CARING TIMESSummer 2013

From Wheelchair to Horseback: Jimmy’s Therapeutic Ride

Mike Elmore’s Inspiring Legacy of a Lifetime

Walk for Hope a Statewide Success

HopeTree Family Services

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Jimmy has been confined to a wheelchair nearly all his life. Thanks to HopeTree, he now enjoys a new hobby: horseback riding.

In This Issue

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Mike’s family had disintegrated. His future promised nothing more than heartache and uncertainty...until he arrived at HopeTree.

A group of Roanoke College students provide youth and enthusiasm resulting in a great addition to the HopeTree campus.

Our 2013 Walk for Hope was a great success. Learn how you can stage a Hope event of your own in your community.

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Page 6-7

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Legacy of a Lifetime

Riding the Range

College Students Get Involved

Walk for Hope

HopeTree Family Services provides residential care to at-risk youth as well as adults with developmental disabilities. All children are treated the same regardless of ability to pay. No discrimination will take place on the grounds of race, color, sex, or other classification protected by law. All children will have equal access to nutritious meals in accordance with federal law and USDA policy. The Developmental Disabilities Ministry shall develop, carry out, and regularly monitor policies and procedures governing discrimination in the provision of services to adult residents with developmental disabilities. HopeTree Family Services shall comply with all state and federal laws, including any applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USC 2101 et seq.), prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, age, sex, disability, or ability to pay.

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The Walk’s Next Step

A Message of Hope

Dr. Richerson offers his thanks to volunteers during a community event held on Salem’s campus in late April called Project: HopeTree.

Our annual Walk for Hope is one of my favorite HopeTree events. I have participated in these events almost from their beginning. Aa a pastor in Richmond, our church held a Walk for several years to raise money for HopeTree. It was encouraging to see members supporting HopeTree.

I participated in Richmond area Walks for several years. Developmental Disabilities Ministry residents there joined the fun and raised money as well. It was especially touching to see their enthusiasm. They enjoyed the fellowship and food accompanying the event. Some HopeTree foster families lent their efforts as well. Trustees of the “Home,” like myself at that time, also contributed financially and physically. My first Salem experience was an eye-opener. I was amazed at the level of community and business support, and especially at the number of churches who sent groups to walk. Since serving as President & Executive Director, I have been privileged to attend many events around the state where groups have raised financial support for HopeTree.

The Salem Walk for Hope saw extraordinary growth for the first decade, but had tapered off in recent years. However, I am pleased to

report we are experiencing increased interest and support this year.

Please view the video of the May 11 Salem Walk for Hope on HopeTreeFS.org. Note the smiles on faces of volunteers, walkers, HopeTree youth residents, DDM residents and staff, who shared this opportunity to make a difference.

Why not challenge your own church or church group, club, or civic organization to do a Hope Event? Your financial support truly makes a difference each day in the lives of those we serve. Our staff will assist you with planning, materials, and guidance to make your Hope Event a success. Join us in encouraging and supporting those we serve.

Dr. Stephen W. RichersonPresident & Executive Director

Caring Times is published 10 times per year by HopeTree Family Services, 860 Mt. Vernon Lane, Salem, VA 24153. CaringTimes@HopeTreeFS.org Phone: (540) 389-2112 Select photos may represent volunteers and not actual clients of HopeTree.Publisher...............................................................................................................................................Dr. Stephen RichersonEditor........................................................................................................................................................................Mark EarlyGraphic Designer..................................................................................................................................................Erin Cooper

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“We want the people we care for to have the best quality of life while doing normal things.” -- Dulcie Loyd DDM In-Home Staff

Since September 2012, Jimmy has ridden his favorite horse, Sugarfoot, through the chill of Fall, cold of Winter, and now the warmth of Spring and Summer.

He also enjoys assisting with Sugarfoot’s grooming, wielding a curry comb or brush as needed to care for his mount’s cream-colored coat. Aside from the emotional bond this activity creates for Jimmy, it also exercises different groups of muscles by introducing new ranges of motion. Jimmy’s mother, Peggy Hickson, says Jimmy’s success with the riding program is due to HopeTree’s sense of commitment. “HopeTree cares about people. It’s like they are their children. Most people

with HopeTree Family Services. Jimmy participates in HopeTree’s Developmental Disabilities Ministry In-Home program. For roughly seven years, HopeTree staff have taken Jimmy on a variety of excursions ranging from daily shopping trips to week-long camping experiences. Over time, staff learned that Jimmy loves horses.

