The Children's Home of Reading

Fall 2017Helping Children Heal • A United Way Agency

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Each year, generous donors like you help more than 1,400 children and their familes to heal, learn, grow,

and thrive.

How You Are Helping Support Educational, Behaviorial, and Mental Health Needs?

EXPANSION!

Brian’s StoryWhen Brian’s mom first contacted The Children’s Home of Reading, he had been in and out of the emergency room with mental health issues; he was quite withdrawn, was testing at a third grade reading level and was very angry. He was going into the seventh grade.

He was like many of the children we see; he came from a single parent household where his mother worked two jobs; he was the oldest of five children and had an absentee father.

Thanks to generous donors and funders, Brian was accepted into our Acute Partial Hospitalization Program.

APHP is there to help those children who are suffering from moderate to profound acute psychiatric disorders that impair their ability for everyday social, vocational and/or educational functioning.

This summer we received permission from the state to expand our license to help even more children by expanding our APHP program to serve adolescents. Now we will be able to accept

children from ages 5 through 18 and we will be moving into our new location on the fifth floor of the SAM building, located at 19 N 6th Street, in downtown Reading.

Brian is doing much better since entering the program and is working hard to focus, verbalize his feelings, and interact with others. His therapists and his mother are seeing big changes in him in the 4 weeks he’s been in the program.

Currently he is showing interest in reading and starting to work on his education skills, and since he has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), we are working with his home school district to transition him into our CHOR Day Academy. This program is for regular and special education students who are in need of an alternative education program outside their home school districts.

The classroom sizes are a 1:12 teacher ratio with specialized teaching methods tailored to meet the needs of each child. Brian is behind in reading by three grades but has really shown a desire to learn. With the help and support of the therapeutic services he needs and his enthusiasm, we anticipate that Brian will be reading on a sixth grade level by year’s end and will be able to return to his home school.

Your Gifts At Work

A Note from Dr. VinceThe children who come to The Children’s Home of Reading are very complex children with many issues. Their issues interfered in their ability to enjoy family and friends, to live at home, to attend regular school, and to be a part of an upbringing that all children deserve. When they come to The Children’s Home, most are afraid, lonely,

and depressed. Many begin to relive past traumas as they begin their journey through the therapeutic process. For all of these reasons, we, as staff, need to provide for these children any and all tools possible for them to begin to heal. On September 21, 2017, The Children’s Home of Reading welcomed a crowd to the unveiling of the Holleran Chapel. The Holleran Chapel will give children and families yet another avenue to deal with all they deal with. It will be a place that fosters healing, a place that children can go to pray, ponder, and meditate. It will be a place of peace. Thank you to all who were involved in creating the Holleran Chapel. We welcome our constituents to visit CHOR and request a tour of the Chapel to see the latest way we are caring for the needs of children and families in crisis and preparing them for success in life.

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Mr. Andy P. Berger

Ms. Margaret Bligh

Mr. Robert J. Cagliola

Mr. Jonathan Encarnacion

Mrs. Leslie Giardiello

Mr. Bruce D. Kraft, AAI, CIC

Mr. Jonathan H. Kurland, Esq.

Mr. Jesse C. Leisawitz, Esq

Dr. Louis D. Mancano

Mr. Daniel C. Nevins, Esq.

Mr. Thomas Ninetto

Dr. Olubunmi Ojikutu

Mr. W. Lee Prussman

Mr. Russell Reber

Mr. Malcolm Schoenberger

Mr. Michael Schmidtlein

Mr. Grant Skyllas

Mr. Douglas F. Smith

Mr. William J. Stiles

Dr. Christopher F. Valente

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The Holleran Chapel, a place for reflection and hope on The Children’s Home of Reading (CHOR) campus is finally ready to serve its purpose: to be a place of hope, solace, comfort, and celebration. “The Children’s Home of Reading does not have a religious affiliation, but we are aware of the importance of religion to many of the children and families we serve,” said Dr. Vince LaSorsa, President/CEO for CHOR. “The Holleran Chapel offers hope, a safe place where children and families can visit and healing can take place.”The chapel was an idea of Jann Meadows, the granddaughter of Arthur J. Schott, a resident of the home along with his brother and sister in the late 1800s. For Meadows, the mission to help children in Reading stems from her own faith and desire to recognize her beloved grandfather and acknowledge the Children’s Home of Reading for supporting his family in their time of need.

