HOPELINE
Life and Family Services
2015 Coming to an End
We have had a very full year. During our porkburger sale, we sold over 1,550 porkburgers in two days. Our baby bottle fundraiser was distributed to more churches, businesses, and civic organizations than ever before. We had our first evening dinner/fundraiser event and reintroduced ourselves to Noble County. Also 7,100 apple dumplings were assembled in one afternoon in a total of four hours. We have hired Shaney Bender as the Pregnancy and Parenting Center/B.A.B.E. Director.
All of these events were made possible by an amazing group of volunteers. THANK YOU to each of you that assisted with these events throughout this past year!
Pregnancy and Parenting Center
The pregnancy center has recently noted an escalation in new clientele, averaging 2-3 new clients per week. The majority of referrals through which these new clients have been gained were achieved through doctor’s offices and friends, placing an emphasis on the value of word of mouth and networking within our community. This growth plays a crucial role in our outreach within the community, and as such, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who play a role, not only during this holiday season, but throughout the entire year as well.
Through a recent collaboration with a local doctor, we will soon introduce Question & Answer Forum for women health.
Pregnancy Question & Answer workshops have not been the only form of community outreaching that we have been able to achieve. Through our partnerships with organizations such as Brightpoint, Parkview, Purdue Extension services, Before5, Kendallville Library, and a variety of others, we have been able to begin and continue a plethora of workshops pertaining to healthy parenting. From anti-smoking workshops, to continued education seminars, to nutritional dieting workshops, we are able to offer a practical variety of necessary education to the community.
With the increase in holiday spirit that comes with the Christmas Season, our weekly donations have increased as well. Whether it be attributed to this emphasis on the “spirit of giving,” or to our increased presence on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or to a combination of a variety of factors, we are infinitely grateful, nonetheless. We hope that this increase in donations that we have recently enjoyed continues well into the New Year, and we thank you all for everything that has already been done to increase the well-being of all members of our community.
Teen Parent Early Learning Center
We recently had our annual visit from Paths to Quality. Paths to Quality is a rating system for childcare's based on many different credentials. Teen Parent Early Learning Center received a level FOUR! We have been able to annually achieve this rating since 2006!
Part of the teachers continued education, they are going through a mentorship called Bloom through the Dekko Foundation. Every other week the teachers and directors attend a hands on book study. Once a week the classrooms are observed by the Bloom mentor and education coordinator. These observations are a way to keep the teacher's accountable to their thinking and to the principles they've previously learned. Their classrooms have been transforming rapidly into beautiful spaces for the children to grow and learn.
With the help of some board members, parents, Deanna and the TPELC staff, we were able to put together a Christmas card for Bixler Lake. Some of the children were able to paint ornaments for the Christmas trees. They were very creative in doing so. The Christmas card is another opportunity for us to get Life and Family Services name out into the community.
The TPELC teachers recently held parent-teacher conferences. This is such a wonderful time for the teachers to be able to show the parents all that their child has been learning and how much they've grown in the past few months. Our teachers use a developmental assessment tool called ISTAR-KR through the Indiana Department of Education.
This gives them the ability to specifically see where each child is in their development, what they need to work with each child on and where the child's strengths are.
B.A.B.E. Accepting Donations
It is the time of year when each of us realize we have accumulated too much stuff. If you have gently used items for children age 0-5 we will gladly accept your donations.
B.A.B.E. needs diaper donations. We limit each family to two packages per week. Each package contains 12 diapers. We have distributed more than 10,524 diapers through our stores so far this year. We are currently needing diaper sizes 4, 5, and 6. We also are in need of wipes.
Children's clothing is another way to give. Pajamas and winter outerwear, including boots, are needed at this time of year. We seem to sell a lot of these as well. Maternity clothing is also needed for our expectant mothers.
Make an Impact! Be a Volunteer!
Will you answer the Lord's call to serve at Life and Family Services - Pregnancy Resource Center? To start helping right now you need: an open heart toward the Lord, a desire to support those in need, a love for moms and their pre-born babies, and as desire to promote life, strengthen families and offer hope through God's love.
Life and Family Services provides extensive training so that you feel prepared before working directly with clients. We provide a mandatory training course and unlimited on-site training to equip you in this calling.
For more information, please contact Shaney Bender, Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Center at 260-347-5720, if you hear our Lord encouraging you to serve at the Kendallville or Ligonier locations.
LFS Volunteer Honored
The 20th annual Giver of Gifts volunteer recognition reception was held recently at the Noble County Community Foundation Inc., Ligonier.
• Jeryl Marshall, who was nominated by Life and Family Services.
Marshall is a selfless volunteer, the organization said in its nomination. She dedicates an eight-hour day each week in the Pregnancy and Parenting Center in numerous capacities, such as mentor, counselor, educator, administrative assistant, receptionist, sales and inventory control in the B.A.B.E. store. She also answered the 24-hour crisis hotline for half a decade.
Marshall embraces and receives extensive training on helping women and families in a crisis as a result of an unplanned pregnancy. Through her delightful personality, kindness and desire to serve, she easily gains client respect and trust, the organization said. She mentors three young women on a weekly, ongoing basis. Her compassionate heart and cheerful demeanor brighten the faces of not only the organization’s established clients, but also all those who come to the center for the first time. She has a positive and live-changing impact on others.
Other ways to Assist Life and Family Services
Kroger Community Rewards program - everyone that has a Kroger card can sign in at Kroger.com and enroll at Community Rewards. Each time you shop, Life and Family Services will earn too! Please take a moment to sign up and help. Your Kroger points will not be affected.
Amazon Smile Rewards program - visit smile.amazon.com to sign in and choose your charity. We pray that you will select Life and Family Services as your charity. Then begin shopping. With each purchase you will donate 0.5% to Life and Family Services.
Choose Life License Plate - When you purchase an Indiana Choose Life license plate from the BMV you will pay a $40 fee. The BMV will keep $15 handling fee and the remaining $25 organization fee is sent to Indiana Association Pregnancy Centers. Funds are the distributed to our local pregnancy center.
Life and Family Services
Email: family.services@mchsi.com
Website: lfsfamilies.org
Location: 201 South Park Avenue, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-5720
Facebook: facebook.com/LifeandFamilyServices
Twitter: @life_familyserv