mountain states childrens home

m7/12/2010yTCcfewell


2 Longmont Times-Call Publication July 11, 2010

50By Kristi Ritter • Longmont Times-Call

On the Cover:Children at Mountain States Children’s Home

Cover photo by Paul Litman • Design by Sam WallaceCheck out more online at

w w w. t i m e s c a l l . c o m / m a g a z i n e s . a s p

Kristi Ritter

Summer Stair

Contributing Writers

Specialty Publications [email protected], 303-684-5275

Specialty Publications Associate [email protected], 720-494-5429

Kate Frasure, Kendall Schoemann, Ali Wald

To protect the identity ofthe children at MountainStates Children’s Home,only first names are used

on reference.

Ye a r sMountain States Children’s Homeoffers unique sanctuary for children

with a Christian foundation

In the early 1950s, Denver residentElmer Richards was approached by a la-dy in the West Cedar Church of Christcongregation to help take care of younggirls who were not adequately beingcared for. Talking with the courts,Richards got permission to send the girlsto the Maude Carpenter Children’sHome in Wichita, Kansas. This wouldn’tbe his first bout with helping to find ahome for a child in need, but he wanteda Front Range resource.

As more people approached Richardsfor help in finding homes for children, itled him to begin researching what itwould take to start a children’s home inColorado that offered a Christian foun-dation. A local juvenile judge PhillipGilliam supported Richards, providinghim with the information that the stateof Colorado required for a children’shome. He learned that a rural area wouldbe preferred for a children’s home sothere would be plenty of room for

growth, an opportunity for the home togain income from the land and give thechildren responsibilities and a rural,calming place to live.

Through Richards’ business travels, heidentified the Colorado Front Range asgrounds for searching for a new homesite. In Longmont, he found a beautifulsite only four-and-a-half miles north oftown that would be easily accessiblefrom the highway, offered good farmland, the existing farm house wouldserve initially as a children’s home, of-fice, storage area for food and clothing,and the superintendent’s home, and theproperty was close enough to town totake the children to church.

The purchase of the 155-acre propertywas finalized on Dec. 17, 1960, and onMay 1, 1961, the remodeling efforts ofthe farm house were complete and readyto house six children at Mountain StatesC h i l d re n ’s Home. Buildings of futurecottages and other buildings would

Mountain States Children’s Home in the beginning, top,in the late 1970s, bottom, and current day, right.(Courtesy MSCH)


July 11, 2010 Longmont Times-Call Publication 3

A letter from the Executive DirectorAs we approach our 50th anniversary, I am thankful for

all our donors who have been a part of our mission to helpchildren and have made it possible to reach this greatmilestone. Hundreds of children have been helped throughdifficult times in their lives, when they are at the mostvulnerable stage in life.

The Longmont community and surrounding areacontinues to be supportive and have been such a vital partof our work throughout the years. Our goal is to let ourcommunity know of the many services we offer to familiesand their children. Even after 50years of existence, we often hearstatements such as, “I have livedhere all my life and never knew youexisted” or “I drive by everyday andalways wondered what you did atthe Children’s Home.”

Through these articles, we wantto share the ways that we helpchildren. We want to be available toour community so that when theneed should arise we can be ahelpful resource.

There are a number of common questions that are askedas people seek our help:Where do your children come from?

The children we serve come from our communities,schools, neighborhoods and sometime from our own fami-lies. Most of the children come from the greater Longmontarea and the Front Range, although we do have some fromother states. Some of the children are referred to usthrough the state, but most are private placements. Aprivate placement is when the person having legal custodyplaces the child in our care.What are some of the common reasons for placement?

Most of our children come from troubled family situa-tions, when things are not going well for the family. Aparent(s) seeks out our services to receive help with theirchild due to abuse, neglect, abandonment issues, lack ofparenting skills or are in need of a support system to helpthe family to get back on track.What are the ages of the children?

We are licensed for children ages 3 to 17; however, mostof our referrals are between the ages of 10 and 15.How much does it cost to have a child in your facility?

Since we are Christian based, we believe it is our respon-sibility to help children who are in need. We are primarilyfunded through donations, which come from individuals,churches, businesses, grants, car donations and in-kindgifts. These donations make it possible for children to beplaced on a sliding scale or the ability of the parent to pay.Our philosophy is that if we can provide the care a childneeds, we will accept them regardless of the parent’s finan-cial ability. Many parents are unable to financially providefor the needs of their children and have no helpfulresources. We are a resource for children who may nototherwise financially be able to get the help that is needed.

