Letter from Mr. Phil

TVA Nuclear r Partner-In-Ed ucation - Ou Children’s Home Happenings Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter • Caring for Children Since 1872 Volume 20, No. 3 Holiday 2008 Letter from Mr. Phil ere I sit writing my annual holiday letter to you on November 11, 2008 the day I came to work at the Children’s Home 37 years ago. In 1971 the Children’s Home was caring for about 90 children. About half were in residential care, and half were in the extended care program. We had 24 full and part time staff, and our annual budget was about $190,000. Today the Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter has responsibility for almost 600 children in 11 different settings, 219 full and part time staff, and total budget responsibility of $5,438,715. Wow, what a difference 37 years makes! I’ve gotten a lot of e-mails today congratulating me on my 37 years at the Children’s Home, and I have responded by stating that whatever has been accomplished in my time here happened as a result of the support I’ve received from my family, staff, Board of Directors and our community of friends and supporters. It has taken the hard work, vision, and support of a lot of people to get the Children’s Home to where it is today. I wish I could say that everything is great and all our support is secure and giving us the resources we need to care for the children and families we serve, but that is not true. Hamilton County Government has decided to stop funding the Shelter which will remove $236,000 from our budget effective July 1, 2009; the revenue we receive from our endowment fund is down, and our subsidy from the State to help low-income families pay for child care is under budget by $50,000. This year Gloria and Katie, with the help H of the Board and all our friends in the community, will raise almost a half of a million dollars to help support the Children’s Home/ Chambliss Shelter. I’m concerned about our ability to continue raising the resources we need to provide the services to the low-income, disadvantaged children of our community. But, my experience over the last 37 years has shown me that when the Children’s Home has a need, people like you have responded. A very heartfelt thank you to all our friends who continue to believe in and support our efforts to provide the best service possible to those children and families that need our help. My wish for you is to have a wonderful holiday and a healthy and prosperous New Year. CH/CS • 315 Gillespie Rd • Chattanooga, Tennessee 37411 • 423-698-2456 A Day of Amusement The annual trip to Lake Winnepesaukah is always a favorite one for our children. The roller coasters, thrill rides, paddle boats, and spinning rides provide hours of amusement for all. We are always so grateful to Sustaining Board member Tennyson Dickinson and her family for continuing to provide this day of excitement for our children. Hooray for Lake Winnie! T he Thrift Store celebrated its two-year anniversary in July with a huge sale and refreshments. The store has seen an increase in sales in the last half of this year, and we are glad to have been able to use those funds to support the programs of CH/CS. Please remember to send your donations to the store and encourage others to shop there. All proceeds Happy Anniversary, Thrift Store! from the store are transferred directly into our operating budget, so your help is always appreciated. Store hours are Monday 10 am- 4 pm, TuesdaySaturday 10 am- 6 pm, and Sunday 1-6 pm. You can call store manager Cheryl Hooks at 698-3730 with questions or to request a pick up. Furniture is always needed! Mark These Upcoming Dates On Your Calendar January 31st - An Artsy Affair: The third annual art auction to benefit CH/CS and Pro Re Bona February 28th - Scenic City Half Marathon, 5K, & Charity Challenge: An event put on by the Chattanooga Track Club to benefit CH/CS and other charities May 1st - Bunny Hop!: The 9th annual family event complete with dinner, music, children’s activities, and a silent auction Have you included CH/CS in your will? If so, we would like to feature you in our