So, as part of their on-going efforts to improve Jimmy’s quality of life, In-Home staff sought a place where Jimmy could experience the thrill of horseback riding. They discovered Healing Strides of Virginia, a therapeutic riding program in nearby Franklin County that serves the needs of adults and children.

Decked out in his jeans and cowboy boots, Jimmy has been looking forward to his date all week. He energetically maneuvers his powered wheelchair through the parking lot. He wants to be on time to meet the new love of his life.

The beautiful filly he is spending the afternoon with is named Sugarfoot and their ‘date’ is actually an integral component to Jimmy’s service plan

DDM In-Home Services

Therapeutic RidingSome truly happy trails

“This is a recreational therapy. They get all the physical benefits, but they also get the emotional and spiritual benefits as well. Jimmy gets a lot of great exercise out here because of the motion of the horse. The cadence and the rhythm of the horse is similar to us walking.

Because Jimmy is in a wheelchair, this exercise stimulates his core muscles and helps with his balance,” explained Carol Wood Young, Executive Director of Healing Strides.

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Jimmy pauses along Magadee Creek on his trail ride.

just come and do their job, but these people really like what they’re doing. There’s a big difference and you can feel it,” Hickson said.

As a result of Jimmy’s success, another In-Home client has saddled up with Healing Strides. Shawn recently started his riding sessions and has demonstrated great progress.

Like Jimmy, Shawn benefits physically and emotionally from the experience. Riding sessions build self-confidence and enable both men to practice valuable social skills as they establish new relationships with Healing Strides’ staff. “We want the people we care for to have the best quality of life while doing normal things,” says Dulcie Loyd of DDM’s In-Home staff.

Riding helps Shawn improve his balance.

Watch Jimmy riding the trails on HopeTreeFS.org.

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Making a Difference

With the help of HopeTree Family Services, you become a strong Christian, a college graduate, a devoted husband and father, and a social worker named Mike Elmore. Mike never experienced a stable home environment as a child. Although never clinically diagnosed as such, Mike’s father displayed symptoms of schizophrenia and was often violent. Due to his father’s mental condition, the family moved constantly throughout Montgomery,

Floyd, and Franklin Counties. Then Mike’s mother died in January of 1974. He was 14. Soon after, his father moved out leaving the children to fend for themselves. Mike and his three sisters tried to carry on, but the struggle was too much.

Floyd County Social Services, which had been monitoring their situation, stepped in when Mike was 15 to place him in foster care. This placement lasted a short time. On August 26, 1976, Mike arrived at HopeTree Family Services. From that moment, Mike’s life changed. “I consider myself having two births. The birth when I was born to my mother; and the day I entered [HopeTree Family Services]. That was a new beginning; a new birth for me,” Mike recalls. This new beginning granted Mike new opportunities he had never

The Legacy of a Lifetime:Mike Elmore

You are 15 years old.

Your mother is dead.

Your father is mentally ill and violent.

Your only source of care is your 18-year-old sister. And she is struggling.

What will become of you?

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A teenage Mike poses on a rock on campus.

imagined before. Because of his dysfunctional home life, education had never been a priority. Upon completing the ninth grade, Mike realized he had accomplished more academically than anyone in his entire family. Neither of his parents had gone past third grade. A new world opened up before him. “A light went off and told me it was possible. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. I can do this,” Mike said. HopeTree Family Services helped Mike attend Bluefield College where he earned a Psychology degree. He went to college with the goal to provide others the same type of help he had received in his time of need. “I never fought the system. I worked with the system and [took] advantage of it. Therefore, I wanted to work with people. I wanted to give back.

My role models here demonstrated how to work with young people and I wanted to do the same,” Mike says. Over the years, Mike has given back a great deal to his community by being active in his church and serving as a social worker. He has rescued at-risk children and youth from many of the same situations he faced himself.

In doing so, he not only has placed young people with HopeTree, in at least one instance, Mike helped a young boy move into his old room in English Cottage.

When Mike Elmore looks back on his childhood, he peers through the mists of time and sees the tragic beginning to an unimaginable ending. When asked where he thinks he would be without HopeTree Family Services as a refuge, Mike’s blue eyes gaze back across the decades. He falls silent and those eyes struggle to see a most uncertain future. “God only knows. Everybody came here because there was no other option. It would be dumbfounding to see a vision of what all those lives would be like without HopeTree Family Services. Growing up in dysfunction, going through all the violence…I wouldn’t want to walk through it again. But I probably would if I knew that I could be here today with my situation in life. It’s been a fabulous journey.”

