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THE TWIG is a publication of :
The Omaha Home for Boys
4343 North 52nd Street
Omaha, NE 68104
The Omaha Home for Boys is a member of the National Fellowship of Child Care Executives and the National Association of Homes and Services for Children.
Founded in 1920, The Omaha Home for Boys is licensed by the State of Nebraska and is governed by 70 Trustees and our Board of Directors of 30 who serve as volunteers without financial remuneration. Annual operating and financial statements are prepared by certified public accountants and filed as public information with the Nebraska Department of Social Services.
The Omaha Home for Boys 75th Anniversary History
Books are available. To receive your copy contact Marsha Cussen at
1-800-408-4663 today! To read the Home's complete history, click on
the history book to your right. Also available is the Home's new
video -- "A Vision of Caring".
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HOME? If you have a
question about the Home, would like to receive our financial
statements, or we can help in any way, call us at our new toll free
number 1-800-408-4663.
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The OHB Video - "A Vision of Caring" |
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The Home's video, "A vision of Caring," is avaialable for viewing in your home of presenting before clubs or groups. If you would like to borrow a copy please let us know at 800/408/4663 and we will make sure you receive the tape. | ||||
Return to The Omaha Home for Boys Home
Page
Down on the Farm
with Charlie and Mike
Oh, man, this
really stinks!” thought Charlie on his first visit to the Farm and
the 4-H program of the Home. Now, he loves it!
Charlie is 16, likes girls and sports and is fortunate to have a mom who loved him enough to bring him to the Home. And the Home is fortunate to have Charlie. “He’s his own man,” says Mike Pallas, Cooper Farm manager for the Home. Mike and Charlie have spent many hours together, working, talking and listening.
I told Mike, ‘I’m going to ask a lot of questions,’ says Charlie, “and he answers them.”
Besides girls and sports, cattle have become a love for Charlie. Mike shares, “Livestock are teachers. They’re smart. And if you’ll pay attention to what they’re trying to teach you, you’ll learn a lot.” Charlie is doing just that.
Two years ago Charlie came to the Home at the age of 14. “I wasn’t listening to my mom, didn’t go to school regularly, and my grades were real bad.” Charlie excelled at the program for a year and then returned home to a mom who cared . . . a lot.
After a few months at home Charlie’s mom noticed some of the old
behaviors surfacing. She told Charlie she was sending him back to the
Home. Charlie shares,
“I think when I left the first time
I just did things too fast. I didn’t really care and thought I could
do everything by myself.” What’s different this time?
Now, Charlie knows he can’t do it on his own, is trying to listen to adults more and accepts criticism. And, he loves those cows and working at the Farm.
“If I’m going to do something, I’m going to be the best at it that I can,” he says. “I enjoy meeting people, working with the animals and showing them.”
Charlie has been named 4-H’er of the year two years in a row at the Home. According to Mike, “Charlie is getting well known, he means what he says, and he backs it up with action. Charlie is a Lead Worker on the 4-H program and he doesn’t just sit on a bucket and give orders; he gets in there and works!”
Charlie has also been appointed to a Junior Advisory position on the Fair Board. He will be helping to give input that will impact the future of 4-H in Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska. Furthermore, at the last show he attended, a man who owns a ranch watched him work and then offered him a summer job.
Charlie smiles as he relates how good that made him feel. However, when asked what advice he’d give to other boys his age, he says, “The best place to be is home . . . with your parents. For me, out-of-home placement is the best thing right now, but I would tell other guys to get good grades, go to school and listen to your parents.”
As you hear Mike talk about Charlie, you know he’s one lucky kid. He has a mom who loves him and is surrounded by people who genuinely care. Mike leans back and smiles, “Charlie has a dream. He wants to be a rancher. And if I ever win the lottery, Charlie will have that ranch!”
Where does Charlie want to be in five years? “I’m going to college. Then I want to be a rancher on down the road. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do it,” he says.
If his work in 4-H and on the Farm is any indication, we know he’ll do it too!
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Speaking
Personally Let’s take a moment to
discuss . . . Hope and Opportunity
Thank
heaven spring is finally here! I don’t know if I could have stood
much more “cabin fever”!
Now that the weather is nicer, I sometimes walk to a cottage or the Dining Hall. Every-where I look I see opportunities&emdash;and hope!
When a youth comes to the Home, he is being given the opportunity of a lifetime … the chance to change his life for the better. Whether he has been neglected or abused or been in trouble, The Omaha Home for Boys is a wonderful opportunity to be safe, to grow and to learn from caring adults.
I have seen so many boys become young men in the last 10 years. And each time I see a former boy return to visit, or bring his fiancée to meet his House Parents, or bring his children for a tour, I smile.