spring newsletter. Many others may be encouraged to follow your wonderful example! Please contact Katie Harbison at 468-1130 or kcharbison@ch-cs.org. Playground Grand Opening Our new school-age playground, funded by capital campaign donors and completed over the summer, was officially opened during a ceremony in August. The children participated by making banners and signs, thanking everyone for their new playground. Our capital campaign donors were recognized by Carolyn & John Guerry and honored with a new monument. Many thanks were given to Bob Farnsworth at PlayCore, Tom Norquist at GameTime, and Doug Stein of Stein Construction Company who can be seen below testing out the children’s percussion instruments! Mayor Ron Littlefield, Judi Byrd from Hamilton County, Councilwoman Carol Berz, Coucilman Manny Rico, and many other friends were there to see the completed project. It was a glorious time to thank all those that helped make this project a reality! Making a difference sometimes involves taking a leap of faith. That is often the case in volunteering with vulnerable youth. Though they have experienced great trauma and loss, often their hardened, coarse exterior makes it difficult to feel you are reaching them. Despite this, engagement and connection are what make the difference with these youth. This involves developing a relationship over time, showing an interest, and seeing them as special. Once this level of caring is reached, it is remarkable the impact one can have over a child who is emotionally impoverished. It is hard for them to accept that someone really cares for them, but once they do, their entire perspective on humanity is changed for the better. If you think you can make a difference by mentoring one of these young people, please call Elizabeth Pelton at 698-2456. GPS Visions Leadership students attend our pre-school graduation after offering a generous donation to our agency and spending time with several of our children over the summer. Volunteers, Donations & Happenings! Our thanks to each one of you for your help in making CH/CS the best place for children in our community! This list acknowledges those who donated time, talents, and services from July 8, through November 8, 2008. Thank you. Alhambra Temple A A O N M S Gina Ankar Gregory Arnold Mandy Ballew Barnes & Nobel Booksellers Scott Emmert Elizabeth Murphy Justin Black Blue Cross Blue Shield Ronica Dodds Blue Cross Blue Shield- Call Center Shelia Kinnemoreand 9 volunteers Ken Morris Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Program Karen Lewis Debbie Scott Bev Bird Cake Boutique Brainerd High SchoolPink Diamonds Mentors Victoria Sorey Ms. Spencer Jones Brainerd Ward LDS Joe Leach Bishop Ward Brainerd Kiwanis Club Rosemary Coleman Joyce Brooks Brainerd Optimist Pat Sartin Burning Bush G.A’s Kay Shipley Blair Brannon Michelle Bugg Tina Bunigk Rachel Burrow Rebecca Burrow Diane Cameron Sarah Casey Chattanooga Christian Erin Bean Mitchell Broadrick Rachel Cohen Steve Cook Sarah Durham Tiffany Johnson Wil Kessel Laura Little Jennifer Long Jennifer O’Dale Megan Pace Will Reynolds Tyler Roden Hope Smisson Sara Tate Mollye Webb Kristen Wilson Justin Winchester Chattanooga Firefighters Assoc. Doug Randolph Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Christina Seibold Chattanooga Riverboat Mary Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Harrison Bay Ward Dan Wolfe and Youth ` Brainerd Ward Jim Ward Jeff Nowland and Youth Collegedale Church Ann Fowler James Combs Jacob Cross Eddie Cutwright Valerie Davis Shirley DeWitt Eastern Star #703 ESA Delta Rho Chapter Helen Pigott Gail Desrochers Dana Feldman First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Sunshine Club Lila Cromwell Bob Allen Neal Fisher Food Lion Jim Rogers Mr. Isbill Food Lion-East Ridge April Holcomb G.P.S.