Stories of Hopewww.onehopeunited.org

Mary’s Journey

Mary was born in late 2005 with multiple congenital abnormalities. She entered foster care in early 2006 due to medical neglect. Her birth mother was offered services to assist her with Mary’s needs but failed to take advantage of them and eventually surrendered her parental rights. After these proceedings, Mary became legally free for adoption, yet remained in medical foster care while adoption recruitment efforts were made.

Mary’s complex medical conditions meant an array of specialist visits and round-the-clock care.

They also greatly decrease her chances of finding an adoptive family that would be able to meet the requirements of caring for her was slim. One Hope United never gave up on her, though.

Mary remained in medical foster care for about three years, but then – through collaboration with Wendy’s Wonderful Kids – her forever family was found! Mary was placed into the adoptive home of Ms. Chaney R. on December 21, 2009 and adopted on April 7, 2010. Mary is now a happy eight year old who has made tremendous gains in just a few short years with her new loving family.

The healing PaTh Changes lives

Johnny* is a 12-year-old who was referred to the Healing Path program due to his history of complex trauma, including witnessing significant domestic and community violence. Currently he lives with his paternal grandfather who suffers from a serious heart condition.

At the onset of therapeutic services the client’s grandfather identified one of his primary concerns as their lack of support in the community. In response, One Hope United provided Johnny’s grandfather with numerous resources in the community that could assist with more concrete support; he contacted all of the referrals. We also worked with a local organization to get funding so that Johnny could participate in a local football team.

At a meeting with their OHU caseworker, Johnny’s grand-father told her that she had “changed their life” and made all the difference in getting the support they needed from the community, including a referral for a case worker who has helped secure food, stable housing, appliances, and a new vehicle.

Johnny’s grandfather shared that in his life he has never received support as he has from The Healing Path, which not only changed his life and the life of his grandson but has also changed who he is as a person. He said that it’s clear that One Hope United staff members are passionate about helping others. He is amazed at the kindness and willingness to help that he has found in our community.

Summer 2014

In 2013, the System of Care Program in Collinsville, IL received a referral for a child, Marc*, in a specialized foster home. Marc had a history of setting fires and destroying property, making him at high risk for placement in a residential program. After a lifetime of multiple moves and instability, Marc struggled to communicate with the adults in his life and was making minimal progress with his therapist.

The One Hope United System of Care (SOC) was asked to serve as a “new set of eyes” for Marc by assessing current efforts and making recommendations for changes to his treatment plan.

Our SOC worker spent the next 45 days meeting with and discussing permanency planning with Marc’s service providers, recommending changes to his treatment plan, including suggested interventions—including non-verbal communication—to help Marc express himself to the adults in his life. Most importantly, the SOC worker was able to provide much needed support to Marc’s foster parent, who was interested in adopting him.

Marc’s placement was stabilized through System of Care services, which provided new insights into the services Marc was receiving. Over time his

verbal abilities improved with his foster parent and the other adults in his life. When the case closed, Marc’s caregiver mentioned that Marc now communicated, in small increments, with her on a daily basis, a huge improvement from when services started.

Providing a “new seT of eyes”

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the family

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one hope united | StorieS oF hopeSummer 2014

Ways to Get InvolvedsharPen your PenCils It’s hard to believe, but back to school time is here already! For many families, getting ready to head to the classroom means nothing more than a quick trip to the store to stock up on supplies. But for other families, it’s not that easy. Children receiving our services face many challenges and some parents may be unable to meet basic needs throughout the school year, impacting the self-esteem of a child who does not have the proper shoes for gym class, a winter coat that fits, or a dress shirt for graduation day. And that’s where you come in.

Your monetary donations ensure that vulnerable children receive the materials they need for a successful start to the school year and that they continue to have the essential tools to support their education year-round. A gift of any size is a meaningful contribution to a better future for these children. Visit http://donate.onehopeunited.org/back2school to make a secure online donation today.

We’re also looking for businesses, community organizations, or places of worship to host a backpack and school supplies drive. Getting started is easy: just contact your local representative listed below and we’ll help you create a custom event. We have a list of the most-requested items and will ensure that they go directly to the families who need them most. Let’s make 2014 a back-to-school experience to remember!

Jingle all The way It’s never too early to think about making One Hope United your charity of choice this holiday season. We work with each of our business and community partners to create a campaign designed around YOUR company’s size and interests. Some previous initiatives have included collecting grocery gift cards to be distributed to families in need of a Thanksgiving dinner, shopping for seasonal gifts for an individual child or group of children, and decorating a Gift Card Tree in your lobby or break room.

These activities not only support the great work of OHU, but they provide team-building opportunities for staff and are a great way to get into the holiday spirit for a good cause. Plus, we carefully screen all requests and prioritize families with the greatest financial need, so you know your gifts are making a direct difference for those who need it most.

If your workplace is interested in participating in this year’s festivities, contact your local representative below to get the conversation started!

Consider making a planned gift or bequest. Contact Joyce Heneberry, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer at JHeneberry@onehopeunited.org or at 847.245.6503.

Scott’s Corner

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

this year presents a number of incredible and simultaneously challenging opportunities for ohu; we are seeking to take the lead, nationally, in innovation to improve outcomes—nothing less than redefining the entire industry itself.

with that audacious goal in mind, we have initiated converting our operations from being regionally based to Line of Service (LoS) focused; allowing us to better align each of our areas of expertise while finding unique pathways to enhance the wide array of services we provide.

i’d like to introduce you to the senior leadership who are heading up this unique transition:

Mark McHugh has been named Chief Operating Officer. he previously served with the organiza-tion as executive director of the northern region. mark began his career with one hope united,

then known as Central Baptist Family Services, as a child development director, where he initiated family child care and State pre-Kindergarten programs for the agency.

Patricia Griffith has been named Executive Vice President of Community-Based Family Support Services. She began working at hudelson Baptist Children’s home in 1989 in Centralia as

director of programs. in october of 1994, she was promoted to executive Vice president of the Hudelson Region in Springfield, IL.

Barbara D. Moss has been named Executive Vice President of Placement. An experienced leader in organizational development and process improvement for start-up and established organiza-

tions, Barbara previously served as executive director of Florida region, where she oversaw operations in five counties in central Florida for six years.

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i hope you’re as excited as i am to see what this team will accomplish. more to come…

ChiCAgo Jenaeth Markaj jmarkaj@onehopeunited.org 312.949.4001

ChiCAgo CoLLAr CountieS Marilee LaMatina mlamattina@onehopeunited.org 847.245.6553

CentrAL And Southern iL Jayme Godoyo jgodoyo@onehopeunited.org 618.532.4311

FLoridA Maria Weber mweber@onehopeunited.org 407.379.2900