Children’s Residential Center – Christian Children’s Home of Ohio

Children’s Residential Center

Friendly rivalry and connection builder

October 31, 2019 CCHO CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Team

On October 30, our children’s residential center (CRC) held its fourth annual fall decorating contest. The cottage competition has grown beyond mere decorations to entire themed productions complete with costumes, performances and edible treats. Residents and staff compete to earn prizes ranging from king-size candy bars to a cottage-wide outing of their choice.

A panel of costumed judges walk through each cottage taking notes on participation, decorations, creativity, costumes, enthusiasm, and presentation. This friendly rivalry is one of the biggest connection builders for kids and staff in residential and we look forward to continuing the tradition.

“This contest has become an exciting highlight each fall that staff and residents look forward to,” said Bryndi Pfeiffer, CRC Operations Manager. “We are incredibly proud of our staff and kids for their hard work and excellent execution in each cottage. The bar has been significantly raised this year as all four cottages stepped up their game.”

Second place went to our young boys cottage who welcomed the judges to their Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory design. Golden tickets. Oompa-Loompas. Candy galore.

Our teen girls took the judging panel back to the 80s with their cottage theme of The Breakfast Club/Twisted Sister. Detention. Drama. Dancing. Their efforts were awarded third place.

First place went to our young girls who created the 50th anniversary Heartville County Fair inside their cottage. Fair food. Fun games. Live animals. And a show! Congratulations, cottage 3!

Our teen boys put heart and soul into their Crayola Crayons theme. They taught us that trauma will not prevail as broken crayons still color. Their artistic presentation took fourth place.

Congratulations to all of our participants!

Mentor a child and shape a life.

CCHO volunteer mentors help empower residents to make positive life choices through a supportive, caring relationship. We invite you to take a moment and learn more about becoming a volunteer mentor on our residential campus.

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He’d been there all along (Story 40 of 50)

October 17, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Events, Foster Care, Ministry Support, One Heart Stables, 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). This year has been filled with so many stories of healing and redemption that God has orchestrated together over five decades of ministry. Heather Knapik, residential alum, wife, mom and foster mom, shares her personal testimony and how the impact of her season at CCHO is helping others today. In story #40 of our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series, Heather reminds us that God is faithful. He never leaves us or stops loving us even when we walk away from Him.

I entered foster care at age four. By the time I was 15, I already had 13 homes including a failed adoption under my belt. Bouncing from home to home, I was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by several abusers. When I was 15, I finally found the courage to tell someone, and doing so unleashed a massive amount of fear and trauma that I’d been holding in for years. I didn’t know how to deal with the emotions, and I tried to take my own life.

Upon being released from the hospital, I was met with garbage bags full of my belongings. I was moving yet again. This time, I was taken to CCHO. I was scared, lonely, depressed, lost and broken. The first thing I noticed was that it didn’t feel like a group home. I’d been in those before. This place was different. It felt safe and welcoming.

We ate meals together, went to church together, and even went on vacation together! I attended therapy onsite, built a trusting relationship with my therapist and was able to open up and share a lot of my pain and begin working through it. Things started to feel somewhat normal again. I began to thrive. In the summer I had my own horse to care for and ride and that was HUGE for my growth. Over time I decided to give my heart to Jesus and was baptized in the CCHO swimming pool! It was such a special moment for me.

After two years of growth and healing, I moved in with a new foster family. I was sad to leave and afraid to go. But I knew the lessons I had learned during my time at CCHO would stay with me. I struggled after leaving. In early adulthood, I had unhealthy relationships, battled an eating disorder, and turned my back on God. In my late 20s, I again felt lost and broken.

Then I remembered the lessons about God and His love for me. Surely He would want nothing to do with me. I had kicked him out of my life. But I cried out to Him anyway, and in that moment, I felt peace for the first time in years. I knew He was there. He’d been there all along, waiting for ME to come back to Him. I began to climb out of my rock bottom with new hope inside. I worked daily on becoming the best me I could be and in doing so I began to heal again, to bloom and grow. I met a wonderful man and we got married.

God began calling my heart to serve. Two years ago, I poured my childhood pain into starting a nonprofit. We make comfort bags for youth entering foster care so they don’t have to carry their belongings in trash bags like I did. Knapik’s Knapsacks serves four county agencies and still growing!