I smile because The Omaha Home for Boys not only gave that youngster opportunity, we gave him hope too. We gave him hope for a better life … hope for a brighter future … hope for tomorrow.
But the boys are not the only ones the Home gives hope to. When a mother calls, crying and distraught, the Home is there to help. When a grandmother calls with a 10-year-old whose parents are “just gone”, the Home is there to help. And when a social worker calls with a withdrawn boy who’s been mentally and physically tormented, the Home is there then too.
The Omaha Home for Boys may not be the right place for all these youth. But we are still there to help. We can give a mother options she never knew she had. We can give a grandmother advice on what to do next. And we can work with social service agencies to get needy youth placed in a home best suited to meet their individual needs.
Thanks to your care and support, The Omaha Home for Boys is truly a place of opportunities and hope. Opportunities for youth. Hope for parents. A place to save young lives … and save families too.
Thank you for your friendship.
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Karl, the Computer
Whiz
Karl is an eighth-grader at Monroe
Middle School and a resident of the Buck Cottage. Like any other
eighth-grader on the Hill, he goes to school, has a campus job and
enjoys playing on the Sony Play Station. He has a favorite class
(algebra) and a least-favorite class (social studies). Unlike most
other eighth-graders, Karl enjoys computer programming.
By using the Help files found on many computer programs and by pushing through the roadblocks of glitches and frustration, Karl has taught himself how to create computer games.
Karl has taught two introductory courses to the boys and staff interested on campus. Eventually, he’d like to take a group of boys through a full training session and teach them how to create a computer game. Good luck, Karl!
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Taking
Flight
Two boys from the Home went to Flight Camp during the summer . . .
and what a blast they had! Steve and Sammy went to the SAC Museum for
a week of learning, hands-on experiences and fun! The boys went to
learn about planes. They watched videos, took a tour of the museum
and attended lectures on the different planes housed in the museum.
They also took part in flight simulations in the museum’s flight
simulator.
But in between all of that learning, Sammy and Steve did what all
kids at camp do . . . they had FUN! They went to Mahoney State Park,
played Putt-Putt golf, ran obstacle courses, ate pizza and watched
Top Gun. Sammy and Steve also participated in an airplane flying
contest and a late-night pillow fight!
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Brett Matthies: The Home Is Where His Heart Is
Brett Matthies is an important person in the life of the Home and the lives of the boys coming to the Home. Brett is usually the first person to talk to when you are looking for information about sending a boy to the Home, and he takes tours with the families and prospective boys of the Home.
Brett stands 6'6" and his heart and concern for children take up the majority of that stature. Brett began working at the Home in September 1991. He was going to college and worked at the Recreation Center part-time. He now works full-time as the position of Admissions Coordinator, is married, has two children and has begun to mentor a youth at the Home.
Watching Brett take a tour with a boy and his parents, you know that he has a special talent. He has a way of making the parents feel at ease in placing their child in the Home, and the concern he has for the boys who may be living here is evident. We asked Brett some questions you might ask him if you had a friend, neighbor or loved one who needed a place like The Omaha Home for Boys to call home.
Describe
your job as Admissions Coordinator.
It is my responsibility to tell, educate and sell the Home. I have to be able to describe what the Home has to offer and give information about other programs as well. We have quality programs at the Home and we are the absolute best place for some boys. Other boys would be better served by other quality programs and I need to know what those are too.
I tell boys touring the Home to take advantage of what we have here, get the most out of the program. You will not find a better staff around to work with you. The staff here genuinely cares, even if there’s a youth that has given the Home some trouble &emdash; the staff will find something good about the boy to compliment and work on.
What is the hardest part of your job?
Not being able to help every kid. I go through and read the files, talk to the parents or representatives and see how many are needing help. I know that there is no place that can help every kid, but it still hurts.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your
position?
When you see the kids progress. They come to the Home, go through the program, progress, return home, go on to college and become productive members of society. Then they call you up to fill you in on what’s going on in their lives.
Have the needs of the families bringing their sons for admission to the Home changed over the years? If so, how?
There used to be one or two main issues. Today there are many. We see problems with school, grades, deterioration of the home, drugs&emdash;the list goes on and on. The youth are trying to handle problems on their own because mom and dad are gone trying to support the family.
I suggest to parents that they need to know they’re not alone and there is help available. I encourage them to start by taking a step back and assessing the situation. Before jumping to conclusions, look at behaviors on both sides, seek support from school, look into some ideas, techniques and parenting classes that are offered. I also encourage them to praise the little things. Look for small positive behaviors and begin to praise them.
You’ve just recently become a mentor at the Home too. Why volunteer your time as a mentor?
