| ||||
|
|
President's Message
Greetings, Besides all of the items I reported in my recent message, "A View of the Main Campus", so much has occurred this year that I feel the need to share with you these latest updates. Some of these listed may seem, to most, administrative in nature. However, I assure you that much effort goes into arriving to positive conclusions which are necessary and critical to our being able to operate our Ministry at the level required in representing the teachings of Jesus Christ. We have been able to negotiate new contracts for all of the services which we partner with the Office of Community Services to provide to children and families in their custody. That includes Emergency Shelter, and Residential care at two levels both High and Specialized at the Ruston campus and a contract for Residential Care for Level high at the new campus of Methodist Home for Children, Greater New Orleans on the North Shore. We also were awarded a new contract for a Transitional Living Program located in Monroe, LA. This new program will house 6 youth leaving our campus or other foster care services once they turn eighteen years of age. This is for youth who have no family or relations that can help them to transition into adult life. They will reside in a supervised apartment setting until they can be transitioned on their own. This is a program we have wanted to offer for years and finally it has become a reality. We have renewed all of our State Licenses to operate including a new license for the transitional program and we are in the process of acquiring a Child Placing License in order to operate Foster Homes both in the New Orleans and the North Louisiana areas.
We have completed a Lease Agreement for relocation of the New Orleans program to Mandeville at Southeast Louisiana Hospital. We have recruited and trained staff for the new residential facility and we are ready to make the move as soon as all Safety Codes are approved by the Fire Marshall. We plan to make the move as soon after Christmas as possible. We plan to have a total of 22 youth in residency. Work on site selection and plans for construction of a facility in Southwest Louisiana for a 24 bed Residential program for Intensive Level care are ongoing. We hope to announce the acquisition of a site in the near future. Plans are to begin construction in 2008, with completion and occupancy during 2009. After completing a one year pilot, the In-Home Family Service program called MST (Multi-Systemic Treatment) has been continued for another year. We are able to work with as many as 30 families in the Shreveport and Monroe areas providing basic residential treatment services within their own home. This prevents families from having to break up. It helps children with their parents where issues can be addressed more effectively and at a much more efficient cost. I believe this to be the program that will grow by leaps and bounds in the future, particularly as it relates to private families who have not reached the point where their child has been removed by a state agency from their custody and control. A very significant event was the completion and dedication of the John Thomas and Edith West Henning Family Lodge and Conference Center located on the OWL Campus. This addition to our campus will have a major impact on our ability to hold program events in the future. We recently held two events that for the first time we were able to seat our staff and youth without having to do it in our gymnasium. Our gym is great for the purpose it was constructed. However, our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Annual Awards Christmas Luncheon were even more special because of this special facility. Indeed, as you can tell, we have been Blessed this year with many significant events. Just as significant is the fact that we have not only accomplished all of these events, but we also have improved on our ability to operate all current programs and facilities. The primary reason we have done so, in my opinion, has been our ability to maintain the Greatest Staff assembled at our organization for the purpose of carrying out our Mission - which is: "Guiding Children and Families Home to Experience God's Love by following the Teachings of Christ." A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Terrel DeVille
Past Messages | |||
Significant Events of 2007|
|