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 Todd Simpson 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.

Graduation 2004 ... Coming “Home”  

For The Omaha Home for Boys class of 2004, graduation included a personal “homecoming” for three of the boys. 

Jake, Mark and Brett were all residents of the Home at one time.  However, they spent their senior year living off-campus with foster parents. 

Jake spent two years at the Home.  During that time, he worked on the lawn crew under the watchful eye of the Home’s grounds/maintenance technician, Mike.

Jake and Mike had a great relationship from the very beginning.  Mike was impressed by Jake’s improved attitude and grades since coming to the Home. 

Jake had successfully completed the Home’s program and was considering moving into the Home’s Transitional Living program.   As Mike was driving him there, Jake asked a question that startled Mike. 

“He asked me if he could come live with me,” remembers Mike.  “I called my wife right then and there, and even though she’d never met Jake, she wanted to take him.  We’ve always liked helping kids, so it seemed like a natural step to go ahead and be certified as foster parents, so Jake could live with us.”

Jake continued his success at school with top grades -- and even lettered in football and track.  After graduation, he plans to concentrate on his full-time job in construction. 

Mark and Brett went to live with foster parents Robert & Joann a year ago.  Mark had been at the Home four years, and the difference in this young man during that time was remarkable.  He was even awarded the Fred H. Bromley Award for showing leadership and the greatest improvement in attitude. 

Brett had been at the Home for 3 1/2 years, playing on the high school baseball team and singing in the Honors Choir. 

Robert & Joann say that although the boys’ personalities were quite different (Mark hated change and Brett loved to try anything new!) the boys did well together and always helped each other.  Brett’s encouragement recently helped Mark land his first job as a painter’s assistant. 

Two of the boys graduating this year are current residents of the Home.  Shawn changed dramatically soon after he arrived.  He quickly realized his anger and lashing out were getting in the way of his goals. 

Shawn’s grades were suffering, and the home helped him turn them around.  He played intramural sports with gusto, and dazzled his House Parents with his artistic ability. 

His goals after high school include “repaying my mom and dad for all the good they’ve done in my life.” 

Chris came to the Home over two years ago.  He saw school as a chore, and wasn’t working to his abilities.  Hanging out with friends became more important, and his mother hoped the Home would guide him in the right direction. 

With the help of tutors and lots of hours in the library, Chris went from failing grades to consistently earning Honor Roll status his junior and senior year.   

He even held down part time jobs -- one at a toy store that he frequented so often, the manager offered him a job on the spot.  “He said if I was going to be there so much, I might as well work and get paid for it,” remembers Chris with a smile. 

Chris is looking forward to new beginnings after graduation.  He is starting a new job, will begin college in the fall, and hopes to achieve a degree in computer programming. 

The Omaha Home for Boys class of 2004 holds much promise for the future.  Congratulations to Mark, Brett, Jake, Shawn and Chris!  No matter where life takes you, you’ll always have a place to call Home.

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Personally Speaking
Let’s take a moment to discuss...Heroes                                                          

Last May I was singled out for a very special honor.  I was humbled to be named a Salvation Army Hero for my work with kids. 

            But, I do not consider myself a hero.  I look around at the teachers who work everyday to help our boys grow ... now they are heroes, I see the coaches who mold and shape our boys in athletics ... they are heroes, too.  I see our House Parents who heal the hurts, hug away the fears and wipe away the tears of so many of our boys ... they are heroes indeed. 

            I look at our boys ... some of whom recently graduated from high school ... and see all they have accomplished.  These are young men who have overcome adversity.  These are the kids who have lived with abuse, or neglect, or abandonment.  These are the kids who ran to any group ... usually the wrong group ... for shelter and acceptance and love.  These are the kids who live on the streets, or end up in detention centers, or dead.  These boys are the biggest heroes of all. 

            In this newsletter you will read about boys who took all the hardships that life could offer and kept on trying.  These are the boys, who, thanks to you and others like you, have broken the cycle of abuse and neglect.  These are tomorrow’s husbands, fathers and neighbors. 

            Are they heroes?  I think so.  They may be young.  They may be inexperienced.  They may have made mistakes.  But their hearts are full of excitement as they start a new era in their life.  I am proud of each and every one of these boys. 

            Next year the Home will have a new crop of graduates ... of heroes ... with new goals and new aspirations.  Some will go to college, others to the military and some into the trades.  But regardless of where these young men go, the fact that The Omaha Home for Boys was here for them ... that you were here for them ... will always be with them. 

            Thank you for helping these boys to grow.  Thank you for being a hero, too!

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Home Happenings

Family Picnic Honors Boys
Three boys were recognized for their special achievements at the Home’s annual spring family picnic.  Tyrone received the Wayne E. Decker Award.  This award for Outstanding Eighth Grader recognizes academic progress and citizenship in school and at the Home, combined with leadership among his peers and sensitivity for fellow youth.  Justin was presented with the James D. Collins Award.  This award recognizes athletic achievement and perseverance.  The Fred H. Bromley Award went to James.  This award is given to the boy showing the greatest improvement in attitude, along with leadership.  Congratulations to all our award winners!