For five long years, Meadows along with a dedicated volunteer committee, embarked on a journey to build the chapel, and raise countless donations from Berks County, across the country, and even France.“We are so thankful to the committee, community members, and businesses who donated their time, talents and their gifts to help make this dream a reality,” said LaSorsa.Earlier this year, The Children’s Home of Reading was struggling to complete the chapel project when it received its final donation from the Jerlyn Foundation.“We are so grateful to Carolyn and Jerry; they are so supportive of the important work we do. They care about the well-being of the children and families we serve through our programs, and our community,” said LaSorsa, “We can’t thank them enough for their generosity.”The chapel offers a small sanctuary with room for 10 that opens up to a much

larger multi-purpose room for art, music, individual and family therapy, and small meetings. As a tribute to Meadows’ grandfather and his legacy, the sanctuary will be known as, the Arthur J. Schott Sanctuary.Over 50 people attended the inaugural celebration under tents and a beautiful blue sky. Donors, neighbors, past board members, committee members, clergy, past and current staff, and clients turned out to celebrate the momentous day. The highlight was a staff member announcing that one of the boys in the Residential Program who has been a resident through the building process, was excited to let the attendees know that he got notice that he will be discharged in the next few weeks, to which the crowd responded with applause. It seemed that on this beautiful dedication day, someone’s prayers were answered.

CHOR Dedicates Holleran Chapel and Arthur J. Schott Sanctuary

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Mya, a girl who came to our Residential Program and Day Academy, looking for transformational change and opportunity...

My name is Mya. I am 18 years old and have been a client at The Children's Home for nine months. I am here due to my struggle with depression and trauma.The treatment I receive at CHOR has encouraged me to have and maintain healthy relationships,to manage my emotions in a safe, positive way,to handle trauma-induced depression,and to behave in a public setting.I feel like a completely different person,no exaggeration. Unlike many of my peers,I came to CHOR hoping to become a better person, better daughter,better sister and better friend. It disgusted me knowing how many people I hurt in my pursuit of self-destruction and it had to end.And then,here's CHOR. A perfect opportunity to start over.A stable place to regroup. ABSOLUTELY.Now I'm not going to romanticize my CHOR experience,but it is truly what you make of it.Since I have a completely new outlook on life,I have some goals that are very important to me. I'm actually in the process of writing my first book of poetry. I intend to apply to Alvernia University. I am taking my past due SAT's in the very near future. My discharge date has already been set and it 's after my graduation from High School. I am expecting to be in a threshold where I will branch off in approximately a year to become self-sufficient and to put the skills I learned at CHOR to the test.Finally,I am confident that because of the firm,yet kind,treatment I received while I was at CHOR,and my willingness to change,that I will become a proud,successful adult. Mya :)

Since 1884 we have fulfilled our mission:

Caring for the needs of children and families in crisis and preparing them for success in life.

With your help, we can continue to provide much needed guidance.

A letter from Mya . . .

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The NEED for our services is real. Over the past year...42% Increase in our Outpatient Program

13% Increase in our Day Academy

8% Increase in our Acute Partial Hospitalization Program grades 1-6

44% Increase in our Girls Residential Treatment Program

Every child deserves the hope, if not the promise, of a bright future.

www.choreading.org

Girl’s RTF Just over 20 months after welcoming the first client, CHOR’s Girl’s Residential Treatment program has been bursting at the seams, so much so that CHOR has been asked to expand the facility from 6 beds to 24 single rooms to accommodate a growing need. Last month, CHOR received final approval from the Commonwealth to serve an additional 10 girls on the client list.

The Girl’s Residential Treatment Facility is a trauma-focused program. The anticipated outcomes of the program is to reintegrate the adolescent back into the community with the necessary skill set to manage the symptomology of their mental health or trauma conditions.

