THE LUTHER AND SUSIE HARRISON FOUNDATION

GRANT APPLICATION FORM

Applicant Organization’s Name: Bethany Christian Services

Address 29 W Smith St

City/State/Zip: Winter Garden, Florida, 34787

Name of Person Submitting Request Jessica Hipchen Title of Person Submitting Request Intern

Phone: (407) 877-4006 Fax: (407) 877-4061 E-Mail: jhipchen1225@gmail.com

Total Amount Requested: $15,000

Area of Charitable Service:

___ Arts ___ Health Care X Religious___ Education X Social/human services ___ Environmental

Mission (Describe the purpose of your organization): The mission of Bethany Christian Services is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by protecting and enhancing the lives of children and families through quality social services. 

Services provided by your organization (list all services that represent 5 percent or more of your budget): Bethany Christian Services provides family support and preservation, adoption, foster care, pregnancy counseling, training, and refugee services, as well as sponsorship and an infertility ministry.

Area served by your organization (circle all that apply):[Winter Garden (Kissimee, Ocoee, & Sanford)] USA [Florida] USA [Orange] USA United States

Year organization established: 1944 Year received tax-exempt status: 1947

Number of employees: 6 staff and over 200 volunteers

Budget for most recent year-end: 274,000

Name of accounting firm that handles audit and review of funds: Plante & Moran, PLLC

Contact Name: Independent Auditor Contact phone: 616-774-8221

Can the foundation contact the accounting firm for additional information? X Yes __ No

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Describe your proposed project. Include (i) the purpose and goals of your project; (ii) the statement of need for your project; (iii) the class of individuals served by the project, the number of individuals served by the project, and the location of those individuals; and (iv) the way in which you will measure the success of your project. You may use this space and attach up to one additional page if necessary.

Purpose and GoalsThe proposed project is to support a part-time Recruitment/Training Coordinator

position. This position focuses on teaching Coaches from within local churches to facilitate the placement of children with host families for the Safe Families for Children program. The goal of the project is to eliminate the removal of children from homes due to abuse and neglect by intervening beforehand and providing parents with a safe home for their child along with a network of support so they can build a stronger home environment where children can return. Specific outcomes for the biological parents that participate in this program are a decrease in feelings of isolation and an increase in access to services and a network of friends. Outcomes for children include maintaining a sense of normalcy and the ability to form a healthy attachment to their Safe Family. Host families feel supported and have the skills to care for the child.

Statement of NeedThe biological parents with whom Safe Families for Children (SFFC) work are often

isolated from society with no knowledge of the resources available. These two factors often leave the parents feeling helpless, stressed, and frustrated, many times leading to child abuse. Parents who abuse and neglect their children were commonly abused and neglected as children themselves. The fact is, these parents simply do not know how to parent well because they were not taught well. Children who enter the foster care system have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse and neglect. They have been tossed around into multiple homes, having to readjust each time not only with new families but also new case workers. Without short and long term services, these children are likely to show the same negative behaviors throughout their lifetime, resulting in abuse and neglect being passed down through the generations. Safe Families for Children is a preventative program that allows families to reach out for help before the situation gets to the point at which Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) must intervene.

Individuals ServedIndividuals served by the project are children and families in a time of crisis. Situations

defined as a crisis can range from sudden unemployment or loss of housing, domestic violence, and/or drug or alcohol addition, to incarceration of a parent. Currently, Safe Families for Children of Bethany Christian Services in Winter Garden, Florida serves 50 families in Winter Garden and the surrounding areas (Kissimee, Ocoee, and Sanford, Florida).

Measuring SuccessSuccess of the project will be measured by looking at an increase in knowledge, access,

and use of resources by biological parents before and after they have worked with SFFC. Additionally, we will look at the home environment of biological parents both before and after the child is in temporary care. We will also be attentive to process-oriented objectives. We will measure the number of Safe Families with whom we work as well as the number of Safe Family Coaches both before the Recruitment/Volunteer Coordinator begins trainings and after. We will be open to feedback from parents, children, host families, Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family Friends at all times. When children are placed back into their homes, we will complete look at what the biological parents have learned through the process of working with the Safe Families for Children program and how they feel now that they have accomplished the task of being reunited with their family.

PROJECT PLAN

Describe the implementation for your project. Be sure to include information on key staff and volunteer project managers.

The cost of the training for Safe Family Coaches is $15,000. This will cover the time that the Recruitment/Volunteer Coordinator will spend teaching the skills needed to the volunteers so that they can better serve the needs of the biological families participating in the program.

Safe Families for Children’s curriculum and design is based on an original model in which biological parents maintain full custody. There is a commitment to reunite the family as soon as possible, with an average length of stay with the host family at six weeks. The volunteer families are extensively screened and supported, and there is a close working relationship among Safe Families, the local church, and the referring organization.

SFFC works with adoption organizations and churches nationwide, creating access to a greater number of volunteers. A host family provides a loving and stable environment and serves out of a sense of compassion and love, giving the biological parents time to establish stability in their homes. Each volunteer family is assigned a Coach who keeps track of information such as a change in address or phone number, employment, number of people living in the home, and any behavioral or medical emergencies. Unlike foster care, volunteers of Safe Families for Children receive no compensation and the biological parent(s) voluntarily seek their assistance. The volunteer family, biological parent(s), and child/children receive support before, during, and after placement. Services provided depend on each family’s specific needs and range from rehab to financial management courses. These services are available due to the large network of providers within churches and the communities

Many families are referred to us by members in the community, Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family Friends, or they come to us on their own. Currently there is one staff member of Bethany Christian Services of Winter Garden that facilitates the host families through the adoption process, also known as a Safe Family Coach. This person is the one notified if there are any changes in the host families basic information and will also support the family throughout the process.