-Robin Hood Committee Chelsey Smith G.P.S. Summer Leadership Camp G.P.S. Eleventh Graders-Key Club Wensdy Griffith Ashley Hancock Teresa Harris Emily Hawke Bard Hay Melissa Hedgecoth Michelle Holder Elaine Holland Hickory Valley Christian ChurchLadies Bible Study Jenny Cooper David Isbill Jeremy Jackson Douglas Johnson Johnson Group Jennifer Jones Sarah Jones Krystal Restaurants Kenny Hammontree Kevin Knight Peggy Kovacevich Lake Winnepesaukah Tennyson Dickinson Lakeview/Ft. Ogle FLBA Pat Neve LDS Friends Wendy Cuthdertson Jen Lehman Robin Leventhal Life Care of Collegedale Sarah Medley Janice Lowe Jodi Martin Jeanne McDaniel Bobby McKneel Madison McRae Middle Valley Baptist Miller Electric Chris Jenkins Miller & Martin Gina Mitch Summer Associates Jan Nelson Notre Dame Gina Ankar Sarah Casey Haley Petty James and Mary Ann Pierce Dexter Printup Isziah Reid Ridgedale Baptist Church Camp Ridgedale Megan Carroll Ringgold High School FBLA Sandy Kilgore Rite Aid Vincent Rizzo Nora Rockwell Saint Barnabas Melinda Kinsey & Residents Saint Peters Episcopal SchoolFirst Graders Tona Munday and Ms. Nancy Allen’s First graders Sam Suddath Leanna Scott Sir Goony Family Fun Center William Smith S.M.P. Industries Chris Young Monique Staples Meredith Summers Thrift Store Volunteers Ashley Tran T.V.A. CFC Day of Caring Brenda Adams Crystal Anderson Jack Bailey Jessica Baker Perry Bates Monika Beckner Tom Black Dick Callegari Larry Carter Ann Campbell Bill Campbell Larry Carter John Cornetter Ed Craig Walter Diamond Eric Ditman Greg Dove Dennis Duncan Duncan’s Mark Ethridge Barry Evans Marie Gillman Karen Gillis Lilah Gunter Myron Hale Greg Harris Phil Harris Gene Hill Nick Hensley Eric Hixson Jason Howard Michael “Speedy” Hubbard Curtis Jones Rachel Marie Jones Terri King Bill Ludwig Sarah McEntyre John Muse Thomas Niessen Jim Parker Kaylee Parker Keith Parker Joe Petosa Haley Petty Rick Rogers Glenda Rucks Julia Sanders Susan Scarbeck Renee Sharp James Shumaker Mark Allen Smith Valerie Spence Lori Stenger Samantha Stott Steven Swinea Jennifer Tapper Lorina Upshaw Alison Ludwig Wigington Ben Wisenbaker Dino Xoinis William Henry Young Jay Walling United Way Day of from TVA: Power Supply& Fuels Jason Adams Bob Brower Gail Condra Mike Davis Brad Decker Russell Dotson Tim Fritch Claudia Garren Chris Hansen John Hite Milton Naylor Emily Oxford John Porter Tahnika Rodriquez Lashondria Scott Tim Smith Paul Southerland Kathy York TVA: CEO’s Office Tom Kilgore Gene Hill TVA: Human Resources Linda Tonya TVA: New Generation Carolyn Creek TVA- Trick or Treating Myra Fuller and Staff Unum Suzanne Rodgers Kim Moore UTC Men’s Basketball Coach John Shulman Coach “Z” Madhavi Venkatesan VFW 4848 Dennis Hunt Commander: John Scott Walmart 5251 Patricia Crystal Ward David Wilson Woodland Garden Club Hannah Wooten World Changers Caroline Wylie Youth Works Kay Bronstein Tioga Pipe Supply: Small Company, Big Impact For nine years, local Tioga Pipe Supply employees have been organizing a golf outing for the benefit of CH/CS. While their Chattanooga office has less than fifteen employees, they are able to pull off a fundraiser that brings in more than $10,000 every year. This year’s total was over $15,000!! Nationwide, Tioga employs over 100 people, many of whom came in town to participate in the tournament. We are thankful for the support of the entire TPS family and for the hard work of the local office. Thank you to all of the TPS employees who worked on the tournament, especially Don Carver, Don Gregory, Tracie Baker, and Jessica Dager. It was a great day of golf, for a great cause! National Philanthropy Day Honorees We were proud to honor several groups and individuals at the National Philanthropy Day luncheon in November. This lunch, sponsored by the Association for Fundraising Professionals, gives agencies like ours the chance to show our gratitude to some of our continually generous donors. This year’s honorees were: BI-LO, Chattem, Chattanooga Coca-Cola Bottling, First Tennessee Bank, Ladies in Aiding, Miller & Martin, PlayCore, Stein Construction Co., Tioga Pipe Supply, TVA Nuclear, and Dr. & Mrs. Izak Wessels. Thank you! (From left to right) Keyron Sheard, Sr., Niccheaus Doaks, Sr., Coach Azeez Ali, and others from the UTC Men’s Basketball Team spent a summer afternoon teaching some of our young men how to improve their skills. They are all tired, but excited, from their fun