God was calling my heart to serve further. Last year my husband and I began the process to become foster parents ourselves, and in June of 2018, we received our license! We currently have two placements in our home. We don’t know where this journey will lead us, but we know in our hearts that we’ve been called to it.

I talk often with others about my time at CCHO and the positive influence it had on me. I don’t know where I might have ended up without the love and guidance I received there. Those two short years impacted my life in huge ways. I am truly grateful for the time I spent at CCHO.

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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Planting, watering, growing and blooming (Story 39 of 50)

October 14, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Events, Foster Care, Ministry Support, Volunteers
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). This year of storytelling has been filled with so many heartwarming memories and precious connections that God has pieced together over five decades of ministry. Today, Matt Hayden with Tri-Village Christian Church in Pataskala, OH shares about his own personal connection to CCHO’s family of ministries. In story #39 of our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series, Matt shows how that initial seed has grown into something far greater than he could have imagined.

CCHO has been a part of my life for at least 20 years. During that time, God has filled this relationship with a combination of wonder, trial, excitement and purpose.

I first heard about CCHO while growing up in a Christian church in central Ohio. The seed was planted about the awesome ministry happening in Wooster.

I entered youth ministry right out of college and, as best as I can describe it, my wife Megan and I got too comfortable too quick. In a challenge to step out in our faith, we accepted a role at CCHO as teaching parents in 2010, serving in the teenage girls cottage. While we eventually had to admit that we were not equipped for this role long term, Megan and I have never felt more like the hands and feet of Jesus than in that season in our lives. We also experienced such love and grace watching the power of Jesus transform the lives of the kids we served. The seed was watered.

Since our time as teaching parents, we have served in vocational ministry. As the Discipleship and Outreach Minister at Tri-Village Christian Church in Pataskala, OH, part of my role is to oversee missions. It has been wonderful to now be able to support CCHO financially and in other ways on the church side. Two years ago, we took a trip to serve at CCHO during the Great Grill Off. The team certainly enjoyed the chance to serve that weekend and to see the ministry of CCHO firsthand, but God had more up his sleeve.

My wife and I had been praying about becoming foster parents, an idea that we first considered when we were teaching parents. Every attempt at connecting with a fostering agency was closed. I called Encourage Foster Care and had a great conversation with Heather Huebner. Heather so graciously answered questions and empowered us to keep pushing through with the process. Not only did we have a great mission trip as a church, but the seed began to grow.

The following year, we worked through the process of being foster parents and brought some from the church along for the journey. Then, this past June, Tri-Village got to once again serve at the Great Grill Off while also taking part in the wonderful 50th anniversary celebration throughout the weekend.

CCHO was instrumental in laying a foundation that has now led to five Tri-Village families being licensed as foster parents, including my family. While we were not able to foster through Encourage in this fostering journey, they pushed us forward in the process. Since mid-August, we have once again become Jesus’ hands and feet as we have been privileged to serve a sibling pair in foster care. We went from our own two kids to now an even fuller house that includes a seven-year-old, six-year-old and a pair of three-year-olds! God is great…and He can also be surprising! The seed is beginning to bloom!

The beautiful thing about God is that I don’t know the full amount of fruit that will come from this journey. But knowing His power, I am confident that He is creating far more fruit than we may ever know. For us personally, our brief time in Wooster connected us to several mighty servants of God, from Kevin Hewitt (CCHO’s President & CEO) taking a chance on two people who had never had experience with that kind of work, to coworkers such as Dorn and Kandy Frame who walked alongside us in a tough position.

More recently, Heather’s wonderful words of encouragement led to the fruit of even more workers entering the foster care field. But there has been so much more fruit that God has grown in 50 years of bringing healing and hope to children in the bondage of pain and sin. There is a song we have been singing frequently in our household that says, “My God is so big and so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” This sentiment rings true over and over for us. Our God can shine light into the darkest of shadows. There has been more fruit multiplied through 50 years of ministry at CCHO than anyone can comprehend or imagine through God’s power. Here’s to 50 more years, CCHO!

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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The transformative path (Story 38 of 50)

October 9, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, Adoption, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Foster Care
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). Two former CCHO residents share their inspiring stories of transformation in story #38 of our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series.

Transformation. It looks different for everyone. It takes time. It involves small but important decisions. Often baby steps. But those baby steps along a new path can lead to somewhere special, a destination that once seemed impossible to reach. A season of health, renewal, growth. Transformation.