The young man whom I’m mentoring holds a special place in the heart of my family. He made some wrong choices, lacked positive influences in his life and ended up headed for destruction. I am so glad the Home is available to boys like him.
It’s a family commitment. My wife, Marsha, knows him and she helps me find the time for him as well as our own two children. I am really happy by the changes I’ve seen in him already. Mentoring doesn’t just help him . . . it helps me too.
Has being a
father changed how you view your position at the Home?
Yes, I think I feel more for the parents. I can appreciate what they go through in terms of the time that it takes to raise children. My children are getting older and they need increased attention. As a parent, you’re involved with other things while keeping them the main thing.
What do you hope to accomplish while you’re at the Home?
I want to be able to help the Home help as many boys as possible. I want to project the best product out there. Money is not the key issue for me but helping kids be better adults. As a kid I was lucky. I had two parents and a mom who was at home. I want to help give them a little of what I had.
How would you describe the Home in one word?
Hope. The boys typically come to us with nothing: no dream, no guidance. We give them a second chance, a new beginning. Some don’t realize it until later in life but The Omaha Home for Boys gives them hope.
What would you say to the donors who make the Home possible?
Thank you from the staff, and please come take a look at what your support is doing. Many of the boys come to the Home with the clothes on their back and that’s it. Last year 65 percent of the boys that came to the Home were privately referred. No one else can afford to offer a child what we can because of the donors.
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Brett Matthies is excited about the Home and the lives that are being changed. He believes there is no better group of people than the staff at the Home. Five of our current staff members were interns at the Home. That says a lot for the commitment and the atmosphere that is provided for the boys.
As Brett said, “Come see the Home!”
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Wrestling with
Success
Boys living at the Home attend public schools and are
encouraged to take part in school activities. Tim, Perry, Robbie and
Brandon took part in a big way. All four youths, freshman, wrestled
on their high school team. They competed at the junior varsity and
varsity levels.
The team needed a person to wrestle in an upper-weight class, and Robbie helped them out. For the good of the team he wrestled upper classmen in a higher weight category than he actually qualified for&emdash;and at the varsity level.
This was the first year that Tim and Perry wrestled, and we’re proud of their accomplishments! Many of the wrestlers on the team began their career at a very early age, but few had as much enthusiasm as any of the boys from the Home. Brandon even competed at the State Wrestling Tournament.
Way to go, Robbie, Perry, Brandon and Tim! We’re proud of you!
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House Parents’ Corner A Passion for the Job
Clyde and Abi Newsome have found their niche in life. They are passionate about their job as House Parents for The Omaha Home for Boys.
House Parents are the most important and influential staff members at the Home. They are charged with implementing the Home’s behavioral treatment program and providing a family environment while meeting the physical, emotional, social, academic and spiritual needs of the residents. House Parents are responsible for providing a loving home environment; teaching and living as role models; counseling the youth on all matters; acting as disciplinarians when necessary; maintaining the home/cottage; and working with the administration of the Home.
Needless to say, it is a very tough job&emdash;a job that
few people can do. A job to which some, like the Newsomes, are born.
Clyde and Abi met after he finished his active service with the Marine Corps. They were both working for the Salvation Army and their relationship bloomed. After they married and their children were born&emdash;Vasthi, Caleb, Anna and Josh&emdash;the Newsomes left The Salvation Army but remained in the Kansas City area while their kids were in school. After Josh finished high school, Clyde and Abi went back to the Salvation Army and then on to a residential center for unwed teens in Florida.
“The girls were wonderful,” says Abi, “but most of our family was still in the Midwest. When the chance came to work closer to them, we took it!”
And The Omaha Home for Boys is glad they did!
When Clyde and Abi first joined the Home they worked as Alternate House Parents for two of the cottages on campus. Alternates float between cottages, giving the regular House Parents some well deserved time off. The Newsomes enjoyed alternating in the cottages and loved the relationships they formed with the boys. And when the chance came for them to have their own cottage, they jumped at it.
And the impact they are having on “their” boys is apparent. You
cannot walk into their cottage&emdash;the Buck&emdash;without all the
boys in sight coming right up and
introducing themselves. (Effective introduction is one of the basic
skills House Parents teach the youth.)
“You can’t help but be successful with the behavioral program the Home uses,” Clyde explains. “The motivation techniques are wonderful, especially for teenagers! We actually used a lot of the same methods with our own kids … we just didn’t know anyone had written the system down!” he says with a laugh.
Abi nods in agreement and tells about the four parent-teacher conferences she attended the night before. (All of the boys attend public schools and one of the critical responsibilities for the House Parents is keeping up with each youth’s education.) “Every teacher I’ve talked to thinks the Home is wonderful,” Abi says with pride. “They just love our boys!”