“Everybody came here because there was no other option. It would be dumbfounding to see a vision of what all those lives would be like without HopeTree Family Services.”

You can hear Mike tell more of his inspiring story on HopeTreeFS.org.

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When Roanoke College student Sam Garst joined the National Society for Leadership and Success, she was eager to help this new organization make an impact on the lives of those around her. However, after a year of projects limited to her college campus, Garst, was eager to broaden the group’s horizons.

Early this Spring, she set off to explore Salem in search of something more meaningful to do. To her surprise, she found just what she was looking for two blocks away; HopeTree Family Services.

“Where I grew up in Charlotte, we don’t have programs like this that serves adults with intellectual disabilities; that serves [at-risk] children at the same time. To have a gem like this in the back yard of

“...to give this to them was something really important to me and my organization.” --Sam Garst

Servin’ up ServiceCommunity Involvement

Salem and two streets over from Roanoke College, I thought this should have happened a long time ago,” said Garst.

During a tour of campus, Garst, a volleyball enthusiast, learned that HopeTree’s existing volleyball court needed renovation. Garst had a better idea. What if the NSLS built a new beach volleyball court? HopeTree supplied the materials, NSLS, and

several other groups (with assistance from HopeTree’s maintenance crew) provided the labor. Within 48 hours, a new court was ready for play.

“I wanted to give these kids something they could enjoy during the summer. I love volleyball, especially beach volleyball. So to give this to them was something really important to me and my organization,” Garst explained.

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Get InvolvedHostWe have a series of Hope Events (Walk for Hope, Bike for Hope, etc.) around the state each year to generate support for HopeTree. Please consider joining an event or starting your own. We'll provide all the pieces you need to promote the event and offer support all along the way. ShareWe are proud of our ministry and hope you will be, too. Please let us share our story with your friends and neighbors during an informal gathering over dessert and coffee. We will do the cooking. All we ask is a few minutes to speak to your group.

VolunteerIf you have a specific talent or skill you would like to contribute, let us know. Perhaps you and some friends might want to form a work group and help us with a major project. We can always use cheerful, helping hands.

Give •Donate via credit card on HopeTreeFS.org or with a secure electronic funds transfer through your local bank. Of course, you can still send a paper check.

•Designate HopeTree Family Services as your charity of choice for your grocery store’s rewards card.

•Donate stocks, bonds, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market Accounts, and other financial instruments.

•Determine if your company provides matching gifts for charitable donations.

If you have any questions about HopeTree Family Services or would like to participate in one of the ways described here, please call the Director of Development at (540) 389-2112 or(804) 545-1202.

You don’t have to build a volleyball court.

There are a lot of ways you can support HopeTree.

Members of Haymarket Baptist Church organized their very own Walk for Hope!

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HopeTree’s 21st Annual Walk for Hope in Salem was a huge success. As of early June, nearly $20,000 has been contributed, almost doubling our goal for this year.

Thank you!

Didn’t make it to the Walk for Hope?Relive the fun by watching the video on HopeTreeFS.org.

Special Events

21st Annual Walk for HopeHopeTree friends step lively through Salem.

We sincerely appreciate the generous sponsors who supported the Walk for Hope.

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Honors & Memorials

The following contributions have been given to HopeTree in honor or in memory of someone who has touched lives.

To recognize someone who has impacted your life, complete the form on the reply envelope included with this magazine and return it to the Advancement Department along with your gift.

Children’s Ministry MemorialsJanuary 1 - April 30, 2013

Allen, Carol M.Mr. & Mrs. Herman L. Allen

Anderson, Carson Mr. & Mrs. Bobby G. Epps

Children’s Ministry HonorsJanuary 1 - April 30, 2013

Anderson, Ruby Mission Prayer Circle

Brown, Pauline T.Mrs. Helen T. Williamson

Conner, Edna D.Mr. and Mrs. John G. Mizell, Jr.

Ellinger, Bob Mrs. Dean C. Wheeler

The Darnell familyMrs. Lucile M. Gates

The Gates FamilyMrs. Lucile M. Gates

The Keim FamilyMrs. Lucile M. Gates

The Robertson FamilyMrs. Lucile M. Gates

Fletcher, George H.Mr. & Mrs. George H. Fletcher, Jr.