Thanks to Carole and Ray Neag for their support for this much needed program!

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Caught Giving Back and Having Fun!

Thank you to Henry Schein and their Back to School program for supplying

all of our clients and residents with a new backpack for school. The bags were

presented during a pizza party at our CHOR Olympics festivities after the

group helped us tie-dyeing shirts. The residents also enjoyed playing basketball

with the Team Schein employees. Thank you Team Schein for your continued

generosity and support. Your donation helped our kids be prepared and eager

to start the school year.

Thank you to Brad White, Sr.

and Olivet’s Send a Kid to

Camp program for once again

allowing our children one week

of camp. The kids went boating,

fishing, hiking, and swimming,

along with plenty of hikes, ball

games, cooking over the fire

and more. For many this is the

first time they are experiencing

nature and all its beauty.

We greatly appreciate your

support. The kids are already

looking forward to next year!

CHOR Olympics is a week-long event where our residents compete in all types of activities from bingo to basketball, puzzles to punting, and teamwork to tie-dying.

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Jeremy Carroll Foundation and Dorney Park Provide Positive Experience for Our Residents!Due to the generosity of the Jeremy Carroll Foundation, all of our clients had the opportunity to go to Dorney Park this summer. While this is an exciting opportunity for most of the clients, we had concerns as to how we could support our client, Will, on being able to go. Will is on the Autism spectrum and needs substantial support. He was working very hard and we wanted to reward his efforts but were concerned for his safety.

Will’s Clinician, Jamie Hohn, did some research and found that Dorney Park is very supportive of those on the Autism spectrum, as well as other disabilities that require assistance or special needs in using the park. Will and Jamie were able to go to ride services where after answering just a few questions to confirm he would be able to safely ride the rides, he received a special "boarding pass." This pass allowed them to use alternative entrances for rides that were busy and assigned a time to get on the ride. While Jamie was concerned about overstimulation at first due to the large number of people in lines and wait time, this pass allowed them to get on rides quickly. In addition, they had a guide that helped outline the "thrill level" of the rides as well as information that could pertain to sensory needs. All of this was very helpful in providing Will with a positive experience. We are so glad that his special needs were not a barrier to him participating in this wonderful opportunity. This is a day that Will will never forget!

Six Local McDonald’s Host School Supply DriveOn July 22, six local McDonald’s restaurants generously hosted CHOR staff for the purpose of collecting school supplies for children in need. The McDonald’s Restaurants, owned by CHOR Board Member Grant Skyllas, also presented a generous check to CHOR to further the mission of caring for the needs of children and families in crisis and preparing them for success in life. CHOR used the opportunity to speak to the public about foster care and adoption services in Berks County.

With the help of donors, volunteers, Media Partner Y102, and the staff at the McDonald’s at Mt. Penn, Muhlenberg, Exeter, Wyomissing, Temple, and Douglassville, CHOR collected a van full of school supplies for children in need. Performance Toyota generously collected and delivered the supplies to CHOR. Thank you to all who assisted with this event.

What a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening!Thank you to Leslie Giardiello (Details by Leslie) for beautifully transforming the Double Tree in to a 50’s Supper Club with entertainment by Tony Sands presents: Frank, Dino and Sammy, cigarette girls handing out desserts and more.

EVENT SPONSORS:

THE BEST IS YET TO COME SPONSOR:UPMC Health Plan

APPAREL SPONSOR:Enersys Inc.

PROMOTIONAL ITEM SPONSOR:Visions Federal Credit Union

OFFICIAL CAR SPONSOR: Performance Toyota

PLATINUM SPONSOR:Maggs & Assoc. at Merrill LynchMarlin and Ginger MillerDavid and Jan Schlegel

PUTTING GREEN SPONSOR:David Crane (Superior Inventories)

CART SPONSOR:Turkey Hill

DINNER COMMITTEELeslie Giardiello*, Dinner ChairpersonMelissa BartoLorraine KlingerTrish ShermotCheryl Tobias

GOLF COMMITTEE MEMBERS:Mark Maggs, Committee Co-ChairRick McDougall, Committee Co-ChairMelissa Barto Leslie Giardiello*Ed KerinsAndrew Maier IIDave SchlegelGrant Skyllas*

www.choreading.org

Special Opportunities for Special Kids….

thank you Jeremy Carroll Foundation!

