In April, the staff at the Matthews House began a new monthly habit in order to recognize some of our most amazing volunteers. Each month the staff will nominate and vote on a Volunteer of the Month.

So, for our very first honoree, we’ve chosen Stefanie Womack. (Incidentally, we also nominate our choice as a potential United Way of Larimer County Volunteer of the Month and both Stefanie and May’s honoree, the Ignite Leaders Challenge group from Fossil Ridge High School, were also chosen by United Way of Larimer County as their Volunteers of the Month.)

We asked Stefanie a few questions about herself and her volunteering experience. Here’s what we found out.

What are your name, age and occupation?

Stefanie Womack, 30, Engineer

Where did you grow up?

Albuquerque, NM

In what ways do you like to volunteer?

I feel I am doing exactly what I should be doing, loving on people.

What made you choose to volunteer at the Matthews House?

I liked how the Matthews House helped the kids in the community.  The approach taken to do this is refreshing.

What do you like best about volunteering?

Being involved in so many lives in so many different ways.  I hope that I can be the loving adult in these kids lives that I had in my life at their age.

What’s the best/most fun thing that’s ever happened while you were volunteering?

The friendships I have formed with the kiddo’s is the best part.

Stefanie, thank you for giving back in your community and truly impacting the lives of youth. Your ability to listen and be intentional with youth is wonderful and you have been a significant support to many of them.  We need more people like you!

For May, we chose a Volunteer Group of the month rather than an individual:

Ignite Leader’s Challenge (approximately 16 members) from Fossil Ridge High School

Here’s what they told us.

Why did Ignite choose to volunteer at Matthews House?

Due to a strong desire to positively impact fellow youth in their community. They especially wanted to help impoverished and disadvantaged youth.

Where else has Ignite helped out in the past year?

Nursing homes such as Chateau Desmons and Columbine Health, spreading awareness for the Invisible Children movement

What has Ignite done for the Matthews House?

In the past couple of months Ignite has contributed over 300 hours collectively to help gather in-kind donations and organize an awareness and fundraising barbecue. Ignite has helped us collect many household and office items that we would have had to pay for otherwise. In addition, they planned, marketed and implemented a barbecue that helped raise money and spread awareness. In all, Ignite helped raise over $300 cash for the Matthews House.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ignite Group for their hard work and dedication to impacting youth in our community. We appreciate your desire to help in areas where there are actual needs. You guys did a great job and I encourage you to keep pursuing opportunities in your community. Thanks!

On April 26th we were able to celebrate with 19 youth in the Matthews House program who have or will  soon be graduating from high school, GED and trade school programs!

photos by Courtney Craig

Please join us in honoring the graduates!!

Brittney is expecting to get her GED at end of May

Chris will graduate from Mountain View HS in May

Delissia will graduate from Fossil Ridge High in May

Dustin completed his GED last July

Elvira will graduate from Poudre High School at the end of May. Elvira will  attend college at Front Range Community College and transfer to CSU to study child psychology.

Isabella will be graduating from Loveland High School at the end of May. Isabella will be attending the University of Northern Colorado to study business. Isabel has been awarded a full ride to the University  and also a $8,000 scholarship to help with living expanse for the next four years.

Jaquy earned her GED in October 2008; received a special state waiver to take the GED early at the age of 16 (CO requires youth to be 17)

Jay will be obtaining her GED in the next couple of months and she will be attending CSU in the Fall or Spring to study engineering. Jay has already been awarded an $8,000 scholarship to help her with her schooling.

Kat graduated from the Poudre High School and currently enrolling to attend Front Range Community College in the Fall. Kat has also been working part-time.

Katie graduated from Ferguson High School in Loveland a year and half after she her projected graduation due to family issues. Katie is working full time right now and will be attending college in the Fall.

Kenny will receive his diploma from Loveland High

McKayla completed her GED last July

Michael graduated from the Aims Diploma Program and has entered the work force.

Nathan is getting his diploma from Thompson Valley high school

Norma Jean is expecting to earn GED by May through the Youth Link Program

Shane is expected to graduate with his GED at end of May

Shannon is expecting to earn her GED by May

Talisha graduated from Centennial HS in April

Tiffany graduated from Centennial High in April

Congratulations to all!

We’d like to thank the following people for celebrating with our youth and making the graduation party happen:

Everyday Joes/Timberline Oldtown for the use of their space and media/sound equipment

Diakonos Brotherhood for planning the event, preparing the food and providing a card and gift for each youth.

Outkast Redeemer for providing rockin’ music.

Thanks for loving our youth!

