Christmas in Corpus

Christmas came to Corpus Christi early this month! The Corpus Christi outreach office hosted a Christmas Party complete with snacks and plenty of presents for the children. Here are a few photos of the MCH foster families who work tirelessly to provide loving homes for children in the Corpus Christi area.





If you have Christmas pictures from your MCH Christmas parties, send them our way! Click the blue button below to submit your fun Christmas stories and photos!

MCH Employee Honored

Annie Rice, director of the Corpus Christi outreach office, recently received the 2009 Volunteer Peer Group Facilitator of the Year Award from Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

In her nomination, Annie was praised for her willingness to facilitate Parents Helping Parents groups with empathy, appreciation, honesty and concern. In addition to her voluntary partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Annie works with families in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas by offering foster care, family preservation and case management services through Methodist Children’s Home.

Way to go, Annie!

El Paso Outreach

The El Paso outreach office was provided a wonderful opportunity to engage with the greater foster care community this past week. The El Paso area hosted a Child Advocacy Recruitment Effort Conference to train child-care workers and expand awareness of the needs of children.

The conference focused on training current advocacy staff, but also allowed agencies the opportunity to share information about their organization with individuals interested in becoming foster parents. Jorge Soto, director of the El Paso outreach office, attended the conference and shared about the ministry of the Home.

Thanks to all of our outreach office staff for the work they do every day to help Methodist Children's Home provide hope to youth across Texas and New Mexico.

Commissioners visit Waco

This week marked our annual Commissioners Meeting. The two-day event kicked off with a lively dinner and program in the brand new Boys Ranch Recreation and Activities Center on Tuesday evening.

Several boys from the Ranch shared the story of how their lives have been impacted by life at Methodist Children's Home. In fact, one young man gave us permission to share his comments here on the blog so that you can hear his testimony. Click here to read Chris's inspiring story.

Trey Oakley, vice president of development, welcomed the Commissioners.

Bobby Gilliam, MCH president, addressed the meeting attendees.

Commissioners and Boys Ranch staff and students enjoying the evening.

Jordan, a Boys Ranch resident, shared his story.

Reverend Travis Franklin from Salado brought the Tuesday evening message and encouraged Commissioners to provide light in the darkness for youth in need of guidance and support.

Reverend Franklin, a former MCH chaplain who was with MCH
for 12 years, shared inspiring stories from MCH alumni.

On Wednesday morning, the Commissioners gathered at the Johnson Student Center on the Waco campus and heard reports and stories from a variety of departments across the organization. The highlight of the morning was a special performance by the MCH Charter School choir.

Becca McPherson, director of development,
planned and organized the successful event.

Commissioners and development staff sharing morning fellowship.

Dr. Jack Kyle Daniels, former president of the Home,
held a book signing for his memoir.

MCH student athletes shared about their experiences.

MCH Charter School choir offered several musical selections.

The Meeting concluded with a luncheon in the Community Room where Commissioners were joined by members of the MCH Student Leadership Team.

Methodist Children's Home Commissioners are nominated by MCH development staff or benefactors and serve as liaisons for the Home. Commissioners help raise funds and promote Methodist Children's Home in their churches and communities across Texas and New Mexico.

Did you attend Commissioners? Tell us about your experience in the "Comments" section below!

Something for Everyone

Summer is a busy time at Methodist Children's Home! There are too many great things going on to feature only one, so here are a few bits of news from across the MCH community.

Summer School is Better with Ice Cream
Summer School students at the MCH Charter School in Waco were treated to a demonstration in ice cream making. The instructional presentation by Douglas Brown, an MCH volunteer and member of the Waco community, was offered as a part of a communications and speech class. Throughout the class students have been able to hear a variety of presentations from individuals across the Waco community. On this occasion, students learned the basics of making homemade ice cream and even got to try the process for themselves.

Volunteer, Douglas Brown, demonstrates how to make ice cream with the help of some MCH Charter School students.

Beat the Heat with GAPP
Summer is heating up and the Grandparents as Parents Program is working hard to relieve some of the pressure on local grandparents trying to raise their grandchildren. GAPP has already developed a strong support community among grandparents in the Waco area, but this summer they are doing even more to offer assistance to families.

The Grandparents Day Camp is a new summer initiative for GAPP grandchildren. The grandchildren spend at least one day a week on the Waco campus or out in the community with GAPP staff and volunteers. The Day Camp allows the youth to learn new skills, experience the city of Waco and have fun beating the heat of summer. Activities so far have included trips to the Waco Water Park, lessons in basketball skills, knitting classes and even supervised time playing children's computer games.

Te'Aerra shows off a coloring page she is working on.

Arescia (left) is learning to knit with Kari, a GAPP volunteer.

Happy to Help
When Tom Stribling, an MCH foster parent, learned that Jerome, his long-time foster child, was interested in taking a summer job with the city of Happy, Texas, he was determined to help him reach his goal. The job Jerome wanted involved serving as an assistant to city workers and would provide him with hands on experience working 40 hours a week for most of the 2009 summer.

Funded by stimulus money directed through the US Department of Labor's Workforce Investment Act, the job was specifically designed for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds (such as foster children). Jerome, a "soon to be" high school senior, thought the job was the perfect fit. And because of his responsible nature and status as an MCH foster child, Jerome and the Striblings thought he would easily land his summer dream job.

However, when the city received Jerome's application they were confused about whether he really fit the description of a foster child. Eleven years ago, Jerome's family voluntarily placed him in foster care through Methodist Children's Home. Because of the voluntary placement, city officials assumed that Jerome did not qualify for the city job.

When the Stribling family heard that Jerome was not chosen for the position because of his unclear foster child status, they immediately made an effort to clear up the misunderstanding. Stribling went to the city judge and called Methodist Children's Home administrators to help fight for Jerome's dream. After several hours of patient waiting, explanations and many phone calls and faxes, the city of Happy gladly welcomed Jerome as a member of their summer staff.


Now that he has been working for several weeks, Jerome is loving his job. Repairing city streets, helping with pet vaccinations, mowing city property and repairing equipment are just some of the activities that fill his days.

Stribling couldn't be more proud. "You know, he wants to work," Stribling said. "He really enjoys working, this was his dream job and it wouldn't have been right to not help him achieve his dreams."