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The Kandel Family (Story 19 of 50)

June 26, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Events, Videos
CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). During our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner, we debuted several original videos to help celebrate the life change God has initiated through five decades of ministry. The most touching moment of the night belonged to Julie Kandel and her incredible family. Story #19 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series celebrates Julie, her late husband and their legacy of fostering through faith.

When Julie Kandel and her husband Ron began their foster and adoption journey in 1991, they couldn’t have imagined they would one day have 18 children (including three biological daughters). Theirs is an incredible story of answering God’s call for their lives and their family, of trusting during each step of the process, and of persevering through incredible tragedy to provide a safe haven for young children in need of a loving home.

The Kandel Family (#19)

Julie and Ron Kandel have built a legacy of selflessness and unconditional love while welcoming 15 foster and adoptive children from three different sibling groups into their home since 1991. This is their inspiring story. Click here to see the full recap from our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner.

We were honored to have Julie and her family join us for our 50th Anniversary Dinner. After the video played, everyone in attendance gave the Kandel family a standing ovation as Julie and her children made their way to the stage, where Kevin Hewitt, CCHO’s president & CEO, gave them a token of our appreciation for all she and Ron have sacrificed to provide a loving home for children in need.

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
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A guided imagery narrative (Story 18 of 50)

June 24, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Events, Videos
CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). During our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner, we debuted several original videos to help celebrate the life change God has initiated through five decades of ministry. Story #18 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series provides a sobering look into the trauma experienced by one of our young residents and the hope that God ultimately provided through CCHO’s treatment program.

When new residents arrive at CCHO, our therapy team writes a guided imagery narrative from the perspective of the child. These narratives are designed to take the reader on a journey through each child’s past while describing their fears, abuse and trauma in detail. Listening to the guided imagery helps CCHO’s residential staff fully understand what the child has been through so they can approach negative behaviors with empathy and compassion. All of this allows us to better connect with each resident by providing treatment that is tailored to their specific experiences and needs.

We shared the following guided imagery during our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner to give those in attendance a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our residents, and we’re sharing it on our blog today for the same reason. As a word of caution, the story is intense.

Guided Imagery (#18)

Sadly, this is a true story of the trauma endured by one of our residents. Many boys and girls come to CCHO with similar stories of abuse and neglect. Click here to see the full recap from our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner.

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
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A new day for Ashley (Story 17 of 50)

June 22, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Counseling, Events, One Heart Stables, Videos
CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). During our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner, we debuted several original videos to help celebrate the life change God has initiated through five decades of ministry. Today, we’re excited to share Ashley’s video with you as story #17 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series.

Ashley's Story (#17)

It is an honor to walk alongside people like Ashley, who has found health and healing for herself and her family during her time as an Encompass Christian Counseling client. Click here to see the full recap from our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner.

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
Read more

Fifty years in one big weekend (Story 16 of 50)

June 20, 2019 50 Stories for 50 Years, Events, News, Videos

CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). As our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series continues, we look back on our first five decades of ministry with a new video that was part of our big 50th Anniversary Weekend Celebration. Read on to watch the video and to read our full weekend recap.

What a way to commemorate five decades of ministry! More than 1500 people attended our three-day celebration on June 7-9, a weekend-long series of events designed to look back on all the ways God has blessed CCHO through 50 years of ministry while looking ahead in anticipation of what may be next. Each day was memorable in its own way, helping to make for one unique experience for everyone involved!

FRIDAY

Our 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend kicked off on Friday, June 7 with the ribbon cutting for our new Children’s Leadership & Recreation Center. This new complex on our Wooster campus consists of a middle school-sized gymnasium, a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, therapy spaces and several classrooms.

Click here to read more about the ribbon cutting, including our guests for the day, and to see photos from the event.

SATURDAY

Our 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner on Saturday, June 8 proved to be a beautiful evening filled with incredible stories of God’s grace in action. Special guests included Gary Porter, CCHO’s Executive Director for 33 years, and his wife Bobbie, foster/adoptive parent Julie Kandel and her (large) family, and former CCHO resident, Pastor Louie Pantelis. The evening featured a powerful time of worship led by a team of incredibly talented CCHO employees, the sharing of some compelling stories from 50 years of ministry, an inspirational spoken-word performance by CCHO’s own Brandon Jurkovich, and many other highlights.