I hope you find the information presented in thispublication to be helpful. I want topersonally invite you to our 50thanniversary on July 17 and learnmore about our services or evenbecome an advocate for childrenthrough your support.

Randy SchowExecutive Director

Funding forMountain StatesChildren’s Home

Funding comes from a va-riety of means, from hostingevents, selling farm items,benefit auctions and mainlyindividual donations.• 75 percent, individuals• 11 percent churchcontributions• 3 percent car donations• 3 percent donations fromthe placed parent orguardian support• 4 to 5 percent grants• 3 to 4 percent business orcivic group donations• 0.5 percent governmentassistanceChildren from the early 1980s play on a slide at Mountain States Children’s Home.

(Courtesy MSCH)

follow suit. Along with fellow founders, Bernard H.Byerly, James H. Sims, Sr., John C. Lewis and James R.Harris, Richards’ dreams of starting a children’s homebecame reality and the work for the Lord began.

The goal of Mountain States was to care for childrenin a family style, where they would live with houseparents in a cottage style setup. The first cottage wasbuilt in 1963, the second in 1969 and a third in 1976.

Randy Schow, executive director of Mountain StatesC h i l d re n ’s Home, says there are six children to a homethat is cared for by a husband/wife team. Ultimately,the goal is to help the children deal with their issues,whether it’s stress, alcoholism, divorce or abuse, whilealso providing a family model, education foundationand structure to the young lives.

“Today, it’s not only the family structure that thechildren receive, but it’s now more about the ameni-ties and programs that help enrich their lives,” Schowsays. And while some of the services have changedthroughout the years, the mission of Mountain StatesC h i l d re n ’s Home remains in that it provides the sup-port and care needed for a child to return home.

“For so many kids, it’s the fear of failure for them,”he says. “Our job is to create a safe environment wherethey can grow and be successful. We want to help thekids learn to make good, moral decisions. Most of thetime, they are just good kids who come from a badsituation.”

Growth continued throughout the years, as Moun-tain States began farming in 1973, raising cattle, pigsand horses, and harvesting crops including alfalfa,winter wheat and oats. A year later, the original barnburned down which was a local landmark. TheLongmont Church of Christ became the sponsoringchurch to oversee the work at MSCH in 1974.

In 1984, an all-purpose building was built to beused as an office for the organization. Only a yearlater, the first onsite social worker was hired to helpwith the individual needs of the children.

Phil Crews, development coordinator, says many ofthe children come from abusive, neglectful and trou-bled families. And while some families may not havenegative parenting skills, some just need the guidanceto lead a successful path. Parents, too, can benefitfrom counseling to learn better parenting skills.

Don Winger, president of Mountain State’s board ofdirectors, says the average age of children at the hometoday is 14. When he started with the organization 27

years ago, that average was 10 years old.

“The shift has come from the change in familiestoday. Quite often, children are from single families ora single child in the family,” he says. “We ’ve really hadto change from that standpoint.”

But while the average age of children cared for haschanged, Winger believes in the original idea of thehome to care, clothe, feed and nurture children. Andwhile that remains a focus, there is a more developedprogram now at Mountain States, for the 18 childresidents, that includes following strict state guide-lines for the care of the children.

To d a y ’s Mountain States focuses on shorter-termplacement. The average time a child is at the home is ayear and a half, while some choose to stay two or threeyears because they like the stability. There is still anemphasis on reuniting the kids with family, but there’salso a focus on finding permanent homes for thosewho need it. Upon graduation from high school,Mountain States will also help children get the finan-cial support they need to become a young adult.

Most children who are placed at Mountain StatesC h i l d re n ’s Home are from the Front Range, but othershave come from throughout the United States. Schowsays they take both state and private placement, butmost come from private homes. The parents sign aparental agreement and are encouraged to providepayment for their child, which works on a sliding feescale. “Regardless of their ability to pay, we will serve achild,” he says.

As the only organization of this type in Colorado,Mountain States has certainly grown throughout theyears. In 1999, a house was built for the farm manager,followed by the new Administration building that wascompleted in 2002.

