HOME   CHILDREN  HISTORY   PROGRAM   STAFF  EMPLOYMENT  VOLUNTEERING PHOTOS

CAMPAIGN UPDATE!


Annual Open House held November 19th

Friends of the Home came to the annual Open House on the campus of the Home. The event was on Sunday, November 19, 2000 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. This year's event was an exciting one with a variety of activities.

A dedication ceremony kicked off the day at the Terry Gymnasium's new Community Room. The new addition is a beautiful room with gorgeous views of the mountains surrounding the campus. Earl Kreisa, Jr., President of the Home opened the ceremony by giving thanks to God and to all those people who made this gym expansion possible.

Guests were also be able to view the contents of a time capsule that will be placed behind a granite cornerstone on one of the pillars outside the gymnasium entrance. The memorabilia will include photos, Board of Director's minutes, legal documentation, newsletters, local and national news stories and other items that future friends of the Home would find interesting.

Following the ceremony, children and staff offered tours of the new houses, the gym's art studio, exercise room, and maintenance area Though the four houses are essentially built using the same floor plan, they all differ in personality as reflected by the art work and decor of each house.

New this year was a display and sale of art work that has been created by the children and staff. We will have beautiful wood work by Mike Small, the Home's Recreation Coordinator. Betsy Drake, Business Manager, will be displaying and selling her hand crafted Santa figures just in time for the holidays. Several other staff members worked on a variety of projects as well and many of the children were excited about showing off their own creations.

Beverages were served in the Community Room and the individual houses offered refreshments including breads, salty snacks, cookies and cakes. Each house prepared their own category so visitors were encouraged to sample the food at all four houses. A variety of drinks were also be available throughout the campus, including coffee, tea and hot cider.



Program Briefs

Independent living pilot

Two long time resident boys began living at the President's and Associate Director's home in October. This move marks the beginning of an innovative program designed to give older children a chance to develop the skills that will serve them as they begin life after high school.

The boys plan and cook their own meals, do their own shopping and arrange for transportation to and from their after school and weekend jobs.

Christmas parties under way

On December 2, the Naval Reserve once again be hosted the children and staff of the Home at their annual Christmas party. On December 9, Classic Cruisers, an auto club, will be bringing their annual party to the Home.

Churches also plan to join in the Christmas celebration. Southminster Presbyterian Church from Gastonia provided a party with gifts on December 3rd and the Waldensian Presbyterian Church from Valdese will once again be bringing presents for the children.

Opportunities for kids

Following a summer full of attending camps and conferences, taking vacation trips with their house families and maintaining summer jobs, the children have settled into the new school year.

Taking a break from the day to day responsibilities of school and work, all the children were able to go out with their house parent couples this October to area neighborhoods for trick-or-treat.

Gymnasium addition

The historic Terry Gymnasium has taken on new life and a new role as the campus renovation project continues. Finished in less than a year since construction began, the new facility is already offering the Home and its support community with new opportunities to gather, celebrate and worship.

The new addition has added a large community room, an exercise room, a warming kitchen, an entrance foyer, storage rooms and office space for the new Recreation Coordinator. The room previously used as a weight room, which was attached to the old gymnasium, is being converted into an art studio. New art cabinets have been constructed which will be secure places for storage of materials. The new spacious Maintenance area below the Community Room is also a delight behold.

The grounds outside the gym are seeing major changes as well. A new road has been built around the outer perimeter of the campus that will link the houses with the gymnasium area. This new road, to be named in honor of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church in Valdese, will allow for the closing of the inner circle road that now serves as the main thoroughfare for house and delivery traffic. The inner road will soon be used exclusively for pedestrian and bicycle traffic for children and staff.

Cardinal Charities enhance campus

The new Cardinal Pavilion is currently under construction. The new structure was made possible through money raised by the 1998 Cardinal Open Golf Tournament.