We’ve been privileged to watch God bring transformation to so many children in our residential center here at CCHO. Even after 50 years, we love watching these God stories unfold. It’s why we do what we do, and it’s why our incredible donors, partner churches and other supporters continue to give of themselves and their resources so generously.

Stories like these below – the first from a former resident from many years ago, and the second from a more recent former resident – illustrate just how deeply God loves us, and how strong his desire is to transform our hearts and our lives into something far better than what we could ever hope or imagine.

I was a child who went through…well, I forget how many foster homes when I was small until I was adopted at age 12. Due to many traumas I experienced as a child, I had a lot of issues I didn’t know how to deal with. My adoptive parent tried counseling, medication, etc., and none of it worked.

My parents somehow heard of CCHO and decided to give that a try.

I remember the ride to Wooster. It was a long drive from Columbus. I remember passing miles of cornfields and farmland. We pulled up, I was dropped off and they got started. The staff were so friendly getting me settled in, but I didn’t care. In my head I was thinking this place is a joke and I can’t wait until I leave.

I walked miles around circle track on campus when I got there. Not because I was in trouble, but because I didn’t want to talk to anyone, get close to anyone or listen to anyone.

Over time I figured out the staff and counselors were quite fine to let me figure stuff out and not be so direct. I started to loosen up, but very slowly. They didn’t pressure me, didn’t rush, and let me take my time. It took so long, in fact, that I lived there for almost four years, if memory serves me correctly.

I figured out they wouldn’t accept lying, cheating, violence, manipulation, or any other types of behavior I had been guilty of doing. They taught me honesty, forgiveness, self-respect, humility, self-worth and so much more.

The most important things they taught me were that it was okay to let people into my life, that people really cared for me, that not everyone was going to hurt me, and they did it well.

Since leaving CCHO, I graduated high school and then served four years in the Marines. I started a family and transitioned into a new career. I became an electrician, but I didn’t stop there. After four years of apprenticeship school, I became a journeyman electrician. Then a few years later I became a state licensed master electrician, wiring jobs in excess of a million dollars. I kept learning and passed my national exams to become a licensed electrical inspector. I now work for the city of Columbus as an electrical inspector.

I firmly believe that none of that would have been possible without the God-loving and caring staff of CCHO.

To the staff at CCHO: You are helping save children’s lives. It is challenging at times, I know, but never give up. The staff who touched my life didn’t. I am now a successful member of society, and I use the lessons I learned there to be a better father and husband.

God bless all of you.

I spent a year and three months at CCHO. While I was there, the staff were really kind and sweet to me and the other girls at the cottage. Those of us who had been making safe and healthy choices for ourselves and other residents would go on weekly outings like shopping or local activities.

Because of CCHO, I’m now doing really well coping with a lot of stress. They also baptized me but before that, they introduced me to God Almighty, and I’m so thankful for that. I want to thank all of the staff members for all the help they gave me. They never gave up on us kids even when we were being rude and not listening. They kept calm and tried to redirect us. If I had the chance to change my life before going to CCHO, I wouldn’t have, but they saved my life from self-destruction. They are my family and I will never forget them. Love you all and I miss y’all so much. Also, I miss the horses.

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

Compelled by extravagant love (Story 37 of 50)

October 4, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Counseling, Foster Care, Team
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 hits the home stretch, we’re pleased to once again celebrate our sacrificial and compassionate staff in story #37 with a closer look at the work they do each day to help people experience their worth in Christ.

In one of our very first stories in this series, we shared a COMPEL nomination one of our former employees wrote for another employee. COMPEL, inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:14, is an acrostic for:

Christ
Others
Me
Possibilities of
Extravagant
Love

Each quarter, staff from our family of ministries send in COMPEL Award nominations for fellow staff members who have shown the love of Christ to others while upholding our core values of relentless commitment, selflessness and kindness. These nominations are then read aloud and celebrated at our quarterly All Staff luncheons.

Today, we have a trio of COMPEL Awards from our most recent nominations. These stories of extravagant love provide just a glimpse into the powerful ways our staff are impacting lives at CCHO, Encourage Foster Care and Encompass Christian Counseling each day. They also remind us of the importance of placing the needs of others ahead of our own.