Crews says the Soaring to New Heights capitalcampaign started in 2007 has put the future in sightfor Mountain States. The food and storage distributioncenter was opened in 2007 in the old administrationbuilding, and a new school and gymnasium buildingwas completed in 2008, allowing for the onsite school-ing to be even more prevalent in the children’s lives.

As for future projects, Mountain States will contin-ue with campus beautification and maintenance, whilelooking toward adding new farm equipment and twonew cottages.

Randy Schow



House Parents

Making aliving out

of parentingBy Summer Stair

Photos by Paul Litman

Longmont Times-Call

Below: From left, Sam, Shannon, Alex and Trinawork on their school work at home with houseparent Tom Yaeger. Right: From left, Joe, Taylor,Alec, Anthony and Mark (at front) with theirhouse parents Paul and Geneva Mondu.

or Jason and Rebecca Lynch, being a house parent atMountain States Children’s Home is one of the most natu-ral things they’ve ever done.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mom,” Rebecca says.“Parenting has always been big in my family.”

Jason and Rebecca were both 23 years old and expecting theirfirst child when they signed on to be house parents at a children’shome in Arkansas. After two years, they moved to Mountain Statesbecause of its Christian-based program and values. “It’s nice towork around Christians,” Jason says. “Everyone has similar values,which is important.”

Being house parents at a children’s home was something thatJason and Rebecca had talked about since meeting. Rebecca’sfather had been a preacher and Jason had grown up with hisparents being house parents in Oklahoma. With these values ofhelping others instilled in them at an early age, they knew this iswhat they wanted to do.

With two kids of their own, Rebecca and Jason often have sixother kids in their home. While it can sometimes be rough, theend result is always worth it. “Having them call when they leave isthe best part,” Jason says. “Being their punching bags can be hard-e r. ”

With two-and-a-half years under their belts at Mountain States,Rebecca and Jason look forward to helping more kids that comethrough the program. It also helps with their two kids too, becausethey learn boundaries and get to learn at an early age about theimportance of helping others.

While Rebecca and Jason have worked with girls, more recentlythey have been working with boys at Mountain States. Rebeccasays it motivates her to know she is making an impact on theirlives. “Our world is so worldly and going down,” she says. “I wantto help raise these boys to be great men, good fathers and hus-bands.”

F

“They just need someone to be thereand listen. It’s extreme hands-onparenting. You have to be on yourtoes, because they’ll test you everychance they get.”

Paul Mondu, house parent at MSCH

A group of boys play basketball outside of there home at the MountainStates Children's Home.



It was the opportunity to help others thatbrought house parents Paul and GenevaMondu to Mountain States last October.

Two weeks away from retirement, Pauland Geneva were told by a woman that theymet that they would be great house parents.After finding out what a house parent was,the couple was sold on the idea and set outto be house parents at a home in Texas.Eventually, they called Mountain Stateshome after hearing about it and its Christianbeliefs.

“I always said if I had the opportunity to

give back to people I would,” Paul says.“This is the opportunity to give kids thechance to know what a mom and dad canbe.”

For Paul, being the one who helps thekids find out who they are and what theycan be makes it all worthwhile. For him it isabout showing the kids how to make thechange, rather than demanding it, he says.

“They just need someone to be there andlisten,” he says. “It’s extreme hands-on par-enting. You have to be on your toes, becausethey’ll test you every chance they get.”

The girls group does horticulture therapy with relief house parent Kathy Oberholzer. This type oftherapy helps them relate certain aspects of gardening to real life choice applications.

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Alumnigratefulfor timespent atMSCHBy Ali Wald

Longmont Times

Alumni from MSCH are the first to admithow well the program works for them.While there they were given the tools toovercome their challenges and go on to leadsuccessful lives.

Aubrey lives in Longmont with her twokids, a 7-year-old boy and 15-month-olddaughter, and husband of almost nine years.

Aubrey came to MSCH in 1988 at the ageof 5 and stayed there until her high schoolgraduation in 2000. Abandoned by her par-ents, Aubrey still feels the scars. “It washard having my parents abandon me at sucha young age and not understand,” she says.“I have yet to understand why my mommade that decision.”

Despite her background, Aubrey believesMSCH was the right place for her. “Theyraised me far better than my parents wouldhave, and we were very lucky to have aChristian example,” she says.