This new facility promises to give the campus a space for children and staff to gather for reflection and fellowship surrounded by beautiful views of the mountains that surround the campus. Construction should be completed by the end of December.

The Terry Gymnasium expansion is also being outfitted by Cardinal Open funds. The 2000 tournament raised $24,000 which was applied to that portion of the campus renovation.

Included are large custom-made cabinets for the art studio which will serve as storage units for a variety of art media and can also double as workstations for arts and crafts projects. Each cabinet has lighting, shelves and damage resistant work surfaces.

The gymnasium floor is being refinished and repainted with this money as well. Additionally, the Home used some of the tournamentšs proceeds to purchase a new piano and sound system for the new Community Room.

Over the last four years, the Cardinal Open Golf Tournaments have raised around $100,000 to help the Home provide an updated environment for the children.

Alumni News
College Assistance

The Home has been blessed with bequests over the last few years that are restricted to higher education opportunities. The Home determines eligibility through Board decisions based on individual requests from Alumni. Currently seven alumni are receiving assistance for college expenses. If you are an alumni, or if you know an alumni who might benefit from this valuable resource, please contact the Home and let us provide direction for this important opportunity.

Alumni Picnic 2000

This year's picnic was a well attended event that highlighted new construction on the campus and included great food and a wealth of memories through storytelling, browsing old photos for reproduction and meeting friends they had not seen in years.

Thoughts on Planned Giving
"One generation shall praise thy works to another" -PSALM 145:4
This is a psalm of praise to God the King. It opens with a recognition of God's might and majesty and moves to tribute God's mercy and faithfulness, focusing between the poles of God's holiness and God's love.

In verse 4, the psalmist indicates that praise is to be intergenerational, passed on from one generation to the next. Martin Luther said that it is strange that every twenty years or so God builds a new church out of little children. Which is another way of saying that the Church is always just one generation away from extinction.

The concept that we can pass our faith on to the next generation encompasses not only our teaching, but the use of our resources. By remembering the Church in our wills, by providing after our death for ministries or missions which were important to us in life, we can help continue those things that make our faith. We cannot teach the next generation after our death, but we can make the means available to others to continue teaching.

Take the opportunity to express your Christian commitment in your will or other estate plans. Use your accumulated resources to carry on to the next generation the faith that has meant so much to you. One generation can praise Godšs works to another.

This is an excerpt from a sermon by Rev. C. Kenneth Hall, Minister-at-Large, Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation

More information on this and other Life Income Plans can be found at the Foundation's web site: www.fdn.pcusa.org




LAUREN SMALL 1953-2000

In March of 1998, Lauren Small and her husband Mike joined us as a part of that new evolution of house parent married couples. They started in the main building and then helped to open Parks House. Together they provided a great model of married life for our children to use in building their own household in the future. Lauren, an R.N. came to us hearing a call and looking for a mission, an opportunity to do more than lots of reports. She wanted to hold hands, touch people, and make a difference in their lives. Lauren and Mike were determined not to give up on a child, working them through their anger and pain. For each child there were lots of hugs and reassurances that they were safe and secure here. Lauren would tell anyone who would listen, "This is the best job we have ever had."

We remember her sewing angel Halloween costumes for the not so holy, her enthusiastic words, great smile and sparkling eyes when a child had a success, making dolls for little girls who had never had one, enlisting the help of a five year old to help kids stay off the "baby" grass. She was always the campus nurse who tracked us down when she heard that we were ailing, reassuring us but always taking our pain seriously, and making sure that everyone got to the right medical attention. She taught First Aid and CPR to kids and staff. She was a woman of many talents and willing to seek new challenges. The kids of Parks House enjoyed her cooking, marveled at the delicately carved eggs she made as an artist, and admired her efforts to learn the piano in her 40's. She enthusiastically encouraged couples to join this new staff. Lauren was always there helping kids discover the wonders of God's creation. As a leader in the house parent staff, she quickly captured the family house and neighborhood vision that was being implemented and helped other staff make transitions.