Do you enjoy a motorcycle ride on a beautiful Colorado day?

Are you concerned about neglected and abused children and youth in Larimer County?

Want to have fun and make a difference at the same time?

Consider joining Realities for Children on the Realities Ride this weekend.

It’s a blast…you WILL enjoy yourself.

“Realities For Children hopes to draw more than 3,000 people and raise more than $40,000 during this weekend’s eighth annual Realities Ride and Pre-Ride Rally.
The event is one of the largest charity motorcycle poker runs; it benefits abused and neglected children in Northern Colorado. Last year’s event drew 3,000 and raised just less than $40,000, said Holli Milenski, Realities promotional coordinator.”  Read more

This is our big, fun event of the year and we hope to see you there!

Listen to our Cutivate Hope Radio Invitation here.

On Thursday, May 7th, we will hold the 2nd Annual Cultivate Hope Benefit.

There will be a silent auction of hand-created flower pots, garden art and garden goodies, along with music, food and festivities, all to benefit the Matthews House.

This enjoyable evening features

• bluegrass music by Finders and Youngberg,

• a silent auction of handcreated flower pots and garden art by local artists, including Barbara Moore, Kari Lennartson, Lisa Cameron, Bryan Collins and many more,

• as well as a chance to win fabulous prizes, including a Grand Junction Wine Getaway.

This celebration of Spring parallels the growth we see in the lives of youth in the Matthews House program as they take control of their lives and begin to pursue exciting pathways to a future of hope.

The event begins at 6:30pm next Thursday, May 7th, at the Hilton Garden Inn (2821 E Harmony) and tickets are only $25.

More information and tickets are available here or at 970-472-4293.

This year’s event is underwritten by Realities for Children, and presented by Hilton Garden Inn and Capital West National Bank with additional support from the Tenfold Collective and Bath Garden Center.

The week from April 19 to 25th is dedicated to “Celebrating People in Action” – honoring the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities.

Here at the Matthews House we rely heavily on the dedication, commitment and passion of volunteers. Our volunteers offer significant support to disadvantaged youth both by working behind the scenes (i.e. admin work, cleaning, fundraising) and directly with youth (i.e. one-on-one mentoring, providing rides, leading groups). They are the heart and soul of the Matthews House and we absolutely could not give the quality care and support that we give without our volunteers.

Since it is National Volunteer Week, this seems like a particularly fitting time to take the opportunity to recognize and thank some of our most committed volunteers.

In 2008, we had over 110 active volunteers, who gave over 4200 hours of their time and energy to insure that youth who were once without hope were given the tools, skills and support they needed to learn to dream and to create new paths for their lives! We’d like to especially recognize seven volunteers who each gave over 100 hours in 2008:

Over 100 Volunteer hours:

Dave Brown
Elly Wiebe
Matt Martin
Bob Addleman

Over 200 Volunteer hours:

Cliff Bergren
Cathy Rotman

Way over 200 Volunteer hours:

Jerri Howe

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS – YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!

Want to learn more about making a difference through mentoring?

Join the Larimer County Mentoring Coalition this Thursday, April 23rd from 4 – 6pm at Reader’s Cove to explore the opportunities for mentoring in Larimer County

For more information contact
Kathleen Vasa
E-mail:  voarsvp@frii.com
970.472.9630

You may never have given much thought to how the Juvenile Justice System in Larimer County works, but this part of our judicial system affects many youth and their families in our community and it can sometimes seem a little complicated.

I’ll be honest, I never thought too much about the system, until I started working at the Matthews House. Then I started seeing how the system played a role in the lives of some of our youth, their families, their extended families and their friends. I started meeting individual people -  youth who’ve tangled with the system and the people in their lives helping them rebuild and change direction. I’ve met parole officers who care deeply about the youth they work with, and I’ve met youth who are trying to make good, but starting 20 steps behind because they are first having to dig themselves out of a deep hole dug by generational poverty and poor role modeling. It’s been interesting learning more about how we as a community and as individuals address the issues of justice as they pertain to youth.

Whether you’ve never thought much about it or you’ve been impacted by the system directly, you’re invited to come learn more.

On Monday, April 13th you have the chance to hear from and engage in discussion with two experts: Randall Lococo, a Fort Collins attorney who has had extensive experience defending juveniles in the Larimer County Juvenile Justice system and Robert Percifield, Deputy District Attorney, Juvenile Division, 8th Judicial District.

When: Monday, April 13th from 7 – 9pm
Where: Coloradoan Community Meeting Room, 1500 Riverside Ave, Fort Collins

This opportunity to learn more about juvenile justice in our community is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.

