A CCHO Summer

The leaves are starting to change, and summer is officially coming to an end. We wanted to reminisce and share some amazing summer moments we had at CCHO.

The summer is always a special season filled with outdoor adventures, CCH-Olympics, pool-time, team building, off-campus outings and countless moments of fun and healing!

Each season offers children a unique opportunity to grow and experience restoration. Summer, in particular, provides a refreshing break from routine responsibilities and opens the door to connection, new experiences, and meaningful relationships. This summer, we introduced extra time for activities like ‘passion projects.’ This special program gave staff the opportunity to share something they love—whether a skill, hobby, or topic—while teaching and inspiring the kids to try it themselves.” Passion projects included fishing, art, poetry, basketball, pickleball and disc golf.

Campus-wide summer events like the CCH-Olympics bring all four cottages together, creating safe spaces for kids to practice healthy social skills and conflict resolution. These activities also allow the children to simply be kids and foster comradery with their peers as they learn to trust each other and rely on each other's strengths to win!

A CCHO Summer also brings the excitement of “firsts.” A child’s first roller coaster, first trip to the beach, first fishing trip or first time going to the zoo. The kids at CCHO enjoyed many off-campus outings this year such as Cedar Point, the zoo, canoeing, fishing, baseball games, Roosevelt Glamping, Brandywine Falls, Mohican, mini golf and more!

One teen girl was especially moved by her first trip to Lake Erie. Amazed by the vast waves and sandy beaches, she shared that she hoped to return someday. It can be these moments, the seemingly simple, that end up being a crucial turning point for the kids at CCHO. It’s a moment when this young lady’s world suddenly became much bigger. Her eyes were open to hope and the possibility that there was more than just pain and disappointment out there…

The seasons are also a reminder that life is constantly changing and making room for new things. This summer the kids got first-hand experience with the importance of change as they helped raise caterpillars and release butterflies. They watched as the caterpillars slowly grew, became chrysalis and transformed into something new.

Through this experience the kids discovered change can be beautiful and consistent care and effort lead to incredible rewards. And now, after months of nurturing and transformation, the campus is not only full of butterflies, but new caterpillars too! The children at CCHO see these butterflies as incredible symbols of hope, believing that their own lives can be beautiful too.

We are deeply grateful for the opportunities each season brings and for the ways God continues to work in the lives of the children at CCHO.