Dear Friend,
During this season of profound joy and gratitude for so many of us, I am writing to ask that you remember the children of the Cleveland Christian Home, for whom joy and plenty, blessings and hope are often distant memories or unfulfilled dreams.
This year, Cleveland Christian Home will work with some 1200 children, teens and their families who are struggling – with instability, with violence, with physical, emotional or sexual abuse, with neglect, with deep emotional scars. Whatever their struggles, almost all of the children we see are struggling for hope – hope that maybe, just maybe, they will be okay.
Cleveland Christian Home works hard to provide that hope – through counseling and therapy, through a residential treatment program for those children with severe behavioral and emotional disturbances and through our independent living program for teens leaving foster care.
Sometimes, Cleveland Christian Home provides hope simply by providing a safe, supportive place to call home for awhile, as happens in our Shelter Care Program.
Troubled boys enter Shelter Care through juvenile court. Often, their parents have given up on them and have filed a charge of “unruly” because they are skipping school, have run away or won’t listen. Many have been picked up for domestic violence, some for standing up to a parent who has abused them for years, others for saying things like, “I hate you, I wish you were dead!”
None have had easy lives. All of these boys are from troubled, single-parent homes. Many have lived with violence from a young age, or have been left to parent themselves while their young parent works or socializes. Most arrive malnourished because they have been afraid to go home.
These boys, some as young as 10, are lost. They are caught between boyhood and manhood without a male they can turn to, and instead idealize criminals. What they really need is a chance to start over. That is why the juvenile court sends them to us. Our staff works hard to uncover the boy inside the tough guy façade and to nurture hope for a better future. For most, being at Cleveland Christian Home is a wholly unexpected blessing.
Consider John*. John is a young teen who arrived at our Shelter Care program one afternoon in the usual way -- in leg irons and with an escort.
After checking him in, John’s escort removed his leg irons, told him to remain on the couch in our lobby and returned to his waiting van. For the escort, it appeared routine, even boring. For John, it was one more “bad” experience. He had no reason to hope for anything.
Then, John began furtively glancing around him. First he took in the exit door a few steps away. He could have run, but he stayed put and began glancing around the lobby – carefully studying its grand staircase, its well upholstered furniture and its warm, inviting nature.
Ever so slowly, as John continued to survey his new surroundings, a smile came to his face and blossomed into a wide grin as he began whispering, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Without the Cleveland Christian Home, John would have been in the juvenile detention center – locked up, wearing a jumpsuit, and losing hope.
Instead, thanks to supporters like you, John will now have many opportunities to heal. He will spend 18 hours a week in group sessions discussing what it means to be a man, to be a parent, to look for a job, to grow up – to live in a different way. For the first time in his life, John will be surrounded by positive male role models. And, for perhaps the last time in his life, he can let his guard down and be a kid.
He will have opportunities to do normal teenage things like play football and video games and watch movies. He will catch up on his schoolwork at our on-grounds school. If he wants to, he can meet with our Chaplain and explore his faith. And, if he is with us long enough – most boys stay three to six weeks – we will make sure that he has a wonderful Christmas.
John’s time at CCH will be an important – even crucial – “time out” as he resets his life to include getting up every morning, going to school, dreaming of a better future and proving that he can succeed. We will give the courts and his parent a new perspective. And, when the time is right, we can recommend the next best step to give John a fighting chance, whether that is a child welfare placement or a return home with professional help for his family.
John’s story is certainly a bittersweet tale. On one hand, it is fulfilling to know that after 111 years, Cleveland Christian Home remains a safe harbor for children in need. On the other hand, it is heartbreaking to know that there are teens like John out there.
Can you imagine being a 15 or 16 year old boy for whom a welcoming lobby is enough to exclaim, “thank you” out loud? What should be routine for John and so many of the children we serve – things like stability, safety and hope – are instead, extraordinary. Even the slightest breath of hope can make all the difference.
Will you help provide hope and healing to John and other young people by making a year-end contribution? Every gift – large or small – will help us nurture hope in a child’s heart.
Please send a gift today. (You might even consider making a holiday gift in honor of someone.) We know that times are tough, but we also know that you will help if you can.
Regardless, thank you for everything you have already done to help us bring hope to so many! We are grateful for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
David J. Lundeen
Chief Executive Officer
*John is not his real name.