afternoon! Thanks Coach Shulman for arranging this quality time for our children! UNUM, TVA, & ALSTOM The beautiful fall season brought many wonderful groups to work at the Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter. Almost 200 Unum employees tackled dozens of projects inside and outside of our buildings in August. The main hallway and the Shelter got a fantastic facelift with new paint while the playgrounds received a muchneeded layer of mulch and removal of tree limbs. Unum CEO Tom Watjen and Senator Bo Watson were both present to commend Unum employees for their spirit of volunteerism. In addition to the employees doing work projects, Unum also sponsored a Back-to-School Bash the same day for all of our schoolage children that involved food, games, inflatables, and much more! They also gave out backpacks to many of our children who needed assistance in obtaining their required school supplies. What tremendous gifts Unum gave to our facility and children that day! – CARING fOR CH/CS In September, TVA sent groups to work during two different Days of Caring. The hard-working TVA employees painted offices, built bookshelves, scrubbed interior brick walls, cut down dead limbs, cleaned carpets, installed new bathroom vanities, and much more. And that was just one day! The second round of TVA employees came only a week later and painted & cleaned up our teachers’ lounge, built steps up to the new vanities and changing tables, and cleaned the entrances to the main building. It was wonderful to see CEO Tom Kilgore alongside TVA employees hard at work to help our children! Finally, Alstom employees came for their own Day of Caring in November. This group included some wonderful organizers who cleaned out two storage spaces to make them usable and some skilled painters who put a new coat of paint in the pre-school bathroom and the computer room. Another hard-working team framed in a new door between the library and computer room and did lots of clean up work. This group was the icing on the cake of all the amazing projects that were completed here this fall. We are absolutely astonished at the number of hours of work that people like you dedicated to improving our facilities! Thank you Unum, TVA, Alstom, and all of you who have volunteered your time here! financial Donations This list of financial contributions is from July 8, through November 12, 2008. If we have omitted your name, please accept our apologies and let us know so that we may correct our records and acknowledge you in our Spring newsletter. Thanks to each of you for helping us continue our mission of working with our community’s families and children. fOUNDERS Chattem BENEfACTORS Bob Bosworth SPONSORS Mr. & Mrs. Lee Anderson Aurora Management Partners Chambliss, Bahner, & Stophel Chattanooga Civitan Club First Tennessee Bank FSG Bank Gentry & Painter, Inc. GPS Summer Leadership Camp Hudson Construction Company Lexus of Chattanooga Morgan Keegan Tilda Oehmig Tioga Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Wayne Tipps Dr. & Mrs. Izak Wessels PATRONS Adman Electric, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Bogo Chazen Family Foundation Fulmer Concrete Ralph Grogan J. Smith Lanier & Co., Inc. Jake Marshall, LLC Kelly Auto Group Jack Kruesi Don Mercer Olan Mills Pointe General Contractors LLC Lisa & Michael Revenig Robinson Real Estate Angie & Mike Rouse Schaerer Contracting U.S. Xpress Unum Matching Gifts Program SUPPORTERS Brock Insurance Agency Chapin Library Fund Karen Chapman Sally & Art Dickerson Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Huffaker III Optimist Club of Brainerd PlayCore Rentenbach Constructors UBS Matching Gifts Program Diana & Christopher Ungate CONTRIBUTORS Mary & Arthur Ballard Cardiovascular Care Center Vince Carelli Miriam Chandler Chattanooga Track Club Dr. & Mrs. Pat Dilworth East Ridge Masonic Lodge #755 Don Jensen Alice McCallie Jane McNabb Mamie Fowler Amy Frierson Keating Griffiss Page & David Houseman Fletcher & Lola Kibler Trust Merck Partnership for Giving Cherrie & Gene Roberts Margaret P. Smith Stephanie B. Smith Beth Soloff