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President's Message
Greetings, I had the privilege of addressing the annual conference Meeting on Tuesday, June 5th, being held at the River Center in Baton Rouge, LA, for the purpose of reporting on the two Children Homes related directly to the Louisiana Conference. The Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services, known as the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home, which is located in Ruston, LA, and the Methodist Home for Children, which is located on Washington Avenue in New Orleans, LA. Published reports by both agencies were called to the delegates attention and briefly discussed. The focus of my report dealt with the position statement from the Board of Directors of the Home in New Orleans, which requests that both agencies become one under the direction of the Home headquartered in Ruston. The reasons for doing this are articulated quite well, however there are additional reasons that have become apparent since the request was made in October of 2005 by the New Orleans Home Board of Directors. I invited anyone who wishes to discuss these reasons to get in touch with us for discussion and clarification. The following are excerpts from my presentation: "Both of our Boards of Directors are in agreement. We are seeking to make this request happen. We hope sooner than later. It is possible that we can accomplish this by this fall, however, we hope no later than by Annual Conference in 2008. Much work remains to be done, and we will need help. Should we call on you, I trust you will be there for us." "The New Orleans plan calls for relocating the Residential program to a site near Mandeville, LA. There are many ‘If’s’ to be answered before that can happen. If it is not possible to implement the plan we are working on, we will pursue another one. One thing is certain, we will continue to offer services in the Greater New Orleans Area." I reported also, on plans for constructing and operating a residential facility in Southwest Louisiana. A major gift made to the Louisiana Foundation intended for the Ruston Corporation to locate a campus, preferably in the Lake Charles District, will be utilized for that purpose. An architect is working on plans and a site should be secured in the near future. We hope to do construction in 2008 with an opening date of early 2009. Additional reports are forthcoming. Our long range plan is to have these campuses which will enable us to care and provide services to all children, youth, and families within the boundaries of our Annual Conference. To enable all to have access to a quality of care that they are deserving of. Having multiple campuses will enable us to multiply our efforts to reach out to families with In-Home and Community based programs. We will offer early intervention, which we have been advocating for years. We believe this to be the more graceful way to care for our families. "To Guide Children and Families Home to Experience God’s Love by following the Teachings of Christ," that is our Mission. Respectfully Submitted,
Terrel DeVille
Past Messages | |||
by Terrel J. DeVille, President and CEO|
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