While she had a hard time coping withnot feeling normal, as she got older she real-ized her life was a lot more normal thanother kids. She never had to worry aboutnot eating, having clothes on her back,

being abused or being around parents thatfought constantly.

“One of the greatest benefits of beingthere, as I discovered when I was older, wasthat we had so many opportunities,” shesays. “My husband never got to go to Rock-ies or Broncos games like we did. We gotprivate swim lessons, and experienced moreof the world.” She believes this aspect of thehome brought a more normal feeling to thesituation of living with six other kids whohad their own emotional hardships.

Building relationships also became im-portant to Aubrey, who became close friendswith another woman at the home. It’s afriendship she continues today and refers toher as her sister. “Her children call me aun-tie,” she says.

Living at MSCH for so long, Aubrey wasable to become more insightful. “I sawmany people come and go. I took awaysomething from that, and it helped me un-derstand people and become more empa-thetic to certain situations.”

With weekly counseling, activities andmaking friends of a lifetime, Aubrey wasable to turn her challenges into positive ex-periences. “I am so happy I can give to mychildren what I never had a loving familyand two parents.”

Like Aubrey, Oklahoma resident Lukewas also abandoned by his parents as achild. Luke lived at MSCH from 1990 to1996, when he graduated high school.Adopted at birth by a Christian family, Lukesays his adoptive mother was diagnosedwith bipolar disease and had schizophrenictendencies. Unfortunately, not much wasknown about the disease at the time, andshe received full custody of him and his sis-ter, resulting in an unstable family life.

By the time Luke was 10-years-old, hismother had a nervous breakdown, andabandoned him in Portland. In need of aplace to stay, the family of his friend in Col-

orado offered him their home. While thisfamily provided Luke with a temporaryhome, they heard of MSCH when he was inseventh grade, and thought it would be thebest place for him to live.

When he visited the home he went horse-back riding and tubing. “When you dothings like that on the weekends, it’s won-derful, so I decided to stay,” he says.

Luke’s biggest challenge while at thehome was the same as Aubrey’s: overcominganger that his life was not normal. “Thechallenges of growing up in a situationthat’s not like everyone else is hard to over-come,” he says. However, he soon realizedhe had to make the best of his situation andhis time there.

This realization helped him excelthroughout his life. “MSCH enabled me toget a good education and go to college,” hesays. “I saw the good going on at the home,and it made a big difference in my timethere and my time now.”

Luke believes the spiritual principle thatMSCH is built on is the best part of the pro-gram. “They take kids from broken homesand not only give them a home, but alsogive them the spiritual side of everything,”Luke says. “Whether or not the kids appre-ciate that, it goes a long way so kids canstrive and grow in that environment. It’sone of the reasons I’m doing so well.”

Luke just celebrated his six-year anniver-sary with his wife this past May, and has a 9-month-old daughter. He is currently work-ing as a network engineer for a communica-tions company. He still tries to return toMSCH to see where his life changed.

It is a known fact that one does not get topick their family. However, at MSCH, onelearns how to cope with the families theyare given. Both Aubrey and Luke’s apprecia-tive attitude toward the home allowed themto make the best out of their own situations.

Aubrey lived at Mountain States Children’s Home as a child. Today, she and her husband, Michael, andtwo children, Shane, 7, and Alyssa, 15 months, enjoy life together as a family. (Paul Litman/Times-Call)

Aubrey plays with her 15-month-old daughter,Alyssa. (Paul Litman/Times-Call)

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4-H program teacheskids responsibility, prideBy Kate Frasure

Longmont Times-Call

At 6 a.m. on a warm summer morning,most kids are in bed enjoying the fact thatthey do not have to get up for school. ButMountain States Children’s Home residentAnthony can be found feeding and brushinghis pig at this time.

“I didn’t like getting up the first year,”Anthony says. “But now I get up because Ihave something to look forward to.”

At MSCH, children are expected to getthemselves up and come down at 6 a.m. totake care of their pigs which are part of the4-H program that Mountain States partici-pates in. The program, which started about10 years ago, has children take care of andshow their own pig.

“(The program) teaches the kids respon-sibility about getting up and taking care ofthe animals,” says farm manager Roy Rush,adding that he teaches the kids about show-manship and how to win and lose graceful-l y.

