D.A. Blodgett - St. John’shomes and hope society

SURROUNDING children with love...

“These little children we are caring for belong to us all - to the human family - and is it not your privilege and ours to assist in giving them a fair chance in the world?”

- excerpt from the D.A. Blodgett Board Report, October 1915

THROUGH NO CHOICE of their own...

Children are utterly vulnerable to the parents who raise them. Parents, for the most part, determine physical well-being, emotional health, and learning capacity of their children.

MOST parents want what’s best for their children, but sometimes they need help… • caring for their developmentally disabled child, • developing their parenting skills, • providing healthy role models for their child, • accessing community resources, such as childcare or food pantries.

BUT some parents… • abuse drugs or alcohol, • go to jail, leaving their children behind, • beat, starve, rape their children, • ignore their children’s most basic needs, • or, simply abandon their children.

Children don’t choose their parents. Sometimes, they are helpless victims of the families into which they are born. At D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s we believe all children deserve to be loved. They deserve a safe home, and skillful and caring support. Most importantly, they need positive role models who will influence the choices they make when they become parents themselves.

Poverty in Grand Rapids grew from 15.8% in 2000

to 24.7% in 2008, the steepest rise in the nation.

More than 9,000 cases of child abuse or neglect are reported in Kent County annually.

Confirmed cases of child abuse in Kent County increased 98% from 2000-2008.

75% of abused children come from homes where substance abuse is a contributing factor.

65% of children who are removed from their home never return.

More than 8,300 children in Kent County have at least one incarcerated parent.

66% of children in youth detention facilities have parents who are incarcerated.

THE HARSH REALITY for our community

why do children need D.A. BLODGETT - ST. JOHN’S?

Other1%

Broken Placement

9%

Sexual Abuse5%

Physical Abuse16%

Neglect69%

Because her past abuse lefther unable to trust adults, TIFFANY ran away from three foster homes.

Between beatings, CHRISTOPHER spent most of the first four years of his life locked in his bedroom.

RICK, 15, was molested by his mother and uncle as a young boy. He now has difficulty controlling his temper and impulses.

GABRIEL and TANISHA, 8 and 10, were absent from school for ten days before a truancy officer located them in an abandoned house trying to cook stolen hot dogs over a makeshift fire. Their mother had been evicted from their apartment and had simply disappeared.

They need homes...and hope.

a LEGACY of love

For over 120 years, D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s has been steadfast in providing care for children in West Michigan, no matter how dire their circumstances or desperate their need. We are a refuge, always focusing on what is best for each child.

D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s gives vulnerable children a chance to overcome their circumstances, while renewing their faith in themselves and in other people. Our continuum of services covers virtually every need a child or family could have:

• Home Placement Services, including foster care, adoption, and pregnancy support services.

• Community-Based Services, including counseling and parenting training.

• Mentoring Programs including Big Brothers Big Sisters.

• Residential Programs, including emergency shelter care and residential treatment at St. John’s Home.

LIVES we touch

More than 200 foster families give care to more

than 400 children.

Over 1,100 children are matched with mentors intheir schools or communities.

Approximately 100 adoptions, primarily foster children adopted by their foster parents,—are finalized each year.

More than 100 teens are in foster homes - more than any agency in Kent County.

More than 500 area families benefit from home counseling services each year.

surging NEEDS

Children are on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Unlike adults, they have no means of improving their lives when their parents cannot or will not care for them.

Children in Kent County bear the brunt of every social and economic crisis that touches our state.

• Poverty in the city of Grand Rapids is growing faster than anywhere else in the nation. This means more children are

suffering from malnutrition, poor health, and neglect.

• Unemployment has topped 10.7% in Grand Rapids, putting more parents in desperate straits.

• Our emergency shelter at the St. John’s campus provides a refuge for 450 children each year who have been removed

from their homes for their own safety.

• Domestic violence affects the entire family. In 4,300 domestic violence incidents reported in Kent County in 2009,

4 out of 5 women say their children were also victims of violence.

• The number of single parent families continues to grow. 76% of families living in poverty are headed by a single parent.

Their children often receive less attention and have fewer adult role models than children in two-parent households.

Every child deserves a safe place to live surrounded by adults who love them. In a loving home, children grow up to be the kind-hearted, generous and giving young people who reach out to help as they have been helped.

They rely on us for safe homes and hope.

CARING 24/7

TOBY was just past his third birthday when he came to KidsFirst, the emergency shelter for children at the St. John’s campus. His father decided he no longer wanted his beautiful, healthy toddler, so

when he caught the Greyhound from Grand Rapids to Detroit he simply left Toby in the terminal.

An alert citizen called the police, who immediately brought him to a big house on St. John’s campus. A friendly counselor fed him bowl of spaghetti, then gave him milk and a cookie. She gave him a gentle health check

up, a bubble bath, and some clean overalls. Finally, she rocked Tody to sleep. Meanwhile, Protective Services located Toby’s family. By dinner time, a case worker arrived to take Toby to his grandmother’s home.

KidsFirst never closes. When a child needs a safe refuge, we are ready.

JON was angry - angry his birth parents abused him, angry his adoptive parents rejected him, and angry he had to spend a year in detention. At 13, he wasn’t easy to love. But Mike and Nancy, two veteran foster parents in suburban Grand Rapids, saw the hurt beneath the anger and offered to make room in their busy foster home for one more boy. But even with special training in adolescent development from D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s, nothing prepared them for life with this teen.

During ninth grade, Jon spent most of his time in the school’s suspension room, while Nancy spent most of her time talking to Jon’s caseworker. Together, they convinced Jon to go out for basketball. This was the turning point. At his games, his foster parents and caseworker became Jon’s personal cheering section. He basked in the attention and played hard. Success followed in track and in the classroom, and college scouts began calling.

Today, Jonathan is a freshman at Central Michigan University thanks to a D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s scholarship, and a CMU athletic scholarship. Although Jon is officially on his own these days, he’s planning several trips home to celebrate the holidays with Mike and Nancy.

REAL KIDS real stories...

D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Gifts meet charitable deduction guidelines.

LOCATIONS

VOLUNTEER opportunities

Volunteers are the life blood of our agency. Volunteers reduce the cost of services we provide and demonstrate to children that the community cares about their well-being.

We have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available, including:

BECOMING a mentor with Big Brothers or Big Sisters

DONATING to Backpack and Care Bag drives

JOINING a D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s Guild

ASSISTING with annual golf outing fund raisers

ASSISTING with campus maintenance and fix-up projects

PROVIDING transportation for children and families

RENOVATING a child’s bedroom or bathroom

BECOMING a Visiting Artist

SHARING a hobby or skill with children

If you would like to volunteer...please contact Lindsay Re at 616.774-2290 or visit our website at www.DABlodgettStjohns.org.

2355 Knapp St. NEGrand Rapids, MI 49505

p | 616.361.5227f | 616.361.9923

805 Leonard St. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49503

p | 616.451.2021 f | 616.361.9923

www.DABlodgettStjohns.org