Connec ionsJUNE 2015 | ISSUE 1

C H R I S T ’S H O M E

In this IssueWhat’s In a Name? John Bryant

Reverend Geoffrey Gichure, visits Christ’s Home in Warminster Jim McGovern

New Service Offered at Christ’s Home Retirement Community. Brenda Mast and John Bryant

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Back in 1903 our founders looked out on the streets of Philadelphia and saw a need. Children living on the streets needed a home. So, they bought a modest row house and opened the doors to the children. I don’t know if they had to work hard to come up with the name. But, they did choose one and Christ’s Home was brought into existence.

There were probably several reasons for choosing this name. For one, they recognized that this start-up ministry belonged to God. It was “His House.” For another, they recognized that the work they were undertaking was being done in the name of Jesus Christ as an extension of the love that God had shown them in the person and work of Christ. As God has loved us in Christ, we are to love and serve others – especially those in need.

To no surprise, this name has stood the test of time now for 112 years. Locations have changed, the work has expanded, and program changes have been made to meet ever-changing

times. But, at the heart of it all the foundational truth continues on - that all that we do is in the name of Christ and for His honor and glory.

In spite of the consistent use of our name we have discovered that many people are often confused about who we are and what we do. “Are you a children’s home?” “Are you a retirement community?” “Are you connected to the Christ’s Home for Children on Route 30 in Paradise?” The answer is always the same: YES! And we’re left scratching our heads trying to understand why there is so much misunderstanding.

In recent years we’ve been considering how to address this problem. Why does it exist? Why don’t people “connect the dots” automatically? We came to recognize that, in some respects, we are responsible for the confusion. Unintentionally, to be sure. But true nonetheless. Sometimes we’ve communicated an emphasis of one program over

When we were expecting our first child my wife and I labored (no pun intended) over the selection of a name. I think we bought at least four baby name books. We finally landed on a girl’s name just a few days before the due date, not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl. Fortunately, our baby was a girl – or she still might not have a name!

What’s In a Name?By John Bryant, CEO

BOARD OF TRUSTEESDonald P. Worthington - ChairmanJune Maurer - Vice ChairwomanDavid A. Shoemaker - TreasurerGeorge Zauflik - SecretaryJohn Bryant, CEORobert D. FellerPeter J. GilbertBernard J. LajeunesseMichael J. Kane

COO: James McGovernCFO: Dolores BartolanzoCDO: Vernon Wright

MISSION STATEMENTThe heart of Christ’s Home is to serve the Lord by providing services to senior adults and disadvantaged children in an atmosphere graced with love, dignity, compassion and respect.

CORPORATE OFFICES800 York RoadWarminster, PA 18974215-956-2260

Children’s Services - Warminster215-956-2260

Children’s Services - Paradise Campus717-687-6072

Senior Services215-956-2270www.christshome.org

Photos and names may or may not depict the children of the home.

CONNECTIONS is a publication of Christ’s Home. Please contact the Corporate Office with any comments or questions.

DONOR CHOICE PROGRAMChrist’s Home is a qualified member of and participant in the United Way Donor Choice Program. You may contribute to United Way through payroll deduction or by giving an outright gift. Please be sure to ask for a Donor Choice Form. For the Southeastern PA region (Delaware Valley only) our number is: 00981. All other regions must use our national number: 007689

Christ’s Home is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Gifts are deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.

The official registration and financial information of Christ’s Home, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. (Certificate of Registration No. 13865)

Registration does not imply endorsement.

another rather than the full scope of our work. And, our website created such a different look and feel from one program to another that it gave the impression that we were two totally different organizations.

To address this problem we took a major step a few months ago and hired Andy Merz and The Merz Group to help us think through our dilemma and create an answer. We examined our name, and our existing logo. Andy’s team drew up several concepts of a new logo design. After considering these options we all agreed that there was sustaining value in both our name and our existing logo and decided that our logo simply needed a refreshing.

We also agreed with Andy that we needed a descriptive “theme” or “tag” line to succinctly communicate our foundational values. Andy led a series of focus groups with various stakeholders. Upon reading his summary report, three words percolated clearly to the top and our “theme line” was born: Caring • Compassion • Community. These three words describe our focus and desired outcome for Christ’s Home and the people we serve each every day – whether they be children or senior adults.

On April 20th we launched our new web site with the new logo and theme line, along with new letterhead and other materials. We issued the following clarifying statement: NEW SITE…SAME MISSION! Our Mission Statement, which has not changed, clearly articulates that we are here to serve BOTH children AND senior adults. Our web site now portrays this in a clear and compelling way. It felt great to launch this after many months of work.

Our renewed focus is to consistently present the Christ’s Home logo and theme line. Our theme line, Caring • Compassion • Community, clearly articulates the motivation behind what we are striving to accomplish in our service to both children and senior adults. We serve with care. We serve with compassion. And, as a result, a wonderful community emerges that reflects these values each and every day.

Christ’s Home was a great name in 1903. It has served us well for 112 years. And, by God’s grace will continue to serve us well into the future.

We invite you to check out our new website at: www.christshome.org. We also invite you to subscribe to our new E-Letter, CONNECT. You can do so by sending an email to Pat Chazin at: pchazin@christshome.org to register your email address. Both of these communication vehicles are designed to keep you informed about Christ’s Home and keep you updated on new and exciting developments. You will read about some of these things in this edition of the newsletter.

In closing, thank you for your faithfulness to support Christ’s Home. Please uphold our staff, children, and senior residents in prayer. The needs in many of their lives are significant. Your financial gifts are also appreciated and needed. If you should ever have any questions about Christ’s Home, please do not hesitate to contact me personally. I would love to talk with you.

