Zach Ebener gives Dane a hug at the first Hall Stars Awards Banquet for students at Family Resources Wittenmyer Learning Center.

Eight students at Wittenmyer Learning Center were honored at the first Hall Stars Banquet held recently in our gymnasium. These are students who come to us after overcoming serious life challenges but need more help before they can return to a traditional classroom setting.

Our teachers and staff work with them to make better decisions about their behavior, and the way they react to other people and situations. We also provide a safe environment. Students who have become accustomed to pain and betrayal learn that  those things are not going to happen here. It’s part of our Trauma Informed Care approach.

At the Hall Stars Banquet, students stood up individually as one of their teachers read a tribute about how hard each student has worked. Some of the teachers became emotional as they read to the audience, which was made up of students, members of their families, teachers and Family Resources staff.

For one student, David, teacher Racheal Wente wrote, “He has grown up a lot and matured as a young man. He has become much better in managing his emotions and stopping to consider his actions before he acts out. He has also tried more to communicate with his teachers when he is feeling upset.”

For another student, Kejuan, Zach Ebener wrote, “When Kejuan first came to Wittenmyer he had very little interest in socializing with both staff and peers. He was very quiet and often kept to himself. Since then, Kejuan has become more social with the other students in class and has done a great job of having positive interactions with peers.”

For student Tyrell, Rachel Cuppy wrote, “Tyrell used to act irresponsibly, skip classes and when he did come to school he would sleep through all of his classes. This past semester, Tyrell has really stepped it up and is completing most of his work. He smiles more and feeds into negative peers less. I am so very impressed with the change in this young man.”

Teachers were honored, too. Comments written by students were read to the audience.

About Cybrean Hubert, one student wrote, “He helps me think of the wrong I’ve done to others rather than what they have done to me.”

About Kara Kennedy, one student wrote, “She helps me if I’m angry. I can calm down if I talk with her.”

About Lisa Ewing, a student wrote, “She has always been honest with me. She keeps me in a good mood.”

Our teachers and staff are passionate about what they do because they often see students enter Wittenmyer Learning Center and our residential programs in desperate need of help but not wanting to be here. The transformation that often occurs as young people turn toward a more positive path for their lives is what keeps us coming back day after day, to strengthen our community one life at a time.

Each day, our dedicated staff provides a safe place for women, children, and families. We would be unable to do it without the support of our donors and volunteers.

At the Gala, we showed a video that illustrates the impact Family Resources has on the lives of people we serve. You can see more than 30 photos from the Gala on our website, along with a list of sponsors and volunteer committee members who organized the Gala. Below is the video that was shown at the event. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch, then become involved in our mission as a donor, volunteer, or sponsor of a future event.

Throughout the communities we serve, thousands of people have experienced trauma that has a negative impact on their lives. Family Resources exists to help them heal and recover.

We unveiled this video at our New Beginnings event in Muscatine on April 6th. New Beginnings is an annual event that brings generous Muscatine folks together. Each year, they come through for us by opening their hearts and helping people like the ones you will meet in this video. If, after watching, you’d like to support us in Muscatine, go to our secure online donation page and make a contribution specifically for Muscatine, or contact us at (563) 468-2332.  All donations made to our Muscatine operations stay in Muscatine.

“Unconditional Love” goes on sale March 23rd, 2013 at Isabel Bloom’s Moline Showroom.

In the Limited Edition version, the dog is wearing a purple collar. Only 200 Limited Edition sculptures are being created and they will go on sale Saturday, March 23, 2013 at the Isabel Bloom Signing Event at the company’s Moline Showroom at 1505 River Drive. The Signing Event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Donna will sign each of the sculptures sold that day. Isabel Bloom is also donating 50% of the sculpture’s sale price to Family Resources domestic violence programs and services. It’s one of three activities held each year in conjunction with the DOVE Women’s Golf Tournament. DOVE stands for “Domestic Violence Ended” and also includes the golf tournament on  June 7^th this year and Fill-the-Truck on June 22^nd.