Griffin, T. R.Mr. T. R. Griffin

Jones, Ceceilia Mr. & Mrs. George H. Brisbin

Keys, Bill Mrs. Myra L. Redding

Loftin, Gay N.Chestnut Grove Baptist Church

Logan, Dot Mr. & Mrs. C. A. Nurney, Jr.

Loyd, Thelma G.Mrs. Dolores L. Corkill

Mizell, John G.Grace Baptist Church

Rader, Julia H.Ms. Beverley J. Coleman

Vaughan, Doris Mrs. Betty B. Jackson

Walker, Charles Mrs. Anne W. Rolander

Wilson, Gladys S.Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Wilson

Wolfrey, Marge Chestnut Grove Baptist Church

Young, Paige A.Mr. & Mrs. James L. Gore

Young, Sibby Mr. & Mrs. James L. Gore

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Ms. Dorothy NewhouseMs. Shirley CliffordMs. Nancy J. Rockers

Guyston, Bobby Mr. & Mrs. Presley Thompson

Hagler, Homer Working Pilots Sunday School Class

Heckford, John R.Joni’s Hair Designs

Houghton, John E.Mrs. Jane M. Dunaway

Howard, Elizabeth G.Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Howard

Johnson, Charles B.Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Johnson

Johnson, Luther Mrs. Peggy J. JohnsonMr. & Mrs. Don L. Bradley

Johnson, Pauline JohnsonMrs. Peggy J. Johnson

Jones, Barbara T.E.L. Class

Keller, Florence H.Ms. Elizabeth K. Bruton

Keller, Marion KellerMs. Elizabeth K. Bruton

Keys, Martha D.Mrs. Myra L. Redding

Layne, Paul B.Mrs. Sally I. Layne

Lloyd, Jane H.Ms. C. Sue Bradley

Locklear, James C.Mr. & Mrs. Franko ColemanMs. Jeanne N. ChamberlainMs. Sharon L. HarrisMs. Virginia JonesMr. & Mrs. Neil H. MaysMrs. Norma R. Cook

Angle, Lucille Mr. H. Glenn Angle

Barnett, Teddy Mr. & Mrs. Larry M. Hicks

Bartley, Vertie F.Mrs. Brenda F. Mawyer

Bradley, Glen W.Mr. & Mrs. Don L. Bradley

Bradley, Marie H.Ms. C. Sue Bradley

Byrd, Margaret Women on Mission

Dillon, Mary Mrs. Sally I. Layne

Dunn, Vergie D.Mrs. Janice D. White

English, Rufus E.The Park-Oak Grove Retirement Community

Funk, Francis H.Ms. Josephine F. Proffitt

Gillenwater, Florence R.Ms. Julia H. Rader

Gillenwater, Robert G.Ms. Julia H. Rader

Glidden, Vivien L.Rev. Olin V. Glidden

Gore, Herschel C.Mr. & Mrs. James L. Gore

Gray, Jean L.Ms. Delores BeggarlyMs. Dorothy B. PattersonMr. & Mrs. Chris GosenMr. & Mrs. John J. LefebureMr. Ivan ClarkMrs. Mary H. GrayDr. & Mrs. R. C. JostMr. & Mrs. Eldon W. RileyMr. & Mrs. Thomas E. RockersMrs. Margaret S. Bemusdaffer

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Long, Lorene Mr. & Mrs. Don L. Bradley

Mackey, Linda Ms. Debra M. Burgess

Marsh, Henry C.Mrs. Eunice D. Marsh

Mrs. Holdren Dr. & Mrs. C. L. Fisher

Martin, Frances F.Mrs. Jane M. Dunaway

Martin, Michael L.Mrs. Jan Clayton

Martin, P. H.Mrs. Jane M. Dunaway

McClery, William Mrs. Lucile M. Gates

Milby, Mark D.Robin G. Taylor

Millner, Malvinnia Mr. Elwood B. Davis, Jr.

