and CEO

Home Happenings Home Team Helps Rebuild Pilger Giving generously of their money and time, Home staff donated several boxes of useful household items to assist the community of Pilger, Neb., devastated by two tornadoes in June. Six staff members also made the journey to the small town north of Omaha to assist with clean-up and repairs in July. The end result of their work will leave a legacy in the form of a public art project made from bricks from historic buildings destroyed by the violent storms.

OHB Takes On Washington, D.C. Four youth from the Home’s Inspiration Hill Residential Care program joined many other young people in Washington, D.C., in June for a leadership conference. While there, the young men witnessed our nation’s history first-hand through many sightseeing tours and attended morning sessions about leadership.

Branching Out Staff Clean-Up Staff from the Home’s Branching Out Independent Living program spent a morning in May helping clean up several parks as part of the Cigarette Butts Clean Up in the Parks event. It was part of the Omaha TobaccoFree Parks Initiative, led by the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC). The group is pictured on the cover of this Twig.

Ole Miss Visits The Home During their visit to Omaha for the College World Series, the Ole Miss baseball team visited the Home. They toured cottages, played games and had lunch with the boys and even took time to pose with Ole Black Rose. Home youth redesigned and customized Ole Black Rose, and raffle tickets are currently available. Contact Trish at 402-457-7034 or trishh@omahahomeforboys.org for more information.

Home Celebrates Spring Graduations Nine young men experienced the rite of passage known as high school graduation in May during a ceremony in the Home’s Dining Hall. Each made a short speech about their experiences at the Omaha Home for Boys and the importance of finishing school. All the young men have plans to attend college or trade school in the coming months.

From Homeless to Hopeful Theresa (middle) is pictured with President & CEO Jeff Moran and Jacobs’ Place Transitional Living Specialist Curtisa Brye at the 2014 Employee Picnic. Theresa was honored with the Super Star Award.

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ess than a year ago, Theresa saw a bleak future before her.

Having recently lost both of her parents, she was living with her older sister, Dianna, and other family in smalltown Georgia— all the while coping with personal issues she saw as too big to overcome.

Early this spring, she relocated to Omaha with Dianna and her family, initially sleeping on the couch in her sister’s apartment and sharing a small, cramped space with other family.

Looking to forge her own path but with very limited resources and options, Theresa attended Project Homeless Connect on the Creighton University campus in March.

There, she connected with Omaha Home for Boys staff and learned about Jacobs’ Place Transitional Living.

A week later, she was living independently at Jacobs’ Place — and a new world of opportunities began to 4 open up before her.

“I honestly never saw myself as having a job or going to school or anything until coming to Jacobs’ Place,” Theresa said.

“I grew up with a strong lack of selfconfidence, but I’m learning here that my life has worth and value. I’m getting there.”

Growing up, Theresa witnessed her fair share of physical and emotional abuse, as her father took out his anger and frustrations on her mom and sister.

They made every effort to shield her, but that close proximity had an indelible impact upon her self-image.

She withdrew and became incredibly introspective, living in her own world while shutting the real one around her out as often as she could.

And while she’s still working her way through it all (she sees a therapist), those experiences are driving her to pursue a degree in child psychology so she can pay it forward and help other youngsters in need. She started classes in late August at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself during my time at Jacobs’ Place,” said Theresa, who works full-time doing inventory at various local businesses for RGIS and will continue to work there while attending college because of its flexible schedule.

“The poem I Am Somebody reminds me that I am here and not just somebody pushing through life.

I am somebody that matters, and I feel that every day from everyone at Jacobs’ Place.”

Theresa said she chose psychology as her future career largely because of her own experiences growing up.

She never had that “person” she could talk to about whatever troubles or questions she might have.

She said she wants to be that sounding board for kids like her so they have someone they can trust to discuss their own problems and feelings.

