President's Message
by Terrel J. DeVille, President and CEO
I am pleased to report that 2008 was a very successful year in terms of services provided to children, youth, and families by the Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services. Our direct care services at the Methodist Children's Home in Ruston remained populated at operational capacity throughout the year. A total of 1,058 individual children were referred for residential services. We were able to care for 259 or 24% of the requests. A total of 128 beds are available on a daily basis for all levels of care, 106 in Ruston and 22 in Mandeville.
During this past year a total of 2,830 individuals were served through the Family Counseling Center on the campus of the Children's Home.
The Family Plus Program continues to grow. During the year a total of 1,474 individuals were provided some level of direct care ranging from crisis intervention and counseling to parental education training. A total of 631 families received services.
A unit total of 18,939 activities occurred at the Outdoor Wilderness Learning (OWL) Center. With 10,007 individuals participating. This is a 11% increase from the previous year. These activities included the Challenge Course (Ropes), camping, fishing, hiking, biking, sport field, hothouse plants, equine therapy, the maze, and the Karen A. Vining Memorial Arbor Walk.
We received a total operating income of $11,576,980 and had expenditures of $11,621,469. A total amount of $45,389 reserve revenue from prior years was utilized to balance the budget. Direct Annual giving from individuals and groups for the second time is our history exceeded one million dollars. Detailed reports will be published once our Annual Audit is completed.
The increased support from our donors was truly a blessing, and that support is what kept us solvent this year. Our Board of Directors, our staff, and I on behalf of the Children given new hope in life by experiencing God's Love through our ministry thank you for being on our team during 2008. May God bless all that we do in 2009!
In His Service,
Terrel DeVille
President/CEO
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