You may be familiar with Realities for Children, if not you’ll want to be – trust me.

Realities for Children is a cause marketing and promotional company that provides a unique opportunity for local businesses to gain marketing benefits, including special marketing rates, greater visibility, referral networking, and positive name association, while meeting the needs of abused and neglected children in Larimer County. By bringing together a large number of business members they are able to offer member-businesses an amazing return on investment while making a huge impact on our community by providing funding for emergency needs, education, sponsorship support and special activities for at-risk children and youth.

So why am I talking about Realities for Children on the Matthews House blog? Well, I realized you may not know that The Matthews House is a Realities for Children affiliate agency and I also realized that even if you do know that, you might not know what it means. I can tell you that it means a lot to our youth, directly and indirectly.

As an affiliate agency we are able to apply for emergency funding when there are no resources available elsewhere to meet a need. The Realities for Children Emergency Fund creates a safety net for children and youth who would otherwise fall through the cracks. This partnership with Realities has allowed immediate needs such as emergency shelter to be met for our youth.

Realities also meets the needs of our youth indirectly through event sponsorship. By signing on as the Presenting Sponsor for our upcoming Cultivate Hope fundraiser, Realities for Children is underwriting the cost of putting on the event so that all the money that comes in can go directly to helping the youth the Matthews House exists to serve. That means that when you buy a ticket to Cultivate Hope, all $25 is going to help youth develop the support network and skills they need to be successful and self-sufficient. And when you bid and win a beautiful piece of garden art at the event, you can know that the money doesn’t get absorbed into the cost of food or printing but goes directly to our program and youth in need.

If you are a business owner or an employee of a community-minded business, please look into Realities for Children to see how they can help you to leverage your marketing dollars while helping Larimer County’s children.

Please join us for Cultivate Hope, coming up on May 7th at 6:30pm. Tickets and Info available on our website.

On President’s Day several youth, volunteers and staff were about to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day of snowshoeing. The group was given a quick lesson in snowshoeing “how to’s” from our volunteers and then we were all off. After some trial and error learning how to walk in the shoes, we began our trek. The group got along very well and everyone seemed to have an excellent time, especially sliding down our makeshift snow slide. It was not only a good opportunity for staff and volunteers to get to know the youth better, but also for the youth to socialize with their peers in a positive, fun environment and to build confidence by experiencing something new.

Once a month we plan an activity especially for the young women in our program. Sometimes we hang out, eat popcorn and watch a chick flick or head out to try out our bowling skills. Other months we might encourage creative expression by learning some journalling techniques or taking on an art project. The idea is to provide a safe place to build relationships and to give our young women a chance to learn and try some new things in a comfortable environment.

Last month, we spent the evening at the Matthews House enjoying a chance to relax and learn to take better care of ourselves.  Alia, a Certified Massage Therapist from Capelli’s Salon & Spa, brought information for each of the girls on relaxation techniques, healthy eating, exercise and positive self-talk. We were able to continue to build relationships and have some good conversations about taking care of ourselves in simple and practical ways. Each of the girls was able to enjoy a relaxing chair massage and went home with a CD of peaceful music and a bag of marbles that we learned to use for a foot massage.

Thanks so much to Alia for sharing her knowledge, time and expertise with our young women!

This slideshow of postcards made by alumni of the foster care system showed up in my mailbox recently and I feel it needs to be shared. These simple postcards are able to convey the complex feelings and experiences of many youth in foster care and to shed light on what it might be like to grow up in foster care for those who haven’t been there and find it difficult to imagine.

Like I said, I thought it needed to be shared. Please take a minute to check it out, I think you’ll be glad you did.

This national community art project is an undertaking of Foster Care Alumni of America and is intended to build (the foster care alumni) community at the same time we educate foster care professionals and providers, and the general public, about our culture.

As the alumni movement has grown and gained momentum, we have discovered that regardless of age, race, ethnicity, geography, education, occupation, or placement history, as alumni of the foster care system we have a great deal in common. Our shared experiences form the basis of a shared culture-the culture of foster care. We are exploring the culture of foster care through our community art project where people in and from foster care share their observations, insights, and lessons on postcards.

Foster Care Alumni of America is a national non-profit association that has been founded and is led by alumni of the foster care system. We use the term alumni to describe those of us who have been in foster care during our childhood/youth.

The mission of FCAA is to connect the alumni community and to transform foster care policy and practice, ensuring opportunity for people in and from foster care.

*all italicized type is taken directly from the FCAA website