Anthony, who is in his second year ofshowing pigs, says his work with the pigshas given him a lot of confidence, pride andrespect. “It’s pretty crazy,” he said of show-ing his pig. “It’s hard cause I always get ner-vous, and don’t know if the judges like me.”

He built his confidence through compet-ing and winning various awards, includingtwo first place ribbons that he is very proudof.

“It is something new that you have to go

t h ro u g h , ” says another child, Samantha, ofcompeting.

Samantha, who is in her first year of theprogram, says she loves getting up and tak-ing care of the pigs. “I love to clean,” shesays. “I get to mess around and have a goodtime.”

While the kids have a good time, they areexpected to treat the program like a job. If achild doesn’t get up in time or fails to dotheir job, Rush sits down and talks withthem, in addition to giving them extrawork.

“I try to show them that another kid hasto step in and do their part if they don’t,”Rush says. “Usually the kids understandthat.”

Rush also expects the kids to treat every-one with respect.

“He doesn’t take a yeah,” Anthony said.“We have to say yes sir.”

While many of the kids enjoy getting upearly to take care of the animals, some stu-dents don’t enjoy it as much. Mark, who isin his first year of the 4-H program, says hedoesn’t like the stench and how dirty it canget. Still, he gets up every morning to takecare of the pigs and tries to learn.

Through Rush’s years with the program,he has had many kids receive awards, in-cluding the Herdsman award, which is asportsmanship award.

“We have accomplished a whole bunch,”Rush says. “It’s a great joy.”

Anthony and Samantha take care of the farms pigs as part of their after school chores. Working withthe FFA is something both of them enjoy. (Paul Litman/Times-Call)

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By Summer Stair

Longmont Times-Call

Mountain States Children’s Home hasdedicated the last 50 years to helping kidsdeal with life and the problems they havehad in the past, are currently dealing with orcould encounter in the future. This is donethrough several programs, but one that is re-lated through daily life and activities iscounseling.

Through individual, family and groupcounseling, kids learn through a hands-onapproach how to relate things personally,challenging themselves to persevere and re-late it to the future, says Dustin Smith,counselor at MSCH.

When first arriving, each kid gets an indi-vidualized treatment plan with goals towork toward. Barbara Noble, director of so-cial services at MSCH, says the goals arebased on why they are there. “We work toget to the root of the issues and help themsolve it,” she says. Individual counselingcan encounter past, present or future prob-

lems and concerns.Family counseling is also extremely im-

portant at MSCH, because eventually thefamily will be reunited. The program atMSCH is often set for one year. Throughoutthat time, the family is always in contactwith the staff and learning about what theirkid(s) is doing at the home and what isworking. Most problems stem from the coreof the family and are issues that must be ad-d re s s e d .

Smith says family counseling is added in-to the program when the child feels ready.While this can happen at any time, it usual-ly does not occur until toward the end of thechild’s stay. Throughout this time though,“family is a huge part of it,” he says. “Itshows support to the child and offers con-s i s t e n c y. ”

Noble agrees. “Our whole goal is to re-unite the family,” she says. “It is hard workand painful, but it is the most gratifying ex-perience watching the families come togeth-er and go home as a family.”

Another part of family counseling is thatparents learn a lot about themselves andtheir parenting skills, Noble says. Parentslearn more about what they can do to offermore structure at home for when their childreturns. “We ’re trying to create a balancefor the family,” she says. “We help parentsestablish what needs to happen at

home.”While counseling focuses on the child

and their family, learning about problemsolving and how to work together in a groupsetting is also important. In group therapy,kids get a chance to do character buildingactivities that may not seem like counseling.Some activities include group fitness or

Counseling helpskids deal with life

Anthony meets with counselor Dustin Smith at the Mountain States Children's Home. (PaulLitman/Times- Call)

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lawn care 101, where kids get toworkout and set personal goals, ormow the lawn and learn about everyday responsibilities and the immediategratification one can get from them.

Aside from the different facets ofcounseling, Noble and Smith work di-rectly with the house parents throughweekly meetings, and daily interac-tions when needed, to discuss eachchild. This helps establish consistentboundaries, which helps the kids gainstructure in their lives and helps cre-ate self awareness, Smith says. “Wenurture and care for, but we also holdthem accountable,” Smith says. “Thisis what kids really want ... some struc-t u re . ”

While the kids work through prob-lems and toward their end goals, theconsistent structure and family-likeatmosphere all held together withChristian values are what makes thed i ff e re n c e .