In late May, we found out that Lauren had a malignant and rapidly growing tumor in her brain. The whole campus was stunned. There was nothing to be done but pray. We must have asked half of western North Carolina to pray for Lauren. Twenty-two days later on June 17, she died. We had all agreed that the children should be kept informed throughout the ordeal. Lauren believed honesty to be a powerful tool to build trust. She was a woman of extraordinary faith. Her faith sustained and nurtured all the children and staff. She was everyone's friend and a real parent to so many. How wonderful it is that God let us have her for these few years. What an impact she made. What a hole she leaves in our lives. It was a privilege and an honor to have had her with us. While we are glad her pain is over and she is in the house of the Lord, we sure wish that we could have had her with us much longer.

Lauren and Mike were a strong team. Soul mates. At this point it appears that her husband Mike will remain with us as the new recreation coordinator who will help us move into the gym addition, part of which will be devoted to the arts and crafts they so enjoyed together.

Lauren you will be missed, but you have left us with too much to be forgotten.

Home and Church establish covenant

The Presbyterian Home for Children and the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church have reached an historic agreement on the relationship between the two organizations. The agreement comes in the form of a Covenant of Understanding between the two and is described in detail below.

The covenant exists to affirm a partnership between the Home and the Black Mountain Church, and their shared commitment to minister to children and youth. The covenant recognizes that effectiveness of the relationship can only be achieved by the implementation of an open and reciprocal working partnership, with mutually agreed, realistic and clear expectations toward attaining our shared goal of the nurture and spiritual development of all children and youth of the church.

The Home and the Black Mountain Church have a shared history, with varying levels of relationship over the years. The Home was established in 1904 and moved to its present location near Black Mountain in 1923. The Black Mountain Presbyterian Church was established in 1908, and has grown from 13 members to more than 700 in the years since.

In the early years, the Asheville Presbytery directed the relationship between the Home and the Church, but in later years, for a time the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church was involved in a more fundamental way in the day-to-day operation of the Home. In the 1950's and 60's, there was a strong relationship between the two entities, but during the 1970's and 80's, the Home affiliated with other churches, and the connection was essentially lost. The relationship was renewed in the mid 90's under the new direction of Earl and Renee Kreisa.

Below are some highlights of the Home's covenant. The Black Mountain Presbyterian Church's portion reads similarly.

To promote and interpret the role of the Black Mountain Church to staff and residents of the Home, emphasizing the work of the Church as an integral part of the mission of the Home.

To encourage staff and house parents to become active participants in the life of the Church, as it relates to activities and the spiritual development and nurture of the children and youth.

To consider the relationship to be a partnership in ministry to all the children and youth of the church, with the openness and reciprocity essential to maintaining such a partnership.

To establish a Joint Committee of the two entities.

To employ a Youth Ministry Covenant Coordinator (or Chaplain), a full-time paid staff member, who focuses on youth ministry to all our youth, and will divide the workweek between the Home and the Church.

To focus on building relationships with Home children and youth outside the Church setting in order to build trust and allow for better communication.
To support the participation of Home children and youth in all activities of the Church, including Youth Conferences and Mission trips.

To recognize that Church Staff will at times be made aware of confidential information to effectively minister to a child/youth, and that that information will be held in the strictest confidence.

To faithfully pray for the ministry of the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.



Program Briefs

All the Home's children advance to next grade level
Cynthia Smith and Mildred Wilson, Education Coordinators at the Home, are happy to report that all students at PHFC were promoted to the next grade level. We can all be proud of this accomplishment.

The students can thank their teachers and school staff at W.D. Williams Head Start, Black Mountain Primary and Elementary, Buncombe Community Schools, and Owen Middle and High Schools for their patience and help. They can also thank tutors, house parents and education staff for help with homework and special projects which helped them have such a successful school year.