“I’ve always wanted to work with children in some capacity, so I’m really looking forward to my classes at UNO,” said Theresa, who is originally from the Detroit, Mich., area but relocated to Georgia years ago for her father’s job. “I never had that escape opportunity when I was younger, and now I am excited that I can be that someone for someone else.

“I still suffer from depression and anxiety and take medication for both, but talking with my therapist about the past and future is really what gives me a lot of hope as I move forward with my life.”

Youth Mart Impacts Community

Youth Mart, housed at the Omaha Home for Boys campus, provides household goods and supplies to youth in the community who live independently but have needs to furnish their own apartments and houses.

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here do youth in the Omaha community who live independently but still need household items to furnish their homes go for help?

Youth Mart.

Housed on the Omaha Home for Boys campus, Youth Mart is a donation center for youth ages 16 to 24 and provides household (furniture, pots and pans, etc.) and personal care (toiletries, etc.) items to allow these young men and women to live on their own.

This collaborative initiative among local agencies Central Plains, Child Saving Institute (CSI), Nebraska Families Collaborative (NCF), Nebraska Children & Families Foundation (NCFF) Project Everlast and the Omaha Home for Boys houses items donated from individuals and corporations from throughout the community.

The Youth Mart stores donations on the south side of the Omaha Home for Boys campus at 52nd and Ames and makes these items available weekly at no cost to individuals to help them transition to more independent lives.

“We always want the best for

Youth Mart Hours Location: Omaha Home for Boys campus, 52nd and Ames, Omaha

Monday: Closed Tuesday: Office hours only.

No appointments or donation drop-offs Wednesday: 9 a.m.-1p.m.

Thurs: 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.-noon our clients, and Youth Mart fills a definite need,” said Branching Out ® Administrator Tierra O’Neal.

“Youth Mart provides one location where young men and women working hard to live independently can still get assistance when they need it, whether that’s furnishing a new apartment or just getting some household items or clothes.”

Originally established in 2010, Youth Mart was organized into its current warehouse format last summer and celebrated with an Open House in September and a donation drive in October.

There was a spring drive this past

April, and another drive is being planned for this fall.

Item donations are always needed for this effort, including household items and furniture suitable for independent living.

Examples include: men’s and women’s clothing, household furniture, bed frames, new mattresses, small household appliances, kitchen items, toiletries and feminine products among many others.

Cash and gift and gas cards are also welcome.

“The biggest ongoing needs are new, unused mattresses, cleaning supplies, toilet paper and paper towels,” said Omaha Home for Boys Program Director Amie Coomes. “We also need kids’ clothes and baby items, especially diapers.

“The response from the community has been great. We couldn’t do what we do for these young men and women without their help.”

If you would like to make a donation to Youth Mart, or arrange a pick-up of items, please contact the Youth Mart Coordinator at (402) 457-7000 or youthmart@omahahomeforboys.org. 5

Alumni Makes Family his Priority

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cott Beal misunderstood his first day at the Omaha Home for Boys.

“I remember visiting with my mom and older brother, and thinking what a cool place it would be to stay for camp; I had no idea at the time that it was going to be my home for the next five years,” Scott said.

That day, after touring with his mom, she said goodbye and left Scott and his brother, Mike, in the care of the Home.

Up to that point family life had been a constant struggle. Their father returned home from the Vietnam War with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was notably absent while mom was not prepared to manage life as a single mother.

“It was years later that I accepted that my mom and dad did the best they could at the time,” Scott said. “They loved us enough to make the difficult decision and leave us where we would get the support and guidance we needed.”

Ever the optimist, Scott decided to make the best of the situation rather than sulk or get angry and defiant.

He quickly became a “Home” ambassador, giving tours to visitors and serving as one of the faces of the Home.

Scott spent most of his years at the Home in the Buck Cottage. He was a “Home” boy from first to sixth grade before eventually leaving with his brothers (his younger brother, Bill, came to the Home a couple of years later) to be reunited with their parents.

Now a father of five, Scott, along with his wife, Deanna (whom he met during dance class), have made it their mission to support their own family as well as those of others.

