Ag show in Clifton, Texas

On Saturday, Oct. 25, eight youth from the Waco campus and Boys Ranch participated in the Crawford FFA show in Clifton, Texas. Stephen Kruse, agricultural sciences (ag) teacher, and James Fairchild, assistant ag teacher, were proud of the youths’ hard work. Although many of the youth and goats were still in need of more training to be show-ready, they gained valuable experience and showed great potential during the event. 

“This was the first time any of the youth had ever attended a goat show and we placed four out of six goats,” explained Kruse. “In the heifer show, Star has emerged as one of those youth that can handle and show any species of livestock. Mikayla showed a calf for the first time and did a good job. I feel that this was one of those shows the youth may have learned the most.”

Below are the results from the Crawford show:

Class two exotic heifers – Star, 5^th place

Class three exotic heifers – Mikayla, 2^nd place

Class 1 lightweight goats – Chris, 4^th place

Class 1 lightweight goats – Tamika participated

Class 3 lightweight goats – Abby participated

Class 5 middleweight goats –Ladarius, 3^rd place

Class 6 middleweight goats –Alex, 5^th place; Kiyanna, 6^th place

Commissioners Event and Golf Classic 2014

 It was a busy and exciting weekend at Methodist Children’s Home on Oct. 17-18. On Friday afternoon supporters teed off for our second annual MCH Golf Classic fundraiser. Then Friday evening, commissioners arrived on the Waco campus for dinner and the Homecoming football game followed by Saturday educational sessions and a luncheon. Commissioners are MCH partners from churches in Texas and New Mexico who advocate for MCH in their communities.

Nineteen teams competed in the MCH Golf Classic. The four-man scramble tournament began with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. at Twin Rivers Golf Club in Waco. The team of Chris Goss, Todd Glaseman, Jaime McCoy and Josh Ludy won the tournament and received trophies and golf bags as their first place prize. Other prizes included gift cards for area restaurants, golf clubs and gear, and special items handmade by MCH students in the agricultural sciences program. Players learned more about MCH through signs displaying facts about the ministry placed at several tee boxes on the course.

A special thanks to our silver sponsor Insurors of Texas; bronze sponsors Northwest Optimist Club, John W. Erwin General Contractors, Patillo, Brown & Hill, and Naman Howell Smith & Lee;  and Integ who sponsored the banners and hole signs for the tournament. Food and beverages were provided by Rudy’s BBQ, Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-a.

The Heart of the Matter
Friday evening kicked off the two-day annual Commissioners event. The theme this year was getting back to “The Heart of the Matter.”

Forty-nine commissioners gathered at the pavilion in Heritage Park on the Waco campus for a presentation and dinner to learn about how they can help support the ministry. Commissioners heard from MCH alum Jimmy Hammond who announced the donation of the lights at the football field. After the dinner, commissioners joined other MCH Bulldog fans in the stands to enjoy the Homecoming football game versus Wylie Prep.

“Friday night proved to be a great way for our commissioners to experience our ministry in action,” said Lyle Mason, director of benefactor relations.

Saturday morning, commissioners returned to campus for a morning of educational sessions from MCH leadership. The speakers presented updates on how lives are changing through MCH Family Outreach and residential services programs.  The new logo was also introduced and, as Mason explained, “reminded us that ultimate transformation comes with the cross at the center.” To conclude the event, commissioners and staff attended a luncheon at Johnson Student Center where MCH President Tim Brown gave an informative speech about an emerging method in childcare used at Methodist Children’s Home through our partnership with Texas Christian University’s Institute of Child Development called Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). TBRI is an intervention model of care for a wide range of childhood behavioral problems designed for children who have experienced relationship-based trauma.

“We wanted to make sure our commissioners walked away knowing how much we appreciate their friendship and advocacy,” Mason said. “And, we hope they left feeling connected, equipped and enthused to share the MCH story with those in their community.”

Click here for a photo gallery of the MCH Golf Classic 2014.

Click here for a photo gallery of Commissioners 2014. 

Core Value Award for Relationships - Anthony Burns

Each year, Methodist Children’s Home recognizes staff members who exemplify the Core Values of the organization. Staff are nominated by their peers and are recognized at an all-staff meeting during which the Core Awards are given.