What’s In a Name (continued from page 2)

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On Friday, May 8th, Christ’s Home was honored to have a special international dignitary visit its Warminster Children’s Services campus. Reverend Geoffrey Gichure, the Deputy Presiding Bishop of the African Inland Church of Kenya, toured several of the children’s programs including the Teen Mother & Baby Program and several group homes.

Christ’s Home has been caring for abused and neglected children since 1907 at its Warminster campus. In 2012, Christ’s Home began a relationship with the Mahiga Children’s Home in Kenya.

“In 2011 we found out that the sponsor for the Mahiga Children’s Home was no longer going to fund our residential services, “ said Reverend Gichure. “We were in the process of closing down the home. The situation was desperate as we had over 100 children that had nowhere to go and would be put out on the streets. We shed many tears and prayed. Our prayers were answered through the support of Christ’s Home.”

Support from Christ’s Home is coordinated through a local non-profit, Chariots For Hope, which oversees ten children’s homes in Kenya, including Mahiga. There are 100 children that live at the Mahiga home, and most come from extreme poverty and families that have been severely impacted by HIV/AIDS. The staff at Mahiga provide food, clothing, shelter, medical and other services for the children.

“The children now have a future,” added Reverend Gichure. “Through Christ’s Home’s generous assistance, we are able to provide not only the basics, but education and spiritual guidance. The children now have hope. We see a big change in their lives. Many children have become mothers and fathers, lawyers, engineers, government workers and productive citizens.”

Reverend Gichure was in the Philadelphia area to speak at the Chariots For Hope annual banquet. He is grateful for the steadfast devotion and support from Christ’s Home and he encourages others to join their efforts. “Every cent is important,” he reinforces. “You are turning ‘Nobody’s’ into ‘Somebody’s’ and that is something you can’t put a price on.”

Individuals or corporations wishing to partner with Christ’s Home and support a child from the Mahiga Children’s Home, should contact Colleen Augustin at 215-956-1885 or caugustin@christshome.org.

Reverend Geoffrey Gichure, Deputy Presiding Bishop of the African Inland Church of Kenya, visits Christ’s Home in Warminster.By Jim McGovern, COO

Fifth Annual Christ’s Home Legacy BanquetThursday, October 8, 2015 • 6:00pm at the Spring Mill Manor

Mark your calendar for this annual event to raise funds for helping senior adults in financial need. Entertainment for the evening will feature Harmony Quartet from Lancaster, PA featuring great songs from the 40s & 50s.

The evening will also feature the presentation of two annual awards: • The Legacy Service Award • The Legacy Volunteer Award

Plan to join us for what has become an annual tradition and a most enjoyable evening!

Online Shopper Alert!Untold millions of purchases are made through online shopping services every day. One of the commonly used online shopping sites is offering to donate 0.5% of your purchases to the charity of your choice. To learn more, visit our website christshome.org and go to the Make A Gift tab to learn more about this opportunity. For example, if you spend $1,000 per year through this site, that will provide a $5 contribution to Christ’s Home. Imagine if hundreds of our friends and supporters do the same thing! It’s really simple and greatly appreciated because every dollar helps. Thanks.

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O U R N E W T H E M E L I N E :

Caring • Compassion • Community

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Our new website identifies a subtle, but important, change to the descriptors of our two main services. We are now identifying what we do under the headings of Senior Services and Children’s Services. We believe the word “services” better describes what we do for people and has a growth aspect as we work to expand the variety of services offered.

For example, over the past 6 years we’ve expanded in significant ways at the retirement community. Shepherd’s Crossing opened in 2008 presenting a cottage-home retirement lifestyle – a community unique to the Central Bucks area. Shepherd’s Way, which opened in August of 2013, moved us into short-term rehab nursing care, and expanded our personal care services with a secured Memory Care unit. This building now provides 90 private accommodations complete with private bath.

And now, we announce another expansion of services as we open a respite care program for residents dealing with the early stages of memory loss.

PA recently signed into legislation Act 166 of 2014, a bill which establishes licensing of community respite services. Designed to support the independence of older Pennsylvanians and enable them to remain in their homes longer, respite services provides a transitional level of care in the Commonwealth. A respite service program is an attractive option for those who may not yet need the range of services provided by an adult day care, nor residency in personal or nursing care, but whose needs exceed what can be provided by senior centers. The goals of the program are: 1) to provide a respite to family or other caregivers, and 2) to offer opportunities for socialization and interactions with others.

Qualifications of Commonwealth residents who may benefit from respite services includes: • age 60 years of age or older • can actively or passively engage in social and leisure activities with others • may demonstrate symptoms of mild cognitive impairment • does not need assistance, other than cueing, or is able to direct care for activities of daily living • does not demonstrate behaviors that may compromise personal safety or the safety of others

New Service Offered at Christ’s Home Retirement Community. By Brenda Mast and John Bryant

The William McKeown Memorial Garden at Shepherd’s Way

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We are excited to announce that as of May 1, Christ’s Home has implemented a pilot program offered exclusively to the residents who reside in Shepherd’s Crossing, Shepherd’s Way, and the Garden Apartments. The decision to do so followed residents’ vocalization of a need for respite services within our own community. Residents may choose a full day or a half day of respite service, select how often services are needed, and on which day(s) services are provided. Benefits of Christ’s Home Respite Services Program include activities and programming, meals, and assistive support of activities of daily living in a safe, supportive and caring, and supervised setting.

Residents who wish to learn more about enrollment in Christ’s Home Respite Services Program may contact Brenda Mast, Assistant Administrator for Healthcare Services, at 267-532-4582.

“ And now, we announce another expansion of services as we open a respite care program for residents dealing with the early stages of memory loss.”

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800 York Road, Warminster, PA 18974-2006

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