Have you ever seen an Isabel Bloom sculpture going through the production process? We produced a video showing the creation of “Unconditional Love” at Isabel Bloom’s Harborview Production Studio in Davenport. We are grateful to Donna and her talented crew.

I invite each person reading this to give “Unconditional Love” to someone you love on March 23^rd.

We work with the Davenport Police Department, which does an amazing job investigating cases, and our staff work with victims to help them recover their dignity, self-esteem and their lives.

The editorial board at the Quad-City Times recognized this and made the decision to run an editorial, praising our work with the Davenport Police Department and urging the community to support us in our goal to provide a safe place for victims of sexual violence. The paper recognizes that the answer to the problem of sexual assault already exists in the QCA. Readers are encouraged to support these efforts with financial gifts.

We were surprised and grateful when the editorial appeared in the paper on January 28. We know that the people who make up the editorial board truly care about our community, and on behalf of everyone at Family Resources, I’d like to offer them a public “thank you.”

Read the Quad-City Times editorial via this link.

Mary Reeves and Saharra Rangel of Davenport Central High with their  artistic door at last year’s Gala. Their theme encouraged victims of domestic abuse to “Imagine” a better life.

Artists in the Quad Cities area are invited to participate in an art awareness project in conjunction with Family Resources Opening Doors Gala, a great event that will be held this year on April 12 at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.

The deadline for entries is April 1, 2013.

Artists are asked to submit works in any medium that bring awareness to the issue of family crisis, children in crisis, domestic violence and family violence using the central themes of opening doors, safe places, hope and/or new beginnings. We’re not insisting on many details other than that – we’re interested to see how artists will interpret these themes.

Art works must be delivered to Family Resources at 2800 Eastern Avenue by April 1 for display at the Opening Doors Gala. There are a few things artists will be asked to agree to:

• Artists will agree that the art will be displayed publicly at the Gala and also at the Venus Envy event at the Bucktown Center on May 3-4.
• The art will then be part of a traveling exhibit that will be displayed in various places throughout the community for the following year.
• At the end of the year, the art may be returned to the artist or auctioned/raffled at the Gala event in 2014.

The Opening Doors Gala is an important event for our organization. It’s an emotional evening. Last year, area students designed and painted doors, each with messages and images that really moved people. We’re excited to see how local artists interpret the theme this year. For our 2013 event, the art is not restricted to doors.

Last year’s event – including the student art and items donated by caring donors and businesses that sold at auction – generated around $75,000 in revenue. The event in 2012 benefited our Domestic Violence Shelter, but the focus is now expanding to assist all of our programs and services for women, children and families.

Artists seeking more details on the art awareness project may call us at (563) 468-2140.

Orphans line up for church in 1912 in front of the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home, later to be renamed the Annie Wittenmyer Home. Photo courtesy of Augustana College Special Collections.

The year is 1912, Sunday morning and time for church. Young orphans are rounded up and lined up in front of what is now our Administration building.

It’s a moment frozen in time, and when you look at the picture 100 years later, you can almost hear the orphanage staff telling the kids to line up – stop talking – quit fidgeting.

Children whose families couldn’t care for them – or whose parents had died – were brought to the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home and received care and education so they could live productive lives despite the trauma of being separated from their families.

At the time this photo was taken, the orphanage had around 570 boys and girls. It was overcrowded and was underfunded. Costs for children were split by the county and the state, but the care of soldiers’ orphans was the sole responsibility of the state. The Home was given $12 a month per child, but costs exceeded revenue by at least $400 per month.

Thousands of children had already passed through the Home by the time the 1912 photo was taken. Thousands more would pass through during the following 50 to 60 years.

In 1949, the legislature renamed the orphanage the Iowa Annie Wittenmyer Home to honor the woman from Keokuk who was primarily responsible for starting it.

