Welcome to this first edition of Carolyn’s Corner! Each month our Experiential Education Director, Carolyn Davis, will share a bit about activities happening with the youth around The Matthews House.

Summer is just around the corner and The Matthews House is preparing for it big time this year. As our program continues to grow and expand we are very excited to announce two new summer programs:

Outdoor Club and Cultivate: A Community Garden Project!

Let me tell you a little bit about what we hope these programs will look like this year.

Kristina Maxwell, MSW, (one of our Transition Facilitators) will be combining her two passions, social work and outdoor education, as she takes youth out weekly to explore the great outdoors. Many of the youth at The Matthews House never had the opportunity to explore the mountains, lakes, and forests right in their Colorado backyard.

For Kristina and I it is difficult to imagine summers without being outdoors, playing in the dirt, swimming in the lake or ocean, hiking, and just letting nature be the backdrop for a great day. So, we’re hoping to impart some of our passion to our youth and develop in them a respect and love for their natural surroundings, resources, and environment at large by having them experience good ol’ fashion playtime.

We’re never too old to play in the outdoors and are so excited to take our youth on grand adventures; we’ll be whitewater rafting, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and swimming! It really is incredible to think about how amazing of a classroom the outdoors can be and are looking forward to all the self-discovery that is bound happen this summer amongst our youth.

As for our gardening program, Cultivate, well, that’s a work in progress. We are so fortunate to be in our new neighborhood and work out of this house. Since its our first growing season here we’ll be taking some time to discover what is already growing in our yard and some time to imagine the possibilities.

Youth who are interested will have the opportunity to learn how to work a garden. We might have flowers, we might have vegetables, we might have both! One thing I can say for sure is that it won’t all get done in one year. My hope is that together youth, staff, and volunteers can create a vision of what they want their Matthews House “home” to look like and reflect. As the years go by and our program grows and changes, so will our gardens.

The goal is to show youth in a tangible way what it looks like, the energy takes, and the beautiful outcomes of taking the time to nurture living things – what a poignant way for youth to experience that kind of care when it has never been modeled for them before.

Well, those are the updates from me this month. I look forward to writing to you all next month when I hope to be able to tell you more about how our youth are engaging in their community and reducing their carbon footprint!

Signing off for now – Carolyn, Experiential Education Director (aka, Director of Fun!).

More commonly known on the trail as “S’more,” Kara has been an integral part in the development of our Experiential Education Program here at The Matthews House.

Over the past year, Kara has donated over 280 hours on our Summer Backpacking Trip, organizing and attending our Winter Yurt Trip, and as an Activity/Transportation Volunteer.

The relationships she has built with our youth at these activities is proof of how our community is making a difference in their lives. Because of the experiences she has had at The Matthews House, Kara will now be venturing off to Minnesota where she will be working with youth in the corrections system through a Wilderness Therapy Program. We wish her all the best and look forward to the time when she will come back to The Matthews House and share her knowledge and experience with our youth and staff once again!

Where did you grow up?
Littleton, Colorado

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to play practical jokes, bike with friends around town, go to concerts, watch documentaries, play board games, go on coffee/tea dates, hike and backpack, water-ski, read (I just finished a book that was recommended to me by a kiddo at The Matthews House, “Half The Sky” by Kristof, Nicholas D./ Wudunn, Sheryl)

What did you study in school?
I got a BA in Liberal Arts and English at CSU

Favorite Food?
I LOVE CHEESE

Share a fun fact about yourself.
I like to name my plants.

In what ways do you like to volunteer? What do you like best about volunteering?
I don’t really consider the things I do at TMH “volunteering.” It’s more just picking my new friends up and doing different activities with them. I believe that learning about these youth and their lives helps me to make better decisions about my own life and how to look at life with a more positive prospective. It really makes me appreciate the things that I do have, rather than concentrating on what I don’t have.

What’s the best/most fun thing that’s ever happened while you were volunteering?
The BCM backpacking trip, and the Winter Yurt Trip have been the highlights of my experience with The Matthews House.

What made you choose to volunteer at the Matthews House?
I heard Jerri speak and I love working with youth.

]]> http://thematthewshouse.org/volunteer-recognition-kara-bogner/feed/ 2 http://thematthewshouse.org/at-risk-families-intro/ http://thematthewshouse.org/at-risk-families-intro/#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:53:22 +0000 Daryle http://thematthewshouse.org/?p=1834 Since opening in 2005, The Matthews House has become known for successfully supporting at risk youth in Larimer County as they transition to adulthood. However, over the past three years, our Community Based Program has been quietly growing.

Through this program, we provide one-on-one coaching to help at risk families build resiliency and navigate difficulties in the areas of parenting, money management, job readiness and healthy relationships. This assistance increases self-sufficiency of families, reduces the need for children to be removed to out-of-home placements such as foster care and breaks the very cycle that leads youth to need our transitional services later in life.

Lydia (name changed) is a young mother whose life was changed through the Community Based Program.