Smith says being at Mountain Statesis like being a part of a family. “Thestaff works as a team. We all have ourown function, but we function togeth-er and with the parents so we can helpfacilitate growth and change,” Smithsays. “The kids too are allowed to beindividuals, and be a part of a largef a m i l y. ”

Mountain States Children’s Home counselor Dustin Smith works on fitness training with the boysgroup. Fitness training helps them in setting personal goals and in relating to daily situations. (PaulLitman/Times- Call)

“It is hard work and painful, but it is the mostgratifying experience watching the familiescome together and go home as a family.”

Barbara Noble, director of social services at MSCH


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Educational Director Janice Schow teaches class at the onsite school at Mountain States Children’sHome. (Courtesy MSCH)

Teacher Alan Townsend leads school at MountainStates Children’s Home. Below: The new schoolwas built in 2008. (Paul Litman/Times-Call)

Onsite school at MSCHhelps build confidenceBy Kristi Ritter

Longmont Times-Call

When Mountain States Children’s Homestarted 50 years ago, their goal was to helpchildren get through challenges in theirlives, build confidence through programsand return them to their families to leadmore productive lives. But as the programproceeded, staff soon discovered many ofthe children were getting lost in school, ei-ther behaviorally or academically. Most chil-dren had a past of gravitating toward otherson a negative path, following the bad behav-ior and digging themselves deeper into aneducation backlog. All they needed wasmore guidance and assistance in gettingback into the cycle of success.

To give the children the step forward theyneeded in their education, Mountain Statesadded its own onsite school in 1998. JaniceSchow, who began working at the home in1992 in the office, was a teacher before com-

ing to Mountain States and quickly steppedinto the role as educational director. She fo-cused the school on providing children withthe opportunity to work one-on-one to findtheir strengths and weaknesses, thus result-ing in a plan to move each child forward ona successful educational path.

“Many of the kids were getting lost,” shesays. “But all they needed was the opportu-nity to get ahead.”

Schow says structure is a big part of theschool, of which many of the children havenot had in their lives. Many children comefrom a home with chaos, they lack studyand organizational skills, and often don’tunderstand accountability and respect – allthings they won’t get away with at MountainStates.

When each child arrives, he or she is test-ed to find the place where they are academi-cally. “It gives us an idea of where to start sothat they can be successful,” she says. “Moststudents are capable of it, but just haven’thad the enforcement. And once they realizethey can do it, they are so excited.”

Students are measured on levels each dayin class, and a sheet is sent home with eachchild nightly so house parents know wherethe child is at in school. House parents willalso incorporate these levels into home lev-els for chores and privileges.

Schow works closely with each student toaddress their particular issues, all the whiletrying to catch them up and stay on trackfor their academic level. Throughout the

years, she has tested the children upon en-tering and exiting the school, and has no-ticed an incredible jump in their abilities.The average progress a child makes in a yearis 3.7 years, allowing each child to get backon track.

“It gives them a lot of confidence wherethey feel they can go on and be successful,”Schow says.

Most children will spend a year at theschool to catch up before feeding back intothe public school system, mainly Mead Mid-dle School or Mead High School. And whilenot all children will be up to par in all areas,they have the foundation of solid study andorganization skills, making public schoolmuch easier. Schow says she continues towork closely with each student to transitionthem into school and keep them on track.

The onsite school allows for up to 16 stu-dents, with the legal limit of eight studentsper full-time teacher. This past year, Schowworked full-time along with two part-timeteachers, Alan Townsend and Daniel Morris-sey. But there is plenty of room for growth.

In 2008, Mountain States Children’sHome opened a new building for the school,allowing for an expanded library and mediaarea, a new gymnasium for physical educa-tion, a science lab, new textbooks and moreareas for students to work. Prior to the newbuilding, the school was located in the base-ment of one of the house parent’s homes.

“I feel that this school can really changethese kids’ lives,” Schow says. “One kid saidto me that he used to play sick to stay homefrom school, now he plays well so he can goto school.”

Having the new school building also addsto the educational outlook of these children.Most are so thankful to have the opportuni-ty to learn, and in a beautiful space with re-sources at their fingertips, children are likesponges in soaking up the knowledge.