“The Home was there for me and my family when we struggled,” Scott said And while he’s more appreciative today than he was in the 70s as a boy of the love 6 and care he received at the Home, he

Above: Scott (middle) pictured with his family, including wife, Deanna, of 26 years, and their five children.

Right: Scott as a first-grader when he first came to the Omaha Home for Boys. never wanted his kids to feel anything but incredibly loved and wanted. He made that his priority from the moment they were born.

“We’re not perfect, but I think we’ve done a good job showing our kids how much we love them,” Scott said. “It’s not easy, and we’ve had to show them that we love them through discipline as well as kisses and hugs, but they know it.”

Scott’s children – four boys and a girl, the youngest of the clan – range in age from 23 to 9.

In the early days of his career, he worked in information technology, developing a skill for analyzing software and solving complex problems.

But he admitted he was never completely satisfied because he missed the interaction with people.

That eventually led to a career change

when he took a leap of faith and dove headfirst into the world of financial planning and investing.

He recently earned the designation of Certified Financial Planner, and works for Karstens Investment Counsel (KIC) in Omaha.

“The challenges I faced as a child and the positive influence of people at the Home have made a huge impact on who I am today,” Scott said. “I am absolutely blessed to have a career where I can share my expertise in financial planning and also share my passion for family.

“I hope my work can help others avoid the struggles I faced and, perhaps, in some small way, I can give back to my community.”

Thoughts from the Archives

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n archivist’s dream, that’s what they are. And, truly, a dream that “keeps on giving.”

“You’ll like what’s in here,” I was told recently as a big, bulging envelope — and later many others — were passed my way.

Inside were pictures, schoolwork, newspaper articles and certificates gleaned from the files of former residents of our Home.

A decision had been made to digitize everything in the files of our former boys and to turn over all pictures and nonsensitive or highly-personal items for the Archives.

Our mission grew a thousandfold when that happened. And oh, did the memories flow as those envelopes were opened!

There’s 10-year-old Jeff Dee in 1985 (inset photo). He entered our Home and lived and grew for eight years before graduating with honors in 1993.

He is shown above with his house parents, 20-year veterans Richard and Barb Mathiesen, who proudly drove him to Annapolis, Md., for entrance into the U.S. Naval Academy. He serves in the Navy still.

And the Green brothers — Michael, Max, Merle and Maurice — who entered the Home at the Megeath House in the 1940s and moved with us into the new Inspiration Hill campus in 1945. Two of

the Greens (pictured above) graduated and went on to college. One found himself in difficult circumstances and made mistakes — but he paid for them and grew into an upstanding citizen. The youngest, Maurice, never developed his full potential as he was tragically killed in a car crash as a teenager.

The memories flow — there’s Gary Hart’s (not the former presidential candidate) childhood picture from 1951, and the many, many newspaper articles telling of his touchdowns for Benson High School in 1960.

Then there are the Reyes brothers — Rudy, Ceasar and Michael. Ceasar and

Michael appeared in our 1987 video A Time to Care after older brother Rudy left the Home. As for Rudy...well, you’ll read about him elsewhere in this newsletter.

The memories keep on coming, many of them great ones, and — sorrowfully — some not so good. But in each case, the Home was here to serve and to do its best in guiding the young lives left in our care.

We are steadily working to improve our Home Archives — and the recent treasure chests of additions will keep us busy for a lifetime. We invite you to visit our Kevin Orr Historical Center so you, too, can trace our development.

As a friend of the Omaha Home for Boys, you’ll be pleased to see what has been done. Please contact our Manager of Marketing and Communications, Mike Watkins, at (402) 457-7195 or mwatkins@omahahomeforboys.org to schedule a tour of the Inspiration Hill campus, Jacobs’ Place Transitional Living campus or Cooper Memorial Farm.

You’ll be happy for your part in such an ennobling cause — 94 years of child and young adult care and heading down the road toward a century of service.