James E. Thomas Eric C. Ward Wrigley Company DONORS Mr. & Mrs. Nevin Andes Rebecca & Lawrence Brown Mr. & Mrs. William Carriger Chattanooga Coca-Cola Bottling Mr. & Mrs. Warren Clark Malcolm A. Cross John Ford Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Companies Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Grabill Brad Harvey JD Helton Roofing Company Jackie Jolley Moon Jin Lee Mr. & Mrs. James E. Moore Beverly Nichols Pat & Joe Persinger Dr. Edwin Rather Beverly Reynolds Hillary & Ross Schram Scott Scouten Donna Shine Mr. & Mrs. Charles Standefer Judge Robert M. Summitt T.R. Moore & Associates, Inc. Susan & Everett Warren fRIENDS Bob Allen BI-LO Boostersplus Robinson Real Estate HONORARIUM Carla Davenport Pat & Joe Persinger Ernst & Young Moon Jin Lee Joan Harrell Keating Griffiss Crystal Moore Mr. & Mrs. Warren Clark Beverly Nichols Unum Moon Jin Lee MEMORIALS Patty Barger Susan & Everett Warren Bud Burns Sally & Art Dickerson Eleanor Joiner Hillary & Ross Schram Margaret Brown Kemp Mr. & Mrs. Nevin Andes Rebecca & Lawrence Brown Cardiovascular Care Center Mr. & Mrs. William Carriger Miriam Chandler Mamie Fowler Amy Frierson Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Companies Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Grabill Jane McNabb Mr. & Mrs. James E. Moore Dr. Edwin Rather Robinson Real Estate Hillary & Ross Schram Mr. & Mrs. Charles Standefer Marian E. Rather Dr. Edwin Rather Hank Thompson Susan & Everett Warren The Power of Change The youth in our Shelter and foster homes were treated like stars at a concert held in September called “The Power of Change”. Guests were asked to bring a cup of change in addition to their ticket purchase to benefit CH/CS and Bethany Christian Services. The concert featured country artists Billy Currington and Jimmy Wayne and highlighted the need for foster homes and adoptive placements for older children in State custody. Our young people were not only driven to the concert in limousines, but had a backstage area to talk with the artists, front row seats, and V.I.P. status for the entire evening! Thank you to Millie Smith, Cathy Matherly, Loose Canon Studio, US101, Bell Limousines, the artists, and everyone else who made this concert happen. Our children were inspired by the music and the encouraging stories told that night. 12th Annual TVA Golf Tournament Wow…another amazing golf tournament put on by TVA Nuclear employees!! As our Partner-In-Education, TVA Nuclear works hard to organize this two-day event to benefit Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter every year. And, every year, it is a wonderful success. Many hours are put into making this event happen by Samantha Stott, Myra Fuller, and their host of volunteers. We are grateful to Bill Campbell, Bill McCollum, Tom Kilgore and for their support of the tournament that makes such a huge impact on our children. Thank you TVA Nuclear, again, for your diligent work for our organization! Shop Online and Support CH/CS Before you order holiday gifts online, check out www.goodshop.com. This is the sister site to www.goodsearch.com which donates a penny to our organization every time someone searches the Internet on their site. GoodShop allows you to purchase items from hundreds of well-known stores like Banana Republic, Sears, Amazon, Macy’s, Target, Best Buy, & Williams Sonoma. Simply choose “Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter” as your charity, and then click on the store you want to order from. Each retailer will donate a portion of your purchase back to our agency! Don’t just shop, GoodShop for CH/CS! OOPS! The last newsletter stated that TVA Nuclear employees helped to build our new school-age playground. In reality, there were many TVA employees who helped, not just from the Nuclear division. We want to thank everyone who helped on this amazing project! Gina Mitch, summer associate Thomas Worthy, and other Miller & Martin employees take time out of their day to organize activities and play with our children. Trick or Treat! Our children are always excited for their field trip to TVA, and this