New house parent couples working at the Home
The Home welcomed two new sets of house parents this spring. Mountain House became home for Sam and Brenda Delgado, and Watkins House was blessed with the return of Justin and Jennifer Allen. The Allens had been house parents at the Home a few years back and were featured in the Home's building campaign promotional video.

Glenn Goundation donates $24.900 for new Chaplain position

The Carrie E. & Lena V. Glenn Foundation of Gastonia, North Carolina recently donated $24,900 to cover one year's salary and establish an office for a new position at the Home called Covenant Coordinator or Chaplain. This new position is a key element in the Covenant of Understanding recently established between the Home and the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.

The Glenn Foundation reflects the generosity of two sisters, one a teacher and one a librarian. Carrie and Lena Glenn lived frugally, invested wisely, and chose to leave their estates to a foundation to benefit community charities. The only stipulation was that the money should go to projects where money was needed most and would do the most good. Since 1986, their generosity has resulted in grants of over $3.3 million primarily to Gaston County organizations.

The Home, based in Buncombe County, feels particularily blessed by this generous grant.


CARDINAL OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT 2000 a big success


The fourth annual Cardinal Open Golf Tournament was held June 9th and once again brought in thousands of dollars to benefit the Home. Committee Chair LaVerne Laney organized the event which featured 34 three person teams, 36 sponsors and over 70 gift givers.

Once again, Brad Daugherty was the celebrity host. Brad is a Owen High School graduate and a former UNC Tarheel/Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star. He currently combines a successful business career with his position as color analyst on ESPN-TV.


Annual Alumni Picnic set for July 15

The Home's Alumni are encouraged to mark their calendars for the year 2000 Alumni Picnic. The event is always a wonderful time for visiting with old friends and making new ones. The event will offer former residents the opportunity to browse through old photographs and have copies made. Current residents will be on hand to give tours of the Home's new facilities and food will be provided by the Home.

If you know any alumni, please remind them of this special event and invite them to the picnic on Saturday, July 15th.


Thoughts on Planned Giving
LIFE INCOME PLANS
Charitable Gift Annuity A Charitable Gift Annuity is a contract between a donor and the Foundation that offers clear benefits to both the donor and the Home. In exchange for an irrevocable gift, the Foundation agrees to pay a lifetime fixed annuity to the donor or other designated individual. The amount of the payment will usually depend on the amount of the gift, the age of the donor on the day the gift is made and whether or not payments are to be deferred to a later date. In most cases, part of each payment is tax-free, and donors may qualify for a federal income tax charitable contribution deduction.

After the lifetime of the donor, there are two options: The charitable remainder interest of the annuity will go to the Home in a lump sum, or the remainder can be used to establish a permanent fund at the Foundation to provide income for the Home in perpepetuity.

More information on this and other Life Income Plans can be found at the Foundation's web site: www.fdn.pcusa.org




Posted April 27, 2000

Terry Gymnasium expansion continues



Terry Gymnasium

The expansion of the historic Terry Gymnasium started taking shape in mid-December with the removal of bathroom facilities and laying of the addition's new foundation. The photo above was taken on April 17, 2000.

The gym will be home to more than basketball later this year when this architectural wonder's expansion project is completed. The sights and sounds of heavy equipment have enchanted the children as they look in awe at the activity that will almost double the size of the gym.

The addition will include an all purpose room, a warming kitchen, showers and new bathrooms, a weight room, a Recreation Coordinator's office and a lobby area. The current weight room will be converted into an arts and crafts room. The multi-purpose room will enable the Home to provide additional services and recreational opportunities for the children, training space for staff, meeting space for groups and sleeping quarters for church groups who come to the Home to volunteer time and services. The craft room will provide a new opportunity to offer children a well-defined area to learn arts and crafts skills. The weight room will give our older teenagers a place to develop their physical confidence and concentrate on healthy progress toward physical fitness. The kitchen will offer the Home the opportunity to occasionally bring the entire neighborhood together for dining and fellowship. It will give the Home the ability to serve meals for special events including Open Houses, Board meetings and fund raising presentations.