“Rebekah recently had to take a girl to court to testify against her abuser three days in a row. The first two days, the trial was postponed, which was discovered after arriving. The hearing was about three hours away, so Rebekah knew it would be a long day and that it could potentially be a long week. While taking residents to court is in her role, volunteering to do it three days in a row without complaining – while refusing to give in to fatigue, frustration and despair with the process; while providing a sense of safety and security for this hurting girl – is IN HER CALLING. We found out the day after the trial that the verdict was not guilty. The man against whom this girl testified and had to face had gone free. Naturally, this invoked some pretty intense behaviors such as self-harm and running away, but guess who was there with her walking down the road, asking to stay with her and showing her unconditional love all the same. Rebekah! What an example of relentless commitment, selflessness and kindness coming together to show a hurting girl her worth in Christ even if it may take her a lifetime to recognize it. Rebekah has surely planted this seed regardless of whether she will ever see the increase. Thanks, Rebekah, for showing us how Jesus would handle those four difficult days.”

“Marissa acted quickly in getting two foster children into counseling with Encompass and with our Thrive program in Green. As soon as the children were placed with one of our families near Cleveland, Marissa anticipated their treatment needs given their exposure to severe domestic violence, when they witnessed their mother stab their father to death. Marissa also assisted with getting the children to and from their Thrive visits that week so that the foster mother could attend to the needs of her other children while also running her own business at The Westside Market. Marissa makes most of the counseling appointments so they can facilitate the court ordered contact with their mother, which Marissa does as well. Thanks, Marissa, for displaying relentless commitment to these children and helping to fulfill our agency’s mission!”

“Perseverance is a word that concisely describes Kateri! She helped a young man in Cottage 1 understand that his past did not have to define him. She helped calm anxiety that was so crippling that it threatened to steal any amount of joy that he could find. She waded through depression that all but prevented him from even getting out of bed. She advocated for him at every turn and ultimately helped him discover his worth in Christ. This young man left recently to go to an independent living program with a better outlook – one that involves hope and the same perseverance that Kateri meets each kid with every day she walks into cottage 1!”

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

Blessings from Meadow View (Story 35 of 50)

September 26, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Ministry Support, Videos, Volunteers
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’re honored to hear from Lashley Hess, the VBS Director for Meadow View Church of Christ in Frazeysburg, OH. Lashley and her church recently blessed CCHO and the children in our residential program on two separate occasions. Read story #35 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series to learn more about the generosity of this special church family.

As a first-time VBS director this year for Meadow View Church of Christ, I was asked to choose a mission to support with our VBS donations. My associate minister suggested that I look into CCHO as a choice and was told our church may also be planning a mission trip there at the end of the summer. The thought of donating material items to an organization and then blessing them once again later in the summer with a work day was very exciting.

I started off with an open mind and went to CCHO’s website. As soon as I read the mission of CCHO, I knew exactly who our VBS would be sponsoring! Not only was I excited to help CCHO but I knew our VBS kids would be excited as well, thinking they would more easily relate to an organization that helps other children.

Instead of just raising money alone, we asked CCHO what material things we could collect. We were given a list of items needed to make care packages for the CCHO residents, and each day kids would bring in items on the list. Then, at the end of each night of VBS, we would show a large teeter-totter scale, with the girls on one side of the scale and the boys on the other side. The scale would tip to whichever side brought the most items that day, and the gender that won each night got to put their names in a drawing to give mud baths at the end of the week. The children could also choose which adult to put their monetary donations toward each night, and my husband and I ended up being the “losers” (or winners, depending on which way you look at it), so we got that mud bath on the last night of VBS. It was so much fun to watch the children get so excited over all of the donations we were able to raise!

We brought a few of the VBS kids from church with us to drop off our donations at CCHO. We were able to deliver enough supplies for a year’s worth of care packages and we raised enough to purchase 18 portable DVD players for the home! The staff’s excitement when they received these items was so amazing to witness. It definitely blessed our congregation to get to help them out and know we have made a difference!

Then, last weekend, we were able to complete that Mission Trip work day! It was so amazing to be on campus and learn more about CCHO and all of the wonderful things they do. We did some generalized cleaning and maintenance around the property, and we also built a fence. It was a day full of a lot of hard work, laughter, and relationships strengthened within our own team.