At 22 years old, she was living in an abusive meth house, with no plan for her future and at great risk of losing custody of her two children who were in foster care.  Within three months of beginning intensive work on goals with her Family Coach, she obtained stable housing near her children, was allowed visitations and had a 40 hour per week job, all while maintaining her sobriety.  She now has hope for the future and even though her DHS case is closed, she stays connected through Matthews House activities and events.

Lydia’s story highlights the power of relationship based, community supported services.  By surrounding her with a network of support focused on helping her to set and achieve her own goals, she was able to start looking forward and make significant life changes.

These changes not only affect Lydia’s life, but her two children as well, who can now rely on a healthy mom instead of “the system”.

By supporting The Matthews House you are helping families to stay together as they work toward achieving self-sufficiency.

First, I want to graduate high school and then attend college in order to become an EMT. I also have an interest in becoming a gymnastics coach as I have been a gymnast all of my life.

In order to achieve my goal of going to college and pursuing my passion for gymnastics, I hope to earn a college scholarship for gymnastics. I would like to attend college because I believe it will be the best training opportunity to become a EMT.

It is important to have a nice outfit for a number of reasons; it shows that you care about the position you are interviewing for, it demonstrates respect, and it helps you feel confident about what you are offering to the employer. My style can take many forms and I am open to all styles but you will often find me in comfortable athletic wear or something classy, bright and flowy.”

That statement is from one of The Matthews House youth who will benefit from the Movin’ On Up Fashion Show.

Called Movin’ On Up with The Matthews House, the event is a joint project of The Matthews House, Fort Collins and Timnath clothing stores, and CSU Design and Merchandising students. A CSU student will accompany and assist each female Matthews House youth as she “shops” at the participating clothing stores, which include Biyazzi, Cira, Fine and Funky, and Rain Boutique. The pairs of CSU students and The Matthews House youth will select an outfit appropriate for job interviews in the young woman’s area of career interest, and the young woman will model the selected outfit at the event. Her hair will be styled for the event by Tuana Hair Design.

Job shadowing has also been arranged as part of this project.

Tickets cost $35, include a Rio appetizer buffet, fashion show, and Hip Hop performance. Proceeds will benefit The Matthews House and pay for the selected job interview clothing.

What: A dinner, fashion show, and Hip Hop performance designed to outfit Matthews House youth for job interview success
When: Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Agave Room, above the Rio Grande Restaurant, 143 W. Mountain Ave, Fort Collins.
How much? Tickets cost $35, include a Rio appetizer buffet, fashion show, and Hip Hop performance.

Proceeds will benefit The Matthews House and pay for the selected job interview clothing.

Buy tickets here or tickets can also be purchased at:

• Rain Boutique, 124 Pine Street, Fort Collins, (970) 402-0882
• Biyazzi, 15 Old Town Square, Fort Collins (970) 226-8512

Tickets can also be purchased for $40 at the Rio on the night of the event.

Katie, Esme, Keith and Kelly

Keith Colton, Master of Social Work intern, has been on the team since August, helping with our youth transition program. He is incredibly relational, has a great sense of humor, enjoys playing guitar, and has contributed significantly to our guys programs. In addition to interning at the Matthews House, Keith keeps busy as a husband, father, and Volunteer Coordinator at Catholic Charities.

Katie Christman, United Way AmeriCorps member, joined us in October to help with our Volunteer and Youth Transition programs. Katie got more than she bargained for; she is our go-to gal for anything the staff doesn’t have time to do… which is a lot! Katie graduated from University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Sociology and is proud to be a Buffalo. In her spare time she loves to play and coach tennis, drink coffee, post things on Pinterest, and watch Ellen, Marcel the Shell, or anything that makes her smile and laugh.

Kelly Maycumber, Master of Social Work intern, joined us in October to help with our Youth and Family Coaching program.  Kelly is the queen of taking initiative… there is barely a day that goes by where she doesn’t ask several people, “Is there something I can help you with?” Kelly spent two years in the Philippines for Peace Corps. She is newly married and loves Halloween, board games, fun socks and bubble gum.

Esmeralda “Esme” Rodriguez, Bachelor of Social Work Intern, joined us in January to help with the Community Life Center planning and various other things. Esme is a Daniels Fund Scholar and she studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. She recently took a trip to Washington DC to speak with members of Congress to promote educational programs that encourage low-income and 1st generation students to pursue continuing education. Esme is a native Spanish speaker, loves to cook Mexican food, and hopes to go skydiving soon.

We are so very grateful to have Keith, Katie, Kelly and Esme on our team! They are irreplaceable and have contributed in more ways than I can describe. Thank you so much!!!

Have you ever started your day imagining it one way and then it takes a complete detour?

Have you received news that was perplexing and you really weren’t sure how things would work out?

November 21, 2011 was one of those days at The Matthews House.

On that day, we received news regarding zoning that would prohibit us from continuing to operate at our old location on Mathews Street. However, it turned out to be one of those unexpected miracles.