A Message FromCaring Hearts Pet TherapyThis program is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which involves the positive interaction of registered therapy pets with adults and children with guidance from our experienced volunteer pet handlers. Our therapy pets also participate in the Tales with T.A.I.L.S. reading program at local schools and libraries. Our Paws for Heroes program is dedicated to providing pet therapy to members of the military and first responders including police and fire departments. For more information please contact George and Debbie Wertz, Caring Hearts Program Directors at caringheartslanc@windstream.net.

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The Children’s Home of Reading and Inperium, Inc., Announce Strategic AffiliationThe Children’s Home of Reading (CHOR) and Inperium have completed the affiliation process that will position CHOR to expand its services, advance its mission, and continue to provide nationally-recognized behavioral, mental healthcare, education and community services throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Formed in 2015, Inperium, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation headquartered in Reading. Affiliate members of Inperium work together in a formalized partnership to leverage human and financial resources to meet their mission and vision; they reduce costs, and create efficiencies while building a system of care that improves service delivery and quality in the communities each partner serves.

“The Children’s Home of Reading has been exploring collaborative relationships with compatible organizations for about seven years, with our goal of furthering our philosophy of delivering and expanding our 15 programs, where they are needed most,” said Dr. Vincent LaSorsa, President and CEO of The Children’s Home of Reading.

“I am optimistic that this proposed affiliation will provide great benefits for both parties,” said Ryan Smith, President of Inperium, Inc., “Our focus in establishing this innovative partnership with Children’s Home of Reading was so that we could expand into the children and family services.”

Foster Care needs for no discrimination.All types of families wanted for all types of kids.

FOSTER CARE ORIENTATION SCHEDULEDecember 6th and January 3rd

5-6PM

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CELEBRITY CHEF EVENTSo you think you can cook? Join CHOR on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 6PM at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downton Reading for the fourth annual Celebrity Chef Event. This chef contest tests the ability of those who are better known of their community skills than culinary skills. The winner walks away with the “Golden Spatula”. New this year – a Golden Whisk Award will be presented!

GOLF/ANNUAL COMMITTEE MEMBERSDo you enjoy event planning? Put your time and talents to use to help children and families in crisis in our community. CHOR’s Advancement Department is now seeking volunteers to help plan the annual event and golf tournament for the spring of 2018. Reserve the dates in your calendar now: The Annual Dinner will take place on April 30, 2018 and the Golf Classic will take place May 1, 2018.

WAYs to Help...

www.choreading.org

For more information about Planned Givng

the Legacy of Society:

Call 610-478-8266Visit www.choreading.org

Your Planned Gift

DifferenceHelp ensure that our mission is supported well into the future. Join our Planned Giving Society by including CHOR in your will and helping children and families heal for many years to come.

Makes a

GIFT DRIVENOW THROUGH END OF DECEMBERDo the holidays put you in the giving spirit? Email contactus@choreading.org to receive the holiday wish list of a child in one of our programs. Purchase a gift from the child’s wish list and return the gift to CHOR to help make the holidays more joyful for a local child.

GIFT CARD DONATIONS CHOR is always in need of gift card donations. Many of our clients have never had an opportunity to purchase a gift for themselves. Your gift card donations make this possible. Target, Walmart, LOWES, Michael’s, DICK’S Sporting Goods, AC Moore, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Sneaker Villa, Darden Restaurants, Borders, and Amazon gift cards are client favorites.

1010 Centre Avenue Reading, PA 19601Mark your calendars to join us in support of the children and families who need your help!

Holiday Gift Drive Running through the end of December

Day of Giving November 28, 2017

Celebrity Chef January 15, 2018

Annual Dinner/Golf Classic April 30, 2018 - May 1, 2018

Upcoming EvEnts

Visit us on the web to learn more about CHOR events and activities near you please visit www.choreading.org