Two things from the trip stick out most. One was an excited little girl riding by on a horse during therapy and waving at our group with all of her might. The other was something that was said to us by Dan Franks, who hosted us that day. “This is home for these kids. It means a lot to them for people that they don’t even know to come and spend an entire day working to make it better for them.” This trip has certainly blessed each one of us and we are looking forward to the next opportunity to come and serve. We are all very thankful for this opportunity to help out such a wonderful organization!

VBS for MVP!

Meadow View was one of many churches who sponsored CCHO with their VBS programs this summer. Watch the video to learn more about this inspiring act of generosity!

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

VBS programs win MVP award (Story 32 of 50)

September 10, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Ministry Support, 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). This summer, we were tremendously blessed by a group of churches who supported CCHO through their VBS programs. In story #32 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series, we say “thanks!”

We are so grateful for the collection of caring churches that have supported CCHO and our family of ministries over the past five decades. Without the fundraising dollars they’ve contributed, the hours upon hours of volunteer help they’ve provided, the steady stream of prayers they’ve lifted on our behalf, and all the other ways they have been involved, there would be countless children, adults and families who were never given an opportunity to find hope and healing on the other side of their pain.

Church support has always been crucial to our purpose of helping people experience their worth in Christ, and this summer, a number of awesome churches (see the full list below the video) elected to give to CCHO through their Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs. These VBS contributions included items our residential program needed for the children we serve along with more than $10,000 in financial donations. Wow!!

Thank You!!

Several members of our residential staff express their gratitude to the host of churches that donated to CCHO through their VBS programs this summer. Watch the video to learn more about this inspiring act of generosity!

Thank you to the following churches for making us their featured mission for VBS this summer:

Barrs Mill Church of God
Croton Church of Christ
Danville Church of Christ
Dover First Christian Church
East Liberty Church of Christ

Eden Church of Christ
Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church
Grape Grove Church of Christ
Heath Church of Christ
Louisville Christian Church

Louisville Church of Christ
Meadow View Church of Christ
Orrville Christian Church
Pleasant Grove Church of Christ
Victory Church of Christ

If your church is interested in making CCHO its featured mission for your 2020 VBS program, please contact Dan Franks, Director of Development, at franksd@ccho.org or 330.345.7949 ext. 2336.

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

Back to school

September 3, 2019 CCHO Children's Residential Center, News

It’s back-to-school time! We hope your children are transitioning well into the school year routine. This is a big change and can be a struggle for students as they settle in with peers, teachers and schedules.

We’re looking forward to kicking off the new school year for the youth in our residential center. In the early days of CCHO, student-age residents attended public school locally. In more recent years, we have provided classrooms with licensed teachers right here on our Wooster campus. These learning environments in our Children’s Leadership & Recreation Center are tailored to address the unique needs of children with trauma.

Due to a change in their service focus, we are transitioning away from Summit Academy as our school provider. For the 2019-2020 school year, we are pleased to begin a partnership with Norwayne Local Schools. Many of our kids are behind developmentally and academically because of trauma and neglect. Their teaching staff will help our students get back on track and see school as a positive place.

Classes start on Monday, September 9. In addition to praying for our students and staff, we have a few unique requests that you may be able to fulfill.

• Large wall map of Ohio
• 40 Classroom Headphones – over the head style, full ear coverage
• Base Ten counting blocks for math (100 to 200 pieces)
• Kidney (or arc) shaped table for elementary-school students (48×72 inch)

Please contact Lauren at steinerl@ccho.org to coordinate your donation purchase/drop-off/delivery. Donations may be shipped directly to CCHO through Amazon Smile or other stores.

Thank you for helping our students feel supported in the new school year. It’s a tangible way for them to experience their worth in Christ.

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Supportive golf swings (Story 30 of 50)

August 23, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Events, Ministry Support

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 we prepare for this year’s Caring4Kids Golf Outing at Hawk’s Nest Golf Club in Creston, we hear from a father-son duo who supports this event each summer in story #30 of our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series.

On Monday, August 26 at 8:00 in the morning, 15 teams will tee off for the first of 36 holes at our Caring4Kids Golf Outing. As we head into the final months of our year-long 50th anniversary celebration, it’s only fitting that this marks the 25th edition of our annual golf outing.

The golf outing began in 1994 as a way of connecting members of the community to the work being done in our children’s residential center. Now, 25 years later, this end-of-summer fundraiser helps provide the resources our family of ministries needs to assist children, adults and families on their journey to healing from abuse and trauma of all kinds.