Since we were already gearing up to expand, the financing fell into place and we found our new location quickly. We were able to move into a larger space while actually paying less each month AND now we own our property! We are now even considering a special funding campaign that would allow us to eliminate mortgage payments and shift that money to program costs.

Please come visit us at our new home:

• When: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 stop by – 7:30-10am or 4:30-7pm
• Where: 415 Mason Ct, #1, Fort Collins (click for directions or see map below)
• Additional Parking: Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center
• Questions? Call 970-472-4293
• Printer Friendly Invitation: Click here for PDF download.

The Cultivate Hope Garden Party Benefit is just around the corner and here is the low down so you can go ahead and mark it in your calendar today.

When: Thursday May 3rd, 2012 from 6PM to 8:30PM

Where: Fort Collins Marriott

How Much: Free but an RSVP is required.

The Cultivate Hope Garden Party Benefit focuses on life and the new growth that can happen when young people are given the resources and support they need to grow and blossom.

This event has two portions:

• It all starts with an outdoor garden party with food, drinks, silent auction of garden-related items and live music.
• Followed by a sit down dessert and coffee presentation that focuses on the successes of individual youth involved in the Matthews House program.

There is no ticket cost, but guests will be asked to consider making a donation to The Matthews House program.

In 2011, this event raised over $20,000 for The Matthews House programs.

More information and tickets are available here.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor

The .25-.50 mile hike in was simply breath-taking; pine trees were scattered along a back drop of snow covered mountains, and animal tracks everywhere you looked.

Backpacks loaded up and pulks (that’s the fancy word for a “gear” sled) full of food, we enjoyed a light hike up to our yurts.  The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there was over 2 feet of snow to play in.  We enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner that night while playing games.  The next morning we awoke warm and cozy (thanks to our wood stove!) to a colorful sunrise.  The boys hiked over to the girls yurt and we ventured out to a morning full of snow shoeing and an epic snowball fight!  Back to the yurts we headed for homemade chili and three rounds of Mafia!

All in all it was a fantastic way to connect youth with the Colorado backcountry, build a tight knit community, and learn new skills.  And if it weren’t for all the generous donations/discounts we wouldn’t have been able to have such an amazing adventure.

Thank you Never Summer Nordic Yurts, Big City Mountaineers, The Bibliomaniacs, Homeless Gear, Celestino’s Pizza & Diane Bogner for pizza and all our community members who donated boots, ski pants, ski jackets, hats and gloves, and let us borrow snow shoes!

This video is dedicated to you :

He has cheerfully shown up at event after event and helped us capture many memorable images.

Craig is a great example of the community support we receive and depend on here at The Matthews House.

These are just a few examples of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of photos he has taken over the years for us.

When he is not helping us out you will most likely find Mr. Vollmer shooting or editing photos from weddings. He has been a wedding photographer for over 10 years now and he is amazing!

So the next time you are at one of our events and you see the always smiling Craig Vollmer behind the camera be sure to say thanks for us! And next time you are in need of a photographer, check him out at craigvollmerphotography.com.

Thanks Craig! You are the best!

They have been truly devoted to The Matthews House in word and deed for over 4 years. Let’s hear a little bit more from them:

So, where ya from?

Ken: Colorado native, Colorado Springs, CSU graduate

Suzanne: California (7 ½ miles from Disneyland), lived for 4 years (early 20’s) in NYC

In what ways do you like to volunteer?

Ken: Serving the youth and families; meals; hope to offer classes at some point.

Suzanne: I enjoy baking and cooking for the youth and basically spending 1 on 1 time with them listening to their stories.

Why did you choose the Matthews House?

Ken: Jerri Howe’s passion and vision early on; all of the staff.

Suzanne: Ditto, listening to Jerri talk about the Matthew’s House encourages one to help.

What do you like best about volunteering?

Ken: Personal satisfaction in being able to give back.

Suzanne: During a couple of my shifts as a House Volunteer a couple of the young moms brought in their infants and let me hold them. It was great to see the care and love these moms had for their children. But the best thing about being a house volunteer is just having the youth show up and hang out during my shift. I really enjoy talking to them.

For several years, along with their son Baxter, the Smiths cleaned the house monthly, making sure it was dirt free and comfortable for all that entered (even to the point of discovering a nasty wasp nest on the back of the house).

Suzanne currently hangs out and talks with the youth as a weekly house volunteer, helps regularly with administrative duties and provides yummy food for a variety of purposes. Her dedication and consistent presence is so beneficial to the youth that we serve.

Ken began by doing some vocational mentoring with some of the first Matthews House youth. He was able to give these couple of youth a great experience and a good recommendation to later benefit them in the food service industry. Additionally, for three consecutive years he led student groups at CSU in preparing our Thanksgiving Dinner for about 50 youth. He is also a member of The Matthews House Board of Directors and big time advocate for getting people involved at the Matthews House. In the last couple years, I’m pretty sure he has sent more people our way than any other person. What a great way to make an impact!

Thank you Ken and Suzanne for giving selflessly to youth in need in our community!

Vanessa Aschmann, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at The Matthews House