There is no doubt that the Home has an impact on the boys’ schoolwork. On average, after the first semester a boy’s grades will improve more than 100 per cent&emdash;from a 1.09 to a 2.30 in just a few months. But schoolwork is only a small part of the equation. The real change comes from within the youth. And that is where the Newsomes find their joy.
“The thing I love the most about the Home is the many different experiences that allow the kids to grow,” Clyde says. “And growth is what we’re all about here.”
When asked what they would say to prospective House Parents, Abi says “Encourage them and share the excitement we feel about being part of the Home.” And Clyde notes that “you can’t look at the House Parent position as a long-term job. I think you’ve got to approach it as a mission. A mission of changing young lives!”
Certainly, changing lives is what the Newsomes are doing at the Home. Just looking at the youth in their cottage will tell you that.
Clyde’s description of what House Parents do really says it all: “If God can help me to teach or influence or change one young person … wow, that’s an awesome thought. It’s better than painting the Sistine Chapel. These boys are living works of art!”
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Relationships. That one word describes a great deal about The Omaha Home for Boys. Building relationships. Maintaining relationships. That’s one of the things we do best here at the Home.
I received a letter the other day from a mother who contacted the Home back in the ’60s. She spoke with then Executive Director Harry Bruner. She shared with me about Harry’s kind letter and the difficulties she was having with her teenage son then.
That short, caring letter from Harry helped her through a difficult time. It helped her son. It helped her family. And for the past 30-plus years the Home has had a strong, caring relationship with her.
My goodness, what a difference a little relationship building can make!
I want the Home to build that kind of relationship with you too. When you sit down and write us a letter or send a gift, you are telling the Home you believe in what we are doing and you care about needy youth.
Your support is helping to give those needy youth a chance for a brighter tomorrow. Whether you are an annual donor, an annuity giver, have remembered the Home in your estate plans or all three, you are making a difference in the lives of youth. You are helping the Home build relationships.
The relationships the Home has built and maintained over the last 80 years has made the difference to thousands of youngsters. The relationship the Home builds and maintains with you, today, will make a difference to thousands of youngsters in the future.
On behalf of them I say thank you.
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Charitable
Giving and Taxes
The Government Supports
Your Gift
With all the talk surrounding the “death tax,” you might
be interested in refreshing your memory on how charitable gifts
affect your taxes.
Let’s face it. No one likes to pay taxes. It seems like every time we turn around, we are paying sales tax as well as property taxes, and we are constantly trying to determine ways to avoid income taxes.
As we are all involved in the American pastime of tax avoidance, we often forget that charitable gifts can play a significant role.
If you make an outright gift today, you can avoid income tax. Your gift is deductible at 100 percent of its value in the year it was given. If your gift is larger than 50 percent of your adjusted gross income (if you gave cash or cash equivalents), or 30 percent of your adjusted gross income (if you gave appreciated property), you qualify to “carry over” your gift into future tax years. You may make your initial deduction the year in which the gift was given, and then you would have five additional tax years to “use up” your charitable deduction.
The best item to give is a gift that has appreciated in value over time. If you have capital gains liability, then giving away such an asset allows you to make a gift at the current fair-market value and deduct the current fair-market value on your taxes&emdash;regardless of what you paid for it. For example, if you had a personal item or held stock that you paid $1,000 for which is now worth $5,000, and gave it away, you would receive a tax deduction for $5,000. If you sold it instead of giving it away, you would have to pay taxes on your $4,000 gain. Therefore, long-term appreciated property is the best asset to give.
As we go through life, we accumulate assets and our estate becomes more valuable. Many people are astounded to realize that they have reached a threshold where they have a federal estate tax liability.
People make charitable gifts because they believe in the organization they are supporting. Because they believe in the values of the organization and what it accomplishes, they want to perpetuate it and see it succeed. The IRS encourages giving.
For more information about charitable gifts, contact your estate planning professional or Todd Simpson at (800) 408-4663.
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GIFT
ANNUITY RATE CHART
The following chart is based on a
gift of $5,000:
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Age |
Annual Return |
Charitable Deduction |
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65 |
7.0% - $350 |
$1,940 |
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70 |
7.5% - $375 |
$2,105 |
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75 |
8.2% - $410 |
$2,275 |
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80 |
9.2% - $460 |
$2,475 |
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85 |
10.5% - $525 |
$2,730 |
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90 |
12.0% - $600 |
$2,955 |
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American Council Gift Annuity Rates as of July 1, 1999
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HOME? If you have questions about the Home, would like to receive our financial statements, or we can help in any way, please call us at our toll free number 1-800-408-HOME.
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