The Project Coordinator, Cheri Williams, has a Master’s Degree in public administration and is employed full time as the Branch Director at Bethany. She oversees SFFC to make sure that everything is functioning properly. A case worker from Bethany Christian Services, either Charlotte Cooper or Rosie Smith, is responsible for completing a home visit with the family to allow the staff to get to know the family and make sure that the home is a safe place. Both have Master’s Degrees in social work and are employed full time at Bethany. They each complete half of the initial home studies and weekly home visits with the host families. Training is completed online, and all other parts of the process such as the background check/fingerprinting and letters

of recommendation are the responsibility of the host families. The Coach notifies families when a child needs help. The Recruitment/Training Coordinator, Mae Brennan, trains volunteers in the community to assist host families at no charge. She has a Master’s Degree in counseling and is employed part-time as a counselor at Agape Counseling Services. The case management position is funded through existing resources. The remaining partners, Safe Family Friends and Churches, are completely voluntary and require no funding. With additional funding, we will be able to train more Coaches, making it possible to place more children with Safe Families.

This project is also supported by 50 volunteer Hosts, 7 volunteer Churches, 50 volunteer Friends, and 50 volunteer Coaches, all of whom are trained by Bethany Christian Services staff.

Describe the evaluation process for our project, including expected outcomes. Outline (i) the evaluation process, (ii) the individuals responsible for measuring and reporting the outcome of the project, (iii) the statistical manner in which\results will be calculated, and (iv) a description of how the project will be funded in future years.

Evaluation ProcessThe project outputs will be measured by several pre and post group tests and pre and post

Safe Family home studies. Program outcomes will be measured written records of program participation, documented feedback from parents, children, host families, and Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family Friends, and post-program surveys.

Individuals ResponsibleAll results will be collected by the Cheri Williams, the Project Coordinator of

SFFC/Branch Director for BCS. The results will be analyzed by Case Workers, the Recruitment/Training Coordinator, as well as the Board of Directors. Decisions on changes to the program will be made based on results.

Statistical MannerPre and post group tests and pre and post Safe Family home studies results will be

recorded into SFFC’s database. The number Safe Families and Safe Families Coaches will be measured and recorded in the database as well. Feedback from parents, children, host families, and Safe Family Churches, and Safe Family Friends will be documented via Microsoft Word or writing and filed. When children are placed back into their homes, parents will complete a survey about what they have learned through their process of working with the Safe Families for Children program and how they feel now that they have accomplished the task of being reunited with their family. These results will be placed into the database as well.

Future FundingThe total cost of this project is $47,500. To date we have received a total of $23,500

toward this total cost. This includes contributions from board members, other donors, and private donations. As we evaluate the impact of this new position, we believe the increases in families served and children reunited will demonstrate an impact expansion, bringing in additional support from the Winter Garden community. We will be completely sustainable with the financial assistance coming from our local supporters once the $15,000 is acquired.

BUDGET INFORMATIONApplicant year-end: November 1 Time period for budget below: July 1-June 31 2015

Amount request: $15,000 Time period for payment: 1 year

Budget Detail Budget for Project Annual Budget for OrganizationSalaries $35,800 $ 207,000

Payroll taxes $3,000 $ 24,800

Fringe benefits $6,000 $ 0

Office space $ 2,400 $ 0

General overhead $ 0 $ 26,000

Travel $ 0 $ 6,000

Consultants/professional fees $ 0 $ 0

Postage $ 0 $ 275

Office supplies $ 300 $ 5,000

Marketing/communications $ 0 $ 2,000

Capital expenditures $ 0 $ 3,000

Total $ 47,500 $ 274,075

Revenue Detail Revenue for Project Annual Revenue for Organizations

Individual contributions $ 10,900 $ 102,000

Corporate contributions $ 10,000 $ 78,500

Foundation grants $ 15,000 $ 25,000

Government grants $0 $ 0

Membership income $ 5,000 $ 7,300

Special events $ 0 $ 62,000

In-Kind support $ 6,600 $ 25,275

Other (specify) $ 0 $ 0

Total $47,500 $300,075

List other foundations that have been asked to fund this project, the amounts requested, and the current status. Add an additional page if necessary.Foundation Amount Requested Status

The Children’s Foundation $ 15,000 Pending

Joe and Melinda Branch Foundation $ 10,000 Pending

ATTACHMENTS REQUIRED

X IRS tax determination letter showing that you are a recognized public charity and that you are not a private foundation

X Affidavit from a representative of your organization stating that the IRS has not revoked your tax-exempt status or changed

that status since the issuance of the tax determination letter.

X A copy of the most recent audited financial statement of your organization.

X A copy of the organization’s most recent annual report, if available.

X A list of the organization’s board of directors or trustees, showing name, corporate title, volunteer title, address, work

telephone, and home telephone.

X PLEASE SUBMIT THE ORIGINAL AND FIVE (5) COPIES OF THE COMPLETE APPLICATION, INCLUDING

ATTACHMENTS.

Statement from Applicant Organization’s Chief Executive Officer

And Chief Volunteer Officer:

We do hereby certify that the information provided in this grant application is accurate and complete to the best of our ability and knowledge. We further acknowledge that if awarded a grant from the Luther and Susie Harrison Foundation, we will provide certification to the Luther and Susie Harrison Foundation that the funds have been used for the purposes for which the grant was awarded. We will make this certification within the time specified in the grant agreement.

Cheri Williams/Branch Director 03/16/2015Chief Executive Officer of Applicant/Provide Name and Title Date

Gina Magrino/Office Coordinator 03/16/2015Chief Volunteer Officer of Applicant/Provide Name and Title Date