Montrief, B. WayneMrs. Patricia C. Montrief

Munford, John M.Ms. Charlotte E. Whitley

Pittard, Elizabeth Mr. & Mrs. Parker O. Dillard

Russell, Leona Mrs. Harriet DuckMr. & Mrs. Cecil B. CurrinMs. Joylene ChappellMs. Joanne RossMs. Michelle DunevantMrs. Shawna NeedyMr. Jeffrey DailMs. Sally NelsonJoy ClassMrs. Linda Gaskins-JeffersMr. & Mrs. Richard WersteinMs. Helen B. JudkinsMs. Dreama M. ReynoldsMr. & Mrs. Preston W. Forbes

Mr. Seaton YoungCherry Point Property Owner’s AssociationMs. Kay HickmanMs. Ann WatkinsMs. Shirley A. FaisonMr. & Mrs. Ralph L. DenningMs. Pamela L. MalloryMr. & Mrs. Sheldon P. Clayton

Shaver, Ted Pairs & Spares Class

Spady, Mollie Mrs. Sallie Belle G. BenedettiMs. Barbara KeenanMr. & Mrs. R. R. Nixon

Stout, Nora L.Mr. Currie W. Stout, Sr.

Sullivan, Ethel Ms. C. Sue Bradley

Vinson, Milton T.Mr. & Mrs. Stephen T. Vinson

Wilson, Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Bill M. Gentry

Developmental Disabilities Ministry HonorsJanuary 1 - April 30, 2013

Beaver, Laurel Dr. & Mrs. John Randolph Smith

Conner, Edna D.Ms. Shirley A. Craven

Craven, Jeremy Ms. Shirley A. Craven

Mason, Dale Ms. Shirley A. Craven

Music, Kera Dr. & Mrs. John Randolph Smith

Preas, J. C.Mrs. Lorene S. Preas

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Developmental Disabilities Ministry MemorialsJanuary 1 - April 30, 2013

Bristow, Emerson Ms. Charlotte E. Whitley

Carr, Lois A.Ms. Julia J. Carr

Clark, Mac Mr. Stuart W. Stovall

Clark, Ruby Mr. Stuart W. Stovall

English, Rufus E.Mr. Fred M. Padgett

Eure, Andy Mr. John M. Meditz, Jr.

Gladhill, Caleb A.Mr. & Mrs. Alex M. Cockey, Jr.

Glidden, Vivien L.Rev. Olin V. Glidden

Hagler, Homer Working Pilots Sunday School Class

Hinton, James R.Mr. & Mrs. F. Kimball Hahn

Horne, Helen E.Mr. C. SparrowMr. & Mrs. Lyman M. Horne

Long, Lorene Mr. & Mrs. William R. Long

Long, Lorene Mr. Alvin E. St. Clair

Pollock, Marie W.Ms. Virginia Irene Joseph

Price, Jack M.Mrs. Melanie D. Green

Russell, Edwin O.Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd L. Willis

Shaver, Ted Ms. Thelma G. Loyd

Sloan, Jeanne Mrs. Lucille L. Sloan

St. Clair, Marion T.Mr. Alvin E. St. Clair

Stout, Freida S.Mr. Currie W. Stout, Sr.

Toler, James A.Mrs. Merilene D. Paciulli

Walker, Eugenia WMU

Welliver, Phyllis Mrs. Lucy D. Lewis

Woolwine, Brady G.Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence E. Perry, Jr.

Scott, Rachel AnnFaithful Workers Sunday School ClassMr. William E. Thomas

Smith, Anne Z.Dr. & Mrs. John Randolph Smith

Steele, Rebekah Ms. Virginia Irene Joseph

Terry, Lawrence Mr. Rodney J. Hale

Wilbourne, Donna L.Kathleen Culpepper Group

Williams, Alvin Ms. Mabel Moore

To recognize someone who has impacted your life, complete the form on the reply envelope included with this magazine and return it to the Advancement Department along with your gift.

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Blessings HomeReport

We continue to make good progress toward funding the Blessings Home’s construction. Ultimately, we hope to have all the necessary funds raised by December 31, 2013. Naming opportunities exist and a large amount remains to be raised. If you have an interest in contributing to the Blessings Home, please contact David Wilson at DavidW@HopeTreeFS.org or (540) 389-2112.

Service Locations

HopeTree Family Services provides a wide range of services for at-risk children and youth from locations in:•Salem•Chester•Craig County

HopeTree’s Developmental Disabilities Ministry provides services for adults with intellectual disabilities in the following locations.

•Abingdon•Blue Ridge•Chase City*•Farmville•Fredericksburg•Martinsville•Richmond•Salem•Virginia Beach

For more information on the services available in these locations, how to support those services with your contributions or volunteer efforts, or gain access to those services, please visit HopeTreeFS.org, or call:

Richmond office at (804) 545-1202

orSalem office at(540) 389-2112

*The Chase City location will be opening for service later this year. The men of Ruth Camp Cambell Cottage II

are looking forward to living in the Blessings Home. Your support will make it possible.

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