December 2012 Family Advocate

A publication of Sheridan House Family Ministries 1 7 0 0 S o u t h F l a m i n g o R o a d • D a v i e , F L 3 3 3 2 5 • ( 9 5 4 ) 5 8 3 - 1 5 5 2 • w w w. S h e r i d a n H o u s e . o r g

December 2012

A Free Gift From Sheridan House!

The Parenting On Purpose App for Android and iPhone

Honoring Christ by serving the needs of children and families

A Note From Bob Wow! It’s finally here… convenient Answers for Today’s Family.

Sheridan House is all about helping families in any way we can. Fortyfour years ago, Sheridan House began a residential program to help high-risk teenage boys. It quickly became apparent the problem in many homes was more than just the child’s behavior. Often parents lacked information on how to handle disruptive behavior and encourage proper behavior.

Seeing the obvious need to help families, we became proactive by offering guidance to families prior to them needing our residential services. With this goal in mind, Sheridan House launched two additional ministries.

In 1981, Sheridan House started a ministry to single moms since over 80% of the children that go through our five children’s homes have spent part or all of their lives in father-absent homes. It was obvious.

We decided not to wait. We decided to get out in front of the problem and help the single mom before her child needs to be removed?

Our single mom ministry prompted us to take more preventative measures. If possible, why not try to help parents before divorce... before the destruction of the family unit. In 1988, we opened our first counseling center. Today with two locations and 12 licensed therapists, the Sheridan House Counseling Centers are working with over 3,100 individuals a year.

The mission to share God’s plan for the family to the masses began with radio. Our broadcasting goal is to help families before they need to come to us for more intensive help. Every afternoon at 2:45pm, parents all across the state of Florida and as far away as North Carolina are getting advice through our Parenting On Purpose show on ReachFM. After each broadcast, a blog and podcast post on ParentingOnPurpose.org for parents who want to download and/or share the help they are receiving. To-date, over 100,000 individuals annually turn to ParentingOnPurpose.org for help.

In a nut shell: America will never be changed by the White House.

America must be changed by your house and my house. We need to change the way we are raising the next generation and Sheridan House stands ready to lead the way.

It is our desire to use every tool available to offer Answers for Today’s Family conveniently. We are excited to announce that ParentingOnPurpose.org is now an app for your Android and Apple devices. Download it free now and share this answer for today’s family with your friends.

2013 Sheridan House wall calendars are available now. (supply is limited.)

Or go to: SheridanHouse.org/calendar

February 2

Family Values 5K Run/Walk Stepping out for Children & Families

February 9

Parisian Flea Market • 11am to 7pm

March 1

Sporting Clay Tournament

Serving Him,

March 23

Motorcycle Run

In spite of a down economy and how that can impact giving, we are working with a record number children and families. Sheridan House provides Answers for Today’s Family: • SEMINARS: By the end of 2012 we will speak live to over 110,000 individuals through Seminars and speaking engagements, (not counting our weekday radio broadcast.)

• ParentingOnPurpose.org: Our blog ParentingOnPurpose.org is on pace to reach another 100,000 people – providing practical advice on how to raise respectful and responsible children in today’s society.

• COUNSELING: Sheridan House now has two Counseling Centers with twelve licensed mental health counselors who provide hope and direction to an average of 350 people each month. In 2012 over 4,400 individuals, families and children will have visited the Sheridan House counseling center searching for answers – often a pivot point that affects generations.

• SINGLE MOM’S MINISTRY: Living on the edge is a constant reality for single moms. The problems can be financial, parental, spiritual or emotional - but whatever the case, the edge is closer and more dangerous than ever. Sheridan House helps to take the edge off by providing ongoing seminars to train and equip. Yes, by working with the local church we provide food, clothing, furniture and financial assistance. But to receive assistance there has to be a commitment. We offer a hand up not hand outs and this past year over 2100 single moms and children will receive help from Sheridan House.

• CHILDREN’S HOMES: Our residential program for middle-school aged boys’ and girls’ provide a family environment that teaches relationship skills and personal responsibility to children with emotional or behavioral problems. When kids graduate from Sheridan House they turn out to be hirable and marriageable – young men and women that appreciate the value and importance of being part of the family and helping around the house. The highly structured environment teaches personal accountability and time-management skills that translates into better grades. The average child comes to Sheridan House with a 1.3 Grade Point Average [GPA] and after just the first semester the average GPA is 2.6… that’s over a 100% increase. The typical child stays with us for 12-18 months, therefore, it is not unusual for us to have a child come into our program with D’s and F’s and leave with A’s and B’s. Again, just by teaching the children if they set aside the time and put in the effort, they can accomplish anything.

Most importantly, we demonstrate the love of Christ. The Answer for today’s family, He is the motivation and reason why we do what we do.

-Thank you for making it possible!

“You are generous because of your faith.

And I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work, for in so doing you will come to an understanding of all the good things we can do for Christ.”

Philemon 6 In other words, “Hey, I know you are generous… and I am praying you will put it to work and, if you do, you are going to have a deeper awareness and experience of the blessings that Christ has for you.”

It was a very personal request to a personal friend about a personal problem. Paul didn’t use his position to pressure a friend; he just says in this letter, “I am going to talk to you as a brother. I am praying for you and I have faith in you. I have a request I would like you to consider. And then he goes on to say, “I don’t want you to do anything out of compulsion.”

It is, quite literally, an appeal to help a friend in need. In much the same way that is our appeal to you. We know you are generous and thank God for you.

On many levels this has been a truly remarkable year for Sheridan House. And, as you might expect, in this economy we’ve been able to work with more children and families than ever in our history.

For this same reason, this has also been a very challenging year financially for us. We are simply asking, as you and your family take time at the end of the year to express thanks for the blessings received please consider the ministries of Sheridan House.

Enclosed for your convenience is a special year-end giving envelope or you can log on to www.sheridanhouse.org/give and safely donate online*.

God bless and Happy New Year!

*Online giving information is encrypted and password-protected for your privacy and security. Online giving through SheridanHouse.org via ServiceU utilizes industrystandard SSL-encryption to protect data transmissions of financial information. For more information reference the privacy policy link on our giving page.

SheridanHouse

1700 S. Flamingo Road, Davie, FL 33325 (954) 583-1552 • sheridanhouse.org

YOUR PICTURE HERE Bob Geissinger

Get Tagged!

Send us a picture with your Family Values License Tag and we’ll highlight you too. Be creative.

Have fun. Spread the word!

Send your picture to: info@sheridanhouse.org The $25 specialty plate is tax-deductible and directly helps the children and families served daily by Sheridan House Family Ministries.

Your contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (1-800-435-7352) within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. Sheridan House Family Ministries registration number is CH24786.

Join Us in Driving Family Values Home.

It’s as Easy as 1,2,3!

Step 1: Step 2:

Step 3:

Go to familyvaluestag.com Invest in a Family Values License Plate Encourage your family and friends to do the same

Give It Away!

The Family Values License Tag makes a great Christmas gift!

And it makes a difference in the lives of children and families

February 2, 2013

Family Values 5K Run/Walk Stepping out for Children & Families

Bring the Whole Family!