Lend a helping handat Mountain States

Volunteers help during a food run at Mountain States Children’s Home. (Courtesy MSCH)

By Kendall Schoemann

Longmont Times-Call

Whether it is donating time, food, moneyor joining a committee or project, MountainStates Children’s Home always has a void tofill.

The nonprofit facility is situated on 155acres, on which there is a barn, residences,education and administrative centers, stor-age buildings, pigs, horses and cows. Be-cause MSCH is such a diverse and uniqueorganization, they need a variety of peopleand resources to run smoothly.

Phil Crews, the development coordinatorat MSCH says, “I usually tell people whowant to get involved to come on out,” hesays. “I’ll walk them around and find thingsthat need to get done.”

Volunteers are always needed for specificevents, such as food runs and auctions,where they can help organize, collect and la-bel items.

Every other month, Ray Lewis, who hasbeen involved with MSCH for 50 years, par-ticipates in the food run, in which he col-lects donations from several church congre-gations.

Although it is called a food run, Lewissays they will pick up anything. “Any foodproducts will help but we do not turn any-thing down,” he says. “If you want to do-nate an old car, we will come pick it up.”

Although food is a necessity at MSCH,donated time, services and talents are greatways to give back on a tight budget.

“A lot of times groups will come out andplant trees, landscape, paint or do repairwork,” Crews says.

Another opportunity to get involved withMSCH is spending time with the kids. AndyWelch, vice president of operations at SunConstruction in Longmont, has had a strongrelationship with the kids of MSCH his en-tire life.

“I have always found Mountain StatesC h i l d re n ’s Home to be a really amazingplace,” Welch says. “They do such a specialthing for a variety of kids with differentneeds and wants.”

In addition to donating his landscapingservices, Welch spends time with the kids inthe mountains or takes them fishing. “Thebiggest thing for the kids is spending timewith people that show them that they havevalue,” he says.

Spending time with the children can alsobe arranged at the “the home,” by cookingand eating a meal with them.

“Whatever their talents and passions,they can definitely find a place to fit in atMSCH,” Welch says.

To volunteer with Mountain States Children’s Home,contact Phil Crews at 303-776-6841.

I help people fi nd houses, you give a loving home to children.

Thank you for serving our community and congratulations on your 50 year anniversary.

Shelley Crews • ERA Tradewind Real Estate303.684.7731 • 303.775.8405

MS-150816


HAPPY 50TH

ANNIVERSARY

2055 Ken Pratt Blvd303-682-3176

www.mountainmanlongmont.com

29-1

5029

2 12122525 KeKenn PrPratattt BlBlvdvd.lvd.Longmont, CO

720-652-66807777:00am-2:00 pm Daily

Longmont Offi ce:1400 Dry Creek Drive • Longmont

Lafayette Offi ce:300 Exempla Circle, Suite 120 • Lafayette

EYECARE CENTERO F N O R T H E R N C O L O R A D O

303.772.3300 • www.eyecaresite.com

Many Thanks For All You Do For Children

1725 Vista View Dr., Unit E • Longmont, CO 80504720-652-9100

w w w . a r c h e r y i n t h e w i l d . c o m

Mountain States Children’s Home

is “on target” with their work with children!

MS

-149836

“We salute you for all “We salute you for all your good works in our your good works in our

community”community”235 Alpine St.235 Alpine St.

303-776-3600303-776-3600www.longmontford.comwww.longmontford.com 27

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396

Left Paw Pantry“We make tracks to your door”

303-652-6060

Your wonderful work with children in

need is appreciated by all who know

your work.

Congratulations!



BalancedApproach to Childcare

• Family Model of Care

• Spiritually Centered

• The 4-H Program

• Education

• Counseling

50 Year

Mountain States Children’s Home Tour

10am-11:30amLunch & Presentation

11:45am-1:15pmWillie Franklin Alumni

Tours Continue from 1:30pm-2:30pm

14780 N. 107th Longmont, CORSVP (for lunch count)

303-776-6841 or [email protected]

Celebrating the

Hw

y 28

7

I-66

Wal-Mart

3 miles from I-66 to Mountain States Children’s Home

THE CELEBRATION

Come Join Us for

Upcoming EventsJuly 17th - 50 Year Anniversary Celebration Day (10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)September 11th - Bargain Auction on MSCH Campus (9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.)October 23rd -

Benefi t Dinner & Auction at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center (5:30 - 9:00)

MS

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