year was no exception. They came through the doors with big smiles and their bags ready for candy. TVA employees did not disappoint! Many of the TVA folks were in costume themselves, as they gave out handfuls of candy and treats to the children. What a fun day it was for TVA employees and children, alike. Thank you to everyone that participated, especially the TVA police who are always a big hit with the children! Graduating Our future Stars Graduation comes around every year when we send off our pre-schoolers to kindergarten. It’s a time for them to show off all the things they have learned while at CH/CS- the Pledge of Allegiance, movement concepts, shapes, how to follow directions, dramatic rhythm, and sign languagethrough songs. The children then accept their diplomas while teary-eyed parents and staff look on. We are so proud of these young children who will be the future stars in their schools! Let CH/CS send holiday cards for you! Simply provide us with a list of names and addresses, and we will send cards to your family and friends this season. The card features a drawing from one of the children in the Shelter and includes a note acknowledging your gift in their honor or in lieu of a gift. Contact Gloria Miller (gjmiller@ch-cs.org) or Katie Harbison (kcharbison@ch-cs.org) at 698-2456 for more information. We are beginning to collect email addresses for people who would like to receive information about planned giving. This information would come as a weekly e-newsletter and will contain articles about everything from taxes to charitable remainder trusts. If you are interested, please send Katie an email to kcharbison@ch-cs.org. You should start receiving these e-newsletters after the first of the year. Please be assured that we will not share your email address with anyone. Holiday WisH lisT Our biggest need this season is for gift cards for the teenagers who live in the Chambliss Shelter. If you are able, please try to keep restaurant gift cards denominations at $20 and under to make it easier for our staff to monitor their usage. When delivering gift cards, please make sure that you give them to Cindy or Paulette who are usually present during normal business hours. Here are some of the favorite eateries and requested attractions of our Shelter residents: Applebee’s Arby’s A&W/Long John Silver’s Bea’s Restaurant (Dodds Ave.) Burger King China Moon CiCi’s Pizza Fazoli’s Five Guys Burgers & Fries Golden Corral Haven’s Buffet Ichiban Japanese Steak House KFC Krystal Little Caesar’s Pizza Master Blaster BBQ McDonald’s Panera Bread Pizza Hut Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits Rib & Loin Ryan’s Shoney’s Sonic Subway Taco Bell Waffle House Wendy’s Rave movie passes Bowling Go-Carts and Paint Ball at Sir Gooney’s Rock City Ruby Falls Lost Sea Raccoon Mountain Titans tickets Chattanooga Ducks International Towing & Recovery Museum We also need the following items in the Children’s Home Extended Childcare Program: AA batteries Throw pillows- all colors, designs CD/cassette boom boxes Size 4 diapers Wooden rocking chairs or glider rockers Tonka trucks Baby doll strollers Legos Lincoln Logs Transformers Bionicles Are you on Facebook??? If so, please join our cause! Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter is a registered “cause” and can use some more members. You can invite your friends to join and even feature us on your profile. What an easy way to show that you support the work we do for at-risk children! Please help us reduce waste by notifying us of any mailing address errors or corrections! 468-1130 or kcharbison@ch-cs.org (VINE STREET ORPHANS’ HOME) 315 GILLESPIE ROAD CHATTANOOGA, TN 37411 CHILDREN’S HOME/CHAMBLISS SHELTER ELIzABETH PELTON, ACSW Executive Director SALLY JACKSON, ACSW Director of Social Services PAULETTE ACORD Director of Volunteer Services ADMINISTRATORS KATIE C. HARBISON Director of Development GLORIA J. MILLER V.P., Development PHILIP A. ACORD President & CEO BETTY CHIOLO Director of Finance Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Chattanooga, TN Permit No. 113 www.ch-cs.org 423-698-2456