Throughout the night, we debuted several videos to look back on CCHO’s 50 years of ministry and to look ahead at what may be in store. The first video of the night celebrated our agency’s history, featuring conversations with Gary Porter, CCHO’s current President & CEO Kevin Hewitt, the daughter of one of our original board members, and longtime employees.

Click here to read more about the 50th Anniversary Benefit Dinner and to see all the photos from the evening!

SUNDAY

Our seventh annual Great Grill Off proved to be the perfect grand finale to our 50th Celebration Weekend! With 11 grill teams doling out more than 5000 sliders to nearly 1400 people in attendance, this was our biggest and best Great Grill Off yet. While the competition was stiffer than ever in our burger competition, Spoon Market took home the crown for the third-straight year.

Read a full recap of the Sunday festivities, along with all the stats from the day and a slew of photos, at greatgrilloff.com!

FRIDAY RECAP & PHOTOS
SATURDAY RECAP & PHOTOS
SUNDAY RECAP & PHOTOS

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
Read more

The greatest Great Grill Off yet

June 17, 2019 CCHO Events, News, Videos

Our jam-packed 50th Anniversary Weekend concluded with the seventh annual Great Grill Off on our Wooster campus. This fun family event has quickly become the place to be in Wayne County on the second Sunday in June, and this year people came in record numbers!

Eleven burger teams grilled up more than 5000 of the best sliders you’ve ever tasted for the nearly 1400 people in attendance, our largest crowd ever. Spoon Market took home the burger trophy for the third-straight year despite the fierce competition, and everyone enjoyed the bounce houses, hay ride, bake walk and other activities.

We’ve included a few photos here along with our fun recap video. You can see all the photos from the day along with all sorts of fun stats and facts at greatgrilloff.com. We hope to see you on June 14, 2020 for next year’s Great Grill Off!

READ THE FULL GREAT GRILL OFF RECAP

Photo Gallery

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A powerful night, a powerful God

June 13, 2019 CCHO CCHO Stories, Events, News

How do you pack five decades of life-changing ministry into one night of celebration? That’s exactly what happened on Saturday, June 8 as more than 200 people gathered at the Shisler Conference Center in Wooster to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Christian Children’s Home of Ohio (CCHO) and our family of ministries.

There were former CCHO residents in attendance, past and present employees, people who have supported our ministry for years in a number of different ways, board members, and many others with a heart for helping people experience their worth in Christ. Longtime friends had a chance to reconnect and new relationships were formed. Laughter filled the evening and there were even a few tears as heartwarming stories were shared from the stage throughout the night. All in all, it was a sweet way to celebrate all that God has done through 50 years of ministry.

Gary Porter, CCHO’s Executive Director for 33 years, and his wife Bobbie were popular as former CCHO residents, employees and friends stopped by their table throughout the night to say hello and share some stories. After dinner, the evening’s program kicked off with a powerful time of worship, led by current CCHO employees Rod Kurjian, Matt Malanga, Emily Frazier, Daniel Crites and Brandon Jurkovich. The quintet brought everyone into God’s presence with “Mighty to Save” and “Good Good Father” before welcoming Kevin Hewitt, CCHO’s President & CEO, to the stage.

From there, employees from each of our ministries – CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling – shared stories and updates from their departments. Pastor Louie Pantelis, a former CCHO resident, shared the stage with CCHO’s Spiritual Coordinator Tim Hartzler for a fun and touching Pastor Q&A session, while Brandon Jurkovich brought the house down with an incredible spoken word performance about legacy.

The evening was punctuated by the debut of several original videos, which we will share in this space in the coming days, but the most moving portion of the evening was when Julie Kandel and her family were honored for their incredible foster and adoption journey. Please be on the lookout for her video soon.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped us celebrate such a momentous milestone, and for the role you will play in our next 50 years of ministry!

Photo Gallery

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A ceremonial start to our 50th Anniversary Weekend

June 11, 2019 Events, News

Our weekend-long 50th Anniversary Celebration kicked off on Friday, June 7 with the official ribbon cutting for our new Children’s Leadership & Recreation Center (CLRC). Consisting of a middle school-sized gymnasium, commercial kitchen, cafeteria, classrooms and therapy spaces, the CLRC on our Wooster campus was made possible by generous Promise Project donors.