The core values of MCH are:

Christian Principles
Relationships
Responsibility
Growth
Service
Hope

Anthony Burns, at-risk coordinator, received the Core Award for Relationships. The Core Award for Relationships is defined as someone who builds healthy relationships through communication, respect, trust and love. According to his nomination, Burns “has a positive rapport with students at the MCH School and builds excellent trust-based relationships with them on a daily basis. Anthony has a strong and humorous personality and is often called to ‘break the ice’ in difficult situations. Anthony is a wonderful role model as one of our Safe School Ambassador facilitators. He is always willing to lend an ear and give advice to students, treating each student with respect. Anthony models Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) on a daily bases and consistently uses TBRI language with students, challenging them to focus on MCH Life Skills.”

Burns has worked at MCH for seven years. “Being recognized for a Core Award involving relationships with our youth is a great honor,” Burns said. “I believe establishing productive relationships with our youth is an important process and appreciate the opportunity to do that here at MCH.”

Amy Grisham, director of school support and Burn’s supervisor had this to share: “Building relationships is such an important part of working with our youth and Anthony excels at this and is a pleasure to work with each day.”

Great Escape for Outreach Staff

Dallas Outreach

Each year, Methodist Children’s Home celebrates its staff by hosting a day of games, lunch and time for fellowship during the Great Escape. This day of thanks allows staff the opportunity to recharge and enjoy the company of their coworkers. Staff from Waco and the Boys Ranch gather at Heritage Park on the Waco campus for a cookout and games. Although outreach staff are unable to attend the Waco celebration, they are invited to plan their own day of relaxation and fun in their communities. 

Below is how some of our outreach offices celebrated this special day:

“For our great escape outing, Abilene staff went bowling at Primetime. Anna was the bowling champion of the day! After bowling we went out for salad and pizza. It was a great day of fun and fellowship and gave us a chance to get to know Sarah better since she is the newest member of our team.” – Megan Harbin, Director of Family Outreach - Abilene

“The Albuquerque staff chose Art Attack as our Great Escape activity.  We each picked a piece of ceramic pottery and had two hours to paint and be creative!  Each of us took our time as we selected a piece and we all enjoyed the opportunity to sit together, share a few laughs and focus on something other than work!  What a wonderful opportunity MCH gave us to connect and enjoy each other.  We are thankful!  And how neat that we’ve all got a special piece of pottery to remember the day by!” – Alicia Carter, Director of Family Outreach - Albuquerque

“The Houston Outreach Staff enjoyed a nice long lunch at Grand Lux Cafe in the Galleria.  We enjoyed talking and laughing with each other.  Our day was topped it off with great desserts and a shopping excursion at Nordstrom Rack.  This was a great way to relax, enjoy each other’s company and take a break from our hectic schedules.” – Veronica Whalon-Peters, Director of Family Outreach - Houston

“The Lubbock Outreach office spent their Great Escape enjoying lunch at a local restaurant and an afternoon of crafts. We visited a local business, Pinspired, to make a fall or winter decoration of our choice. The idea of their business is to provide people the resources to bring their Pinterest inspired ideas to life! Staff members were able to laugh, relax, fellowship with one another, show off their skills, and enjoy an afternoon away from the office! It was great to see everyone's creativity! We all enjoyed the experience and may be back for another day of crafting soon!” – Jessica Ham, Case Manager - Lubbock

“Lufkin Outreach celebrated the Great Escape by grabbing a quick lunch then bowling.  We had a great time together and had several laughs.  Diana enjoyed the challenge of trying to distract me from a strike and LaKiesha played a good game that was neck and neck with me, but I pulled ahead toward the end!” – Amanda Grimmett, Director of Family Outreach – Lufkin 

“I think the consensus is that most of us had never worked for an organization that cared for their employees as much as MCH does. The Great Escape is just one of the ways MCH takes care of their staff so they are refreshed and can continue to do wonderful work for the children and families. This year was my first year to attend The Great Escape and what a blessing it was! As a team we decided to go to Chris & Sam’s for lunch. After having the scrumptious meals we headed to Pottery Café to show our artistic sides. Although some found the painting experience somewhat stressful due to their perfectionist personalities the majority of us found it to be a fun, relaxing and bonding experience. We will forever hold this Great Escape in our hearts and mind. In the end all the paintings turned out beautiful! What a wonderful experience we were able to have thanks to MCH, our great administrator and our director for allowing us to choose a place as a team for the Great Escape.” - Edith Wineland, Administrative Assistant - Tyler

“For our Great Escape, we all got pedicures and then had lunch at a sweet little tea room, where they had prepared an assortment of teas, pastries and finger sandwiches. Tas made all the arrangements for us. We had a relaxing, lovely day. Rosemary shared that this was her first time ever getting a pedicure! It was a wonderful team building experience that I think, brought us all a little closer together.” – Tashika Smith, Director of Family Outreach - Dallas 

Thank you to all our outreach staff for their hard work in their communities throughout the year!