When the gymnasium expansion is complete, the Home will add a Recreation Coordinator to the staff whose role will be to plan and oversee the new recreational activities the expansion will allow. Office space for this position will provide an on-site presence that will facilitate the new programs the Home will establish.

The history of the Terry Gymnasium is rich we know, but to this day the building holds secrets we have not yet been blessed to unravel. If you have a story about the gym or a recollection of its planning and birth, please let us know so we can better preserve the history of the Home as we move into the future.

Program Briefs

Youth conferences promise to provide summer fun and Christian community
Several residents will participate this summer in two church sponsored activities.
In June, middle schoolers will be attending the Massenetta Middle School Conference at Montreat College. In July, the Montreat Youth Conference will host the rising 9th graders through graduating seniors.

High numbers of kids working part time jobs while attending school
Currently, 10 of the Home's residents are working after school and weekends at part time jobs. The experience challenges them to take responsibility for their lives and helps teach personal finance through managing their money. Two thirds of their pay checks go into personal savings accounts.

Home welcomes new Social Worker
The Social Work Department got a wonderful gift in January with the arrival of Rena Sawyer who began work as a Social Worker. Rena is a 1994 graduate of Montreat College.



Beaver Family Foundation donates $25,000 for new van



New Chevy Van

The Beaver Foundation has once again come through with a generous gift to help the Home.
This January, the Home received the money to purchase a much needed 15 passenger van for transporting the children. The new van replaces the David Parks House van which had become unreliable after its many miles of service. The Foundation, based in Hickory, North Carolina, was also a strong supporter of the Home's building campaign.

Annual Alumni Picnic set for July 15

The Home's Alumni are encouraged to mark their calendars for the year 2000 Alumni Picnic. The event is always a wonderful time for visiting with old friends and making new ones. The event will offer former residents the opportunity to browse through old photographs and have copies made. Current residents will be on hand to give tours of the Homešs new facilities and food will be provided by the Home. If you know any alumni, please remind them of this special event and invite them to the picnic on Saturday, July 15th.


Thoughts on Planned Giving
Living Memorials offer unique gift opportunity Honoring a loved one through charitable gifts is often an especially meaningful act of paying tribute to someone special while assuring that worthwhile values continue to influence the world around us.
Gifts made in honor of family and friends can be gifts of love that show how much you care. The gift could be for Mother's Day or Father's Day, at the birth of a child or grandchild, on a birthday, wedding, anniversary or other notable occasion.

Many people turning to secure online donations
More and more non-profit organizations are getting an increasing number of donations through the internet. Agencies around the country are reporting that many of their donors have expressed satisfaction with the ease of donating with a mouse click.

The Home's main page at this site offers a secure online method which allows donors to give through their credit card or phone bill. It makes it easy to give a regular or one time donation.


Posted February 2, 2000

Chief Passes On



Chief

Our Chief of Security, the black lab, died Sunday January 30, 2000. For years he kept us safe from the runaways of the Juvenile Evaluation Center, alerted night staff of problems happening in the dark, and alerted us of visitors arriving on the campus. Unfortunately, he also guarded us from UPS trucks and was accidentally injured several times while attacking a moving vehicle. He was often the one who made new residents feel welcome and less afraid of dogs. Once the child knew that Chief would shake hands with them, it was a turning point. When a child felt lonely or out of sorts, they would seek Chief to sit with. In the last year Chief had slowed down a great deal and trained two younger dogs, Sam and Amos to take over. He was buried on the land he so faithfully patrolled. Chief was thought to be about twelve years old at the time of his death. He was the senior member of the staff and had been at the Home longer than any child. We commend his spirit to God, the creator of all things.

E.K.