Don Boehm and his sons Matt and Brad have been swinging their clubs in support of our ministry for years. Here’s what Matt and Don had to say about why they come back every year for the golf outing:

My involvement in the golf outing began one year when one of our church teams was looking for a golfer for the outing. It was my first time visiting the campus and seeing what CCHO was all about. It was a fun time on a great course and so I was hooked from there. It has become a day I look forward to each year and, for the last several years, an opportunity to spend the day golfing with my dad and my brother Brad.

The golf outing is one of the ways I support the mission of CCHO. CCHO has a special place in my heart and has impacted my life in a big way. It was on a short-term mission trip to CCHO to work on the campus several years ago that I was able to witness firsthand the kids who were struggling with hurt, anger and fear. The campus staff showed me what it looked like to step into the trenches and embody the love of Jesus in a new way. God used that trip to break my heart for hurting kids, an experience that led to my wife Daylene and I becoming foster parents and ultimately adopting two young ladies into our family.

-Matt Boehm

For me, it started as a great way to support CCHO. Through some work projects we’ve done on campus with our church, Bethel Church of Christ, CCHO has become special to me. The work CHO does changing the lives of children coming from troubled homes makes it a worthy mission. A side benefit has been golfing with my two sons. The golf outing is a special day that we look forward to every year, spending the day together and helping support God’s work at CCHO.

-Don Boehm

We are so appreciative of Don, Matt, Brad and all of our golfers, and we can’t wait to see what God has planned for our 25th Caring4Kids Golf Outing. If you would like to join the fun next year, be sure to save Monday, August 31, 2020 on your calendar!

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

Trust, treatment, transformation (Story 28 of 50)

August 16, 2019 CCHO 50 Stories for 50 Years, Adoption, CCHO Stories, Children's Residential Center, Counseling

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 hear from an adoptive mom whose son eventually found healing from his past trauma in CCHO’s residential treatment program. Story #28 in our 50 Stories for 50 Years of Ministry series reminds us how important time and trust are on the road to wholeness.

My son was adopted when he was eight years of age. He had been in residential treatment for three years prior to his adoption, from age five to age eight. When he came to my home, he exhibited significant self-harming behaviors like defiance, aggression and running away. His social and emotional skills were almost nonexistent due to his extensive trauma, which included 19 moves within the foster care system and the loss of his birth family. Developmentally, he had significant delays as well. Cognitively, he had delays and a lower IQ, which made progress even more challenging.

Initially, his behaviors were not too severe at home. However, he suffered from attachment disorder, which made it difficult to help him feel safe or to trust anyone so he could heal from his past, causing his behaviors at home to intensify. After two years, they had become nearly unmanageable. His threats made it unsafe for him to remain in the home, and he was placed at CCHO by the county after making multiple threats to kill me and kill himself.

He initially was unable to deal with any of his past trauma or behavior issues, making his first four months at CCHO largely unfruitful. But once he began to disclose the extensive trauma he endured as a very young child to a counselor that he trusted, his progress was incredible. His counselor and I communicated frequently and worked closely during weekly sessions to further address the attachment issues my son exhibited. He went through an intensive trauma therapy program (Thrive), which shed more light on what he experienced in his birth family. Finally, after his trauma was treated and he knew he could trust me, his behaviors changed for the better. After only four more months, his transformation was amazing. He came home and was the funny, happy kid God created him to be. He no longer had any aggressive behaviors. He did not make any threats to harm himself or me.

I believe that God directed the county to choose CCHO because it was what my son needed to help him become the man God created him to be. He learned that love is unconditional and that moms can be trusted. He is completely attached to me now and trusts me 100% in many areas. He dealt with much of his past trauma and has continued to use the coping skills he learned at CCHO.

He is now 14 and still has areas that need work. He has many delays that will require more attention. But, without CCHO he would likely not be here at all. I was unable to maintain him safely in our home so I had expected to return custody to the agency. I am thankful that never happened.

I have hope that he will be a wonderful adult and contribute in a great way to the lives of others. He challenges me each day to never give up and to recognize that no child is ever a lost cause. Some kids just got started off with more obstacles than others. But with the proper help and lots of prayer, good things can happen. If my son never gives up, I won’t either.

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

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