I look at the old photo now and realize that everyone standing there has lived their lives and are now gone. I look at the young faces and wonder what happened to them? Are their grandchildren still alive? Did they live happy lives?

Over time, as foster home and adoption programs flourished, the Annie Wittenmyer Home stopped being an orphanage and became more focused on group care for children with special problems in adapting to the normal community.

Today, Family Resources provides many more services to families in our area, but we still serve as a place for young people to receive care, treatment, and education to help them learn to live productive and happy lives. We call our Davenport grounds the Wittenmyer Youth Campus in honor of Annie. We also have offices in Dubuque, Clinton, Muscatine, Burlington and Moline to offer services to families that range from mental health counseling and family restoration to rape/sexual assault programs and Domestic Violence shelters.

Children and their mothers from our Domestic Violence Shelter stand in front of Family Resources in 2012. We still provide a safe place 100 years later.

A few months ago, in the same spot where the orphans lined up for church in 1912, two families from our DV shelter stood after visiting our Administration building. Although it is 100 years later and the children we serve are no longer orphans, they still need a safe place, and that’s what we offer. I look at the faces in the 2012 photo and want them to live happy lives free from fear. I’m happy to report that at least one of these families is in a safe home of their own now, the mom has a job and is preparing to go back to school.

If you have followed the news in 2012, we have some of the same problems with funding as we did 100 years ago. We have had to make painful adjustments this year so we can keep moving forward. It helps to have the support of a caring community and generous donors who understand the legacy of the past 160 years and who know there will always be children, women and families who need a safe place to regroup, recover, and get back on track to achieve happy, productive lives.

So I get a little reflective as a year comes to an end, but as I look at the faces in the photos from 1912 and 2012, it’s obvious that – like an Olympic flame – we pick up the torch from one generation and carry it to the next.

If the past is any indication, Family Resources will be here far into the future. None of us will be here when a photo is taken in 2112, but if we do our jobs right, families that need a safe place will still be able to come here to find it. I can’t imagine a better legacy to leave behind and to carry forward into 2013.

Volunteers quickly collect bears thrown in the Teddy Bear Toss after the Mallards scored their first goal Friday night. The bears were donated to Family Resources.

There was a strange weather phenomenon at the Quad City Mallards hockey game Friday night. When the Mallards scored their first goal, the iWireless Center saw a shower of teddy bears rain down on the ice.

Family Resources was the recipient of this year’s Teddy Bear Toss, held by the Mallards to brighten the lives of children who could use the good cheer during the holiday season. Fans brought teddy bears to the game and were asked to throw them onto the ice when the Mallards scored their first goal.

A young fan prepares to toss a teddy bear onto the ice after the Mallards scored their first goal.

Some of our staff were given tickets to attend the game, and they were surprised at the number of teddy bears that were tossed. It took a few minutes for volunteers to scoop them up so the game could continue.

The bears will be given to children who come to Family Resources for a variety of reasons, but always to find a safe place for healing, counseling, or education.

This week, the Davenport Police Union and Association are holding their annual Christmas Toy Drive and Fundraiser to benefit the Family Resources Domestic Violence Shelter and the families we serve.

You can take gifts and donations Monday through Friday to the following drop-off sites in Davenport:

• US Adventure RV, 5120 N. Brady Street
• Matt Sturdevant State Farm, 1903 Pershing Avenue
• Davenport Police Department

On Saturday and Sunday, Davenport Police will be set up in front of JCPenney at North Park Mall to accept toys and donations. On Saturday, December 15, they will be set up from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday they will be set up from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Members of the Burlington Junior Women’s League with our staff at the Burlington office. From left to right: Nikki Jones, Michelle Cox, Jeanne Brus, Kendra Nichols, Kim Korschgen, Lucy Miller, Ashley Hazen, Julie Fitzpatrick, Sara Crozier, and Laura Harmon.

In Burlington, nine of our families that are in crisis were “adopted” by the Burlington Junior Women’s League (BJWL). The women went shopping with wish lists, then wrapped the gifts and delivered them to the Family Resources Burlington office. This will make it a brighter holiday season for 30 children, women and men.

