ALL of our children need to feel safe in their neighborhoods, have schools that provide them with a good education, have a stimulating environment that nurtures their development toward adulthood. This is why our three NIC/UVC United Methodist affiliated agencies (Rosecrance, ChildServ, and MYSI) are so important in their services to the children, youth, and adults in our communities.
A little bit of hope is better than no hope at all. It is the essential ingredient in a life that is intentional about moving forward. What keeps hope alive for anyone who looks forward to a new day instead of downward into the pit of despair? While it is impossible to tell for everyone what keeps hope alive, there are at least four different threads that are woven into the fabric of hope.
Happiness comes from contentment, grace, the awareness of simple abundance. It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratitude which leads us to happiness. Developing an attitude for gratitude means learning to give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is toward something bigger and better than your current situation.
ChildServ invites partners in mission to get involved in their Holiday Gift drive to help make this holiday special for children, youth and families in their care.
As parents, guardians, mentors and care givers who work tirelessly to support young children, finding the right words to show encouragement is important. The typical ‘go to’ phrase these days is “Good Job!” Yet these two words can be rather empty and repetitive.
The Rev. Coyd Taggart, expressed his concern for the welfare of children and their families by organizing United Voices for Children in 1978 while serving as the Executive Director of the Lake Bluff Children’s Home (now ChildServ). Taggart drew on the strengths of the other Methodist-related child-serving agencies in Northern Illinois and urged these agencies to join this new organization to advocate for the concerns of children and families.
“Don’t wait to use your voice!” read my notes from the 2016 Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund. Often, those of us who are called to protect and support children and youth hesitate to speak up. If you, like me, hesitate, at times, to use the full power of your voice, the Proctor Institute is a place to be inspired, renewed and informed.
Folks who write about kids at risk use “evidence-based” data to tell us what’s happening “on the ground.” This is the one certainty whenever we evaluate the adolescent experience of drugs and/or alcohol. What they experience as an “upper” eventually becomes a downer. And when they land, they land hard. Sometimes upside-down—but always on the ground.
Summer is over. It's okay. Schools are preparing to open their doors for another year of learning as it ought to be.