Posted January 14, 2000

Fourth House Finished and Thriving



Mountain House begins its new life as a home for children

The final new house in the Home's building project has been completed and occupied, completing a vision of giving the children we serve a loving, Christian environment that encourages unity, education and growth.


Gymnasium Expansion Begins

Architectual gem gets extra room for extra services

The historicTerry Gymnasium will be home to more than basketball later this year when the venerable building's construction project is completed. The sights and sounds of heavy equipment have enchanted the children as they look in awe at the project that will almost double the size of the gym.
The addition will include an all purpose room, a kitchen (to replace the main building's kitchen which will be torn down), showers and new bathrooms, a recreational director's office space, and a lobby area.

The Gym has been in service since 1925 and has been the playuground of such luminaries as Brad Johnson and Brad Daugherty.


Business Manager and Development Coordinator Offices
move to Main Building

Management staff united under one roof

The move by the Business and Development departments to the main building forwards the Home's plan to evolve the beautiful old building, built in 1923, into office and program space from its historic role as a dormitory.

The building campaign provided many opportunities to name different rooms on the campus including those in the main building.
Beautiful brass plaques began arriving at the Home in early December. The plaques, manufactured by Metal Decor of Springfield, Illinois, reflect the lasting legacy of people who care about the Home and its future. Some of the plaques feature portraits to honor individuals who have made a difference to the Home through their years of service. Others have portraits that memorialize individuals, while others simply have words that say a certain room was made possible through a donation from the individual, foundation, church or corporation.

Please feel free to visit and enjoy these works of art.



Kids Start Pen Pal Project

St. Thomas More Catholic School 5th graders exchange letters with the Home's children



St. Thomas 5th graders


This group of kids from Chapel Hill found us on the web and with the help of teachers and a parent have established a program through which to communicate. The class also sent writing supplies and gift bags to the Home's children for the holidays.
Click HERE to see some great pictures of the St. Thomas More kids preparing gift bags for the Home.

The children here are very excited about getting to know their new pen pals, and the Home is grateful for this opportunity to widen the scope of children's circle of friends.






Posted December 9,1999

Annual Open House on November 21st

Ceremony dedicating new houses highlights event

Over three hundred people, including the Home's staff and children, attended this year's Open House on November 21st. It was the largest gathering at the campus in recent memory.

The event included a dedication ceremony for the new houses and celebrated the lives of the children the Home serves. Guests enjoyed food, live music and strolling tours of the Home's grounds and new houses.

Board of Directors Chair, Charldine Bradshaw conducted the ceremony and introduced speakers including Mike Begley, Mayor of Black Mountain and former Board Chair, Tom Sobol, Chairman, Buncombe County Commisioners, Bill Taber, Executive Prebyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Western North Carolina and John Swanson, Donor.

Ruth Graham, Honorary Chair of the Campaign, campaign committees, fund raisers, architects, the construction crew, the staff and the children were also honored, followed by recognition of memorials and namings. The ceremony was concluded with a dedication of the new campus housing presented by the Homešs President, Earl J. Kreisa, Jr.

The venerable main building will be retired soon as the last children move from its dormitory setting into the new Mountain House. But just because the building is retiring does not mean its life is over. At retirement, people often find new hobbies, causes and even careers to give their lives meaning. The main building will be doing just that as the rooms that once sheltered children are converted to administrative office space, conference rooms and guest suites. These suites will open up new opportunities for the Home. Parents or potential parents who are in the unification process will have the ability to spend supervised weekends with the children. Board members who travel from afar for meetings will have the opportunity to spend the night rather than traveling home after a long meeting.

The rebirth of the Home has created a neighborhood setting where the children can feel safe in a loving Christian atmosphere. The results are encouraging. Grades are improving and an overall sense of pride is evident. The children are learning life skills like grocery shopping, food preparation, money management, house cleaning and cooperation and are developing habits that will hopefully serve their lives for years to come.

Back to Current News

News Archives November 1999-November 1998

Back to the Top