Last month we also reached out to businesses and individual donors in our community to “Adopt a Family for the Holidays.” Last year we were able to make the holidays a bit happier for 150 women and children through this program. The gifts have arrived from this year’s donors, and we’ll have some wrapping parties next week with photos on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/famres). If you use Facebook, please “like” our page so you can remain updated on news and events in real time as they happen.

These are just a few examples of many donors and groups that have come forward to help our children, women and families this holiday season. Each of these activities could not be possible without the kind-hearted people in our region who understand that sometimes each of us needs a helping hand to help us rise above a rough period in our lives. And each of us at Family Resources understands that as we lift our clients to a better place, we are also being supported – by the people in the groups listed here and so many more who give throughout the year to support our mission.

Our staff surprised Cheryl Goodwin with an anniversary party this afternoon and brought photos tracing her 25 years with Family Resources.

Today marks the anniversary of our President/CEO’s tenure with Family Resources.  How fortunate for us and our communities that 25 years ago, Cheryl Goodwin walked through the doors of Family Resources to apply to become a Youth Worker in one of our group care programs.

We can only imagine that during Cheryl’s initial interview in 1987 that her passion and commitment for serving children and families’ was as evident and heartfelt as it is today.  She has clearly made her mark on the programs and services of Family Resources as she has made her way “through the ranks” to her current position of President/CEO.

Cheryl’s commitment to the mission of Family Resources to “strengthen children, families and individuals by providing quality services that engage community resources to create effective solutions” is clear to all who encounter her smile, energy and “can do” approach to every obstacle that has the potential to deter our creativity and stand in the way of our success.

Cheryl’s presence and leadership is felt at every level throughout Family Resources. She never forgets the sacrifices our staff make every day to help a child, family or individual in need.  Her advocacy on behalf of our staff and clients is endless.

Thank you Cheryl for the leadership and commitment you bring to our communities, agency and our family.  Over the past 25 years you have impacted in the most positive ways possible the lives of many community members, staff and clients.  You are simply “the best” and we appreciate you beyond words can express.

Many of our clients look to us as a safe place to heal, to escape violence, to get their lives back on track. The holidays can be difficult when you don’t feel the happiness that everyone says you should be feeling.

Some of the staff members from Ascentra Credit Union who donated Thanksgiving dinners to our clients.

Staff members of Ascentra Credit Union throughout the QCA put baskets together and dropped them off today. Because of their generosity, around 40 residents of our Domestic Violence Shelter will sit down to a family-style dinner on Thanksgiving. In addition, the families of five of our Wittenmyer Learning Center students will also have a nice Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Royal Neighbors of America delivered “baskets of hope” a little over a week ago. The baskets were filled with items ranging from toys to toiletries. They made the holiday a little brighter for 13 women and 38 children in our DV Shelter and our Family Safety, Risk and Permanency Program, which works with families to keep them together.  

Staff from Royal Neighbors of America and Family Resources with baskets of hope that were delivered to our Davenport offices.

We’ve also received a couple of major grants and donations — $50,000 from the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation to match donations to our Annual Fund, and $34,800 from the Scott County Regional Authority to support building improvements for our Counseling and Therapy Services. Also — one donor who wants to remain anonymous has given us a $30,000 gift to our Annual Fund campaign, which is unrestricted and can be used for our core mission as needed.

It doesn’t take a large donation or grant to earn our gratitude. Large or small, every gift is appreciated and needed to help the children, women and families that come to us for safety.

We received a call today from a young man with a troubled past who was here on our Davenport campus and now is in college pursuing his dream of being a chef. I’ll have his story here on the blog very soon. He is just one person out of thousands whose lives have been turned around by the kindness of the people who support us, now and throughout the year.

If you would like to donate and change the life of someone in our community who needs your help, click here to go to our secure donation web page.

Happy Thanksgiving.