Abilene Outreach

Houston Outreach

Lubbock Outreach

Lufkin Outreach

Tyler Outreach

Heart O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo 2014

Methodist Children’s Home FFA students had a strong showing at the 2014 Heart O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo. The fair was held at Extraco Events Center from Oct. 2-11. MCH students showed lamb, swine and steer during the event. Students care for and prepare the animals for showing at the Boys Ranch as part of the FFA program. 

Below are the results:

Swine

Duroc - Class 2:  Chayce – 6th; Class 3:  Jacob – 1st, Prince – 2nd, Julio – 3rd, JB – 4th, Marvin – 5th
Fine wool:  Quentin – participated
AOB Heifer:  Star – 3rd; Mikayla – participated

Spot – Class 1:  Diego – 6th

Cross – Class 3:  Noah – 9th, Mikayla – 7th, Sonja – 8th, Nick – 4th, Edgar – 6th; Class 4:  Dagim – 5th; Jalyn – 7th; Justice – 7th

Lamb

Southdown:  Paloma – 6th; Iyanna – 7th; Jessica – 17th

Medium wool:  Star, Hawa, and Emily participated

Cattle

Simbrah Steer:  Justice – 4th

Chianina Steer:  Raymond – 6th; Damion – 7th

Congratulations to all our FFA participants this year!

Tyler’s “Day for Kids”

Staff from the Tyler office spread the word about MCH Family Outreach services while supporting a great family cause at the annual Day for Kids on Saturday, Sept. 20. The event, hosted by the Boys and Girls Club of Tyler, was held at Bergfeld Park in Tyler. 

Day for Kids is meant to encourage families to spend time together. Throughout the day, guests enjoy games and activities for children and learn about community resources. The event not only encourages families to spend more time together but also educates them about a wide variety of services available in the area. 

“Day for Kids was a huge success,” said Edith Wineland, regional administrative assistant. “It was refreshing to see all the businesses and community come together for the kids. I believe we opened some minds to the idea of providing an even safer, and healthier environment for much deserving children.” 

While some of the Tyler Outreach office played bean bag toss with the children, other staff members talked with parents about the services offered by MCH. The event was attended by approximately 500 people. The president of the Boys and Girls Club is Kevin East, a foster parent with MCH. 

Family Day – Fall 2014

MCH brought families together during its fall 2014 Family Day on Friday, Oct. 3. Family Day is hosted twice a year for families of youth in our residential program to visit the campus. The fall event is held for the Waco campus at the Johnson Student Center, and the spring event is organized by each individual home unit.

“Family Day is an opportunity for parents or guardians to spend time with youth engaging in fun activities, experience campus life and learn Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) techniques and how they can use TBRI to positively impact their family,” said Jeff Creel, associate administrator for Waco campus.

TBRI is an intervention model for a wide range of childhood behavioral problems designed for children who have experienced relationship-based trauma. MCH has partnered with the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University to implement TBRI methods in our everyday care.

On Friday, families joined youth for the pep rally in the afternoon followed by bingo and board games at Johnson Student Center. Parents then attended a training session on the IDEAL response, a TBRI method for correcting a youth’s negative behavior. That evening, families were invited to attend the MCH football game versus Lometa.   

Afterschool Programs

The Recreation program of Methodist Children’s Home offers youth from the Waco campus and Boys Ranch a variety of six afterschool programs to choose from,” said Anthony Mead, afterschool coordinator.

  

“Choir and theater offers the opportunity to compete in the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship (TCAF) league and show off the youth’s acting and singing abilities,” explained Mead. “Drum line teaches instrumental skills, music theory and these youth will perform at pep rallies and football games. The Independent Living program helps juniors and seniors prepare for college and independence. Horseback riding teaches care of horses and riding skills, and the physical education (PE) class consists of organized games and sports that offers a PE credit.”

“The afterschool programs are an essential part of seeing our youth learn more about themselves and as team members,“ he added. “These programs embody the MCH life skills. We try to give our youth holistic programs in which they can express their creative side and step out and shine. These programs are a continuation of the great works that are being done in and through our youth throughout various programs.”