The past and present pop out of each of these bulging envelopes. And now it’s time to open another one.

— John E. Carter

Heroes of the Home: Celebrating the Road to 100 Years of Service!

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ince its founding in 1920, the Omaha Home for Boys has enjoyed strong and steadfast support from Masons in Douglas County, Nebraska.

The earliest support came in the form of gifts and pledges from Omaha area lodges, the Shrine, and other Masonic organizations, but in 1926 it was decided to appeal to individual Masons each year.

The term “Maintenance Campaign” became the name for the annual September and October solicitation to raise funds to “maintain” the Home for the next year. In recent years, the campaign has expanded to August through November.

Through the tough times of the 1930’s it was the Campaign that allowed the

doors of the Home to stay open.

Well into the 1940s and 50s – during which time the Home moved to a new campus, started a 4-H program at Cooper Farm and doubled its boy count – the Campaign raised more than half the funds for the annual budget.

It continues to be an important source of revenue for the Home today.

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Former “Home” boy Rudy Reyes returns as the featured speaker at our September 25 fundraising celebration.

Come ‘Home’ for the Holidays December 5

Kick-off the 2014 holiday season by joining staff and youth from the Omaha Home for Boys for “Home” for the Holidays Friday, December 5, 2014, at our North Omaha campus.

We’ll have snacks and activities, cottage tours and the lighting of the campus tree in Cottage Circle with a special message from President & CEO Jeff Moran.

Watch for more details in the mail, on our Facebook page, Twitter and website in the coming months.

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efore he was a decorated Marine, actor or stuntman in Hollywood, Rudy Reyes was a “Home” boy.

Now, almost 30 years after he left the Omaha Home for Boys, Rudy is returning as the inspirational speaker at our secondannual Restoring Hearts with Bike PartsTM celebration Thursday, September 25, at Hilton Omaha.

Rudy, who was a youth at the Home in the mid-80s with younger brothers Ceasar and Michael, and the rest of his battalion were among the first to invade Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003.

Subsequently, when a movie based on his battalion’s experiences in Iraq was

made into an HBO miniseries called Generation Kill in 2008, he served as a consultant and played himself.

Since then, Rudy has gone on to star in Apocalypse Man (History Channel) and participated in Ultimate Survival Alaska (National Geographic Channel). He also consults and coordinates stunts on various movie projects, writes and produces. He is featured in Inside Fighter, an independent film set to release later this year.

For tickets to see Rudy and Help Us Celebrate!, contact Trish at trishh@ omahahomeforboys.org or 402-457-7034.

Tickets can also be purchased online at www.omahahomeforboys.org.

OHB Gifts Team: At Your Service to Meet Your Needs

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he Omaha Home for Boys gifts team has seen some changes and additions over the past few months — all with the best interests of our donor family in mind.

In late February, we welcomed new Major Gift Officer Travis Payne to the team, and most recently in June, Brandon Breiby joined the OHB family, also as a Major Gift Officer.

In addition, longtime Gifts Officer Trish Haniszewski has taken on new responsibilities as the Home’s Events Manager but retains certain areas of the country to stay close to donors with whom she has strong relationships. Tami Soper

From left are: Trish Haniszewski, Tami Soper, Travis Payne and Brandon Breiby.

oversees the entire team as the Development Director.

Awe Shucks! Eat, Drink and Support the Home

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at and drink at Shucks Fish House & Oyster Bar and Bailey’s Breakfast & Lunch Tuesday, October 7, to benefit the Omaha Home for Boys.

The Home is the beneficiary of the restaurant family’s “First Tuesday Fundraisers” with 10 percent of all food and beverage sales donated to support Home youth and

programs.

Bailey’s Breakfast & Lunch is located at 1259 S. 120th Street, and there are three Shucks Fish House locations in Omaha. Please visit www.absolutelyfresh. com/restaurants.cfm for locations, hours of operation and online menus. Thank you for supporting the Home through the businesses that support us.