Many of those Promise Project donors joined us for the ribbon cutting Friday afternoon to see the unveiling of our major donor artwork. County Commissioner Becky Foster, the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce and a handful of CCHO staff members also were in attendance, and we read proclamations from Representatives Anthony Gonzalez and Scott Wiggam, and Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown. The afternoon was capped off with the presentation of the personalized ceremonial ground breaking shovel to Kevin Hewitt, CCHO’s President & CEO, and lunch in the Leadership Center.

This ribbon cutting symbolized our commitment to the continued development of our programming, staff and facilities as we enter the next 50 years of ministry. The CLRC gives our residential team the necessary space to deliver the vital therapy our young residents need as they overcome the trauma they’ve experienced while also allowing us to provide educational support and healthier eating options right here on campus.

If you would like to tour the CLRC or learn more about our campus in general, please contact Dan Franks at franksd@ccho.org or 330.345.7949 ext. 2336.

Photo Gallery

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Partners in legacy (Story 15 of 50)

June 4, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Stories

CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). Today, we pause to acknowledge the community partners who have stood with us over the years. Their legacy is story #15 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series.

As we prepare to gather for our 50th celebration this weekend, we are especially grateful for our community partners who support our mission. They play an important role in helping individuals and families find healing throughout our family of ministries. We recently heard from one of our long-time friends who has contributed in many meaningful ways. Christine Malcuit, Collection, Purchasing, Marketing Officer at Apple Creek Banking Company, shared about our unique relationship.

“Apple Creek Banking Company has been a supporter for about 15 years, and some employees have supported CCHO for many years prior to that. Jeff Smith recalls Gary Porter (former CCHO executive director) purchasing repossessed vehicles for CCHO many years ago, and what stands out most is what a good steward of funds Gary was (and a very tough negotiator)! Our bank has supported the CCHO ministries through various donations over the years, including building projects, golf outing sponsorships, donation of fair hogs, and other contributions. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 19:14), and we are extremely happy and honored to be a small part of what the CCHO mission stands for. “

Our advancement team has the privilege of working with our business partners to help them achieve their philanthropic goals. “What I love about working with Apple Creek Bank and other businesses in this community is just that—a sense of community,” said Jenny Myers, Advancement Coordinator. “People who truly care about where they work and live. Apple Creek Bank is a great example of a business that cares and shows that through support and volunteerism.”

Many thanks to Apple Creek Banking Company and our generous 50th celebration weekend sponsors. Some of these businesses are brand new business backers and others have faithfully watched our organization develop and grow over the years. Each one of you is part of our legacy in serving others. We are grateful for your trust and partnership.

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
Read more

Leading with kindness (Story 13 of 50)

May 21, 2019 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories

CCHO is celebrating 50 years of ministry! Throughout 2019, we will be sharing stories of the lives that have been forever changed by the work God has done through our family of ministries (CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling). Today, we recognize a community partner who has gone the extra mile to help our youth heal. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is the subject of story #13 from our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series.

Helping meet the needs of our residential youth takes a lot of hands and partners. We are especially grateful for the kindness of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. There are good days and growing days in our children’s residential center. With the often unpredictable behavior of youth with trauma, there are times when the sheriff’s office makes frequent visits to campus. They have come out many times in the last month but continue to protect and serve with a positive attitude.

One officer in particular has visited a few times just to check in with kids and bring them gifts. Deputy Kirk Shelly brought the younger girls of cottage 3 some stuffed animals several weeks ago. He also stopped out more recently to visit a teen boy who he had interacted with the previous weekend during crisis. He remembered that this young teen was sad because a peer had broken his ear buds, and so he delivered a new pair of ear buds just for him.

These positive interactions help our youth feel known and valued by a caring adult. For the majority of our residents, their experiences with officers have occurred in times of crisis. A uniformed officer often represents loss, separation, abuse or neglect. We are most appreciative for law enforcement officers like Deputy Shelly, who help break down negative impressions through acts of affirmation and respect.

Thank you so much Wayne County Sheriff’s Office for demonstrating leadership in such a powerful way with our kids.

Celebrating Five Decades of Ministry

This story is part of our "50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry" retrospective. Throughout 2019, we will be sharing 50 stories about the broken hearts, broken people, and broken families that have been made new by a loving and redemptive God. Have your own story about CCHO and our family of ministries? Click the button below to share it with us.

CCHO Turns 50!
Read more
CCHO

For 50 years, we have been focused on one purpose: to help the children and families we serve experience their worth in Christ.

All content and imagery © 2019 Christian Children's Home of Ohio. All Rights Reserved.
Selected stock photography used with permission.