Swimming to Success
Casey became interested in swimming after he arrived here at the Home, and took advantage of the Rec Center’s indoor pool.  Soon, he had two goals:  to letter in swimming at his high school, and to make it to the State Swimming Tournament.  We’re proud to report Casey achieved both his goals, and even won his school’s “Most Improved Swimmer” award!

Honor Society Gains OHB Resident
Austin was inducted into his high school’s National Honor Society.  He received his pin and membership card at a dinner last spring.  We’re so proud of you, Austin! 

Beach Party
Summer came early to the Home as sand, fun and fluorescent sun filled the Dining Hall in April!  The Home threw a party to recognize the volunteers that make the Mentoring Program so successful.  28 youth were served through this program last year, and there always seems to be a waiting list of boys looking for mentors.  The party was the Home’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to some wonderful folks who give their time, love and caring to needy youth. 

College World Series Team Visits Boys
The Omaha Lion’s Club once again sponsored a College World Series team visit to the Home.  The boys were thrilled to have lunch with the Texas team and take them on tours of their cottages.  Four camera crews, including one from ESPN, added to the excitement.  The Texas Longhorns finished runner-up in the series, but they are champions in the eyes of the boys! 

Clover Kids
Cooper Farm’s 4-H program held its 3rd annual Clover Kids camp.   Boys and girls ages 5 -- 8 learned all about showing livestock from the Home’s 4-H members and staff.  Hands-on learning made the day fun!

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College Scholarships: Lifelines for OHB Alums

Wayne felt like he was drowning.  Working two jobs, struggling to make ends meet and no real future in sight.  He regretted his impulsive decision to bypass college, and thought about his last days at The Omaha Home for Boys.  He was told, “The Home will always be here for you.”   

Then Wayne asked for help.  The Home threw him the lifeline he needed in the form of a college scholarship.  Successful Living Educator Dave James says, “Wayne told me he was ready to go back to school.  He wanted to keep working and go to school part-time, and the Home wanted to give him a second chance.”

Today, Wayne is holding a 3.0 GPA and well on his way to a new life.  For many of the boys, college scholarships are a dream they would not have realized without the Home’s help. 

The Home’s volunteer Board of Directors has a scholarship committee to oversee the distribution of funding.  While all OHB youth are eligible (no matter how long ago they resided at the Home), a formal application process is required and once approved, grade point averages of 2.0 or higher must be maintained to be considered. 

Last year the Home provided college scholarships to 40 of our youth, worth over $138,000 in tuition, books, and housing.  

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Dave James … Laying the Groundwork for Successful Living

 After 21 years of teaching and coaching in the Omaha Public Schools, Dave James found himself at a crossroads.  He felt he needed a new challenge -- and his search was answered through a fellow teacher.  “You should apply at The Omaha Home for Boys -- they need tutors,” she said.  With those words Dave James’ life was changed forever. 

Dave began tutoring in 1989 at the Home and was soon helping to implement new programs such as Wellness for Life and Tobacco Free Teens.  In 1994, he became the Home’s Successful Living Educator and now supervises programs at the Learning Center, works with junior high age boys at the Home and also coordinates the scholarship program. 

But Dave’s duties go far beyond his job description.  Dave gives pep talks.   He nurtures.  He encourages.   He develops trust with the goal of helping the boys become totally self sufficient through awareness of everything the Home has to offer -- now, and after the boys leave.   

You see, Dave keeps them in his heart and reaches out to them when they need him the most.  He keeps a list of the boys currently on campus, and those who have graduated from the Home’s program.  He picks up the phone and finds out how they’re doing.  If they need academic help, Dave is ready to lend a hand and get them back on track through the Home’s scholarship program. 

“You have to lay the groundwork,” Dave says.  “Sometimes scholarships aren’t meaningful to a 14 year old boy -- but later, after he’s left the Home, I want him to remember we’re here for him.  We want his dreams to come true.” 

For Dave James, Successful Living is more than a job -- it’s a philosophy.

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Ten years of Caring at Cooper Village

Although it’s been seven years since he left the program, 22-year-old “Donny” still likes to pay friendly visits to his former counselor at Cooper Village.  The explosive anger and defiance that brought him here are gone, replaced with a smile as he chats about his job in construction and shows off pictures of his infant son. 

“I would never have admitted it at the time, but I still hear the things the counselors were trying to teach me back then,” Donny says.  “They come back to me and guide me as an adult.  I believe now.”

In 1994, The Omaha Home For Boys collaborated with Uta Halee Girls Village to offer a unique, residential psychiatric therapeutic treatment program for adolescent boys ages 14 - 18.  The program was christened Cooper Village, and is located on the Home’s 72-acre working farm three miles north of the main campus. 

Cooper Village boys stay in group living units, which are separated by level of care and type of need.  Education is provided on campus, with two teachers in each classroom.  The average stay is a little more than nine months, but some boys have stayed up to four or five years to get the help they need.  Last year, Cooper Village served 164 youth.

Cooper Village will celebrate their 10th anniversary of caring in September with a family fun festival for youth, alum, staff and families.  The afternoon will feature food, games, and memories for all that have been touched by the program.

For Donny, the caring is something he’ll never forget.

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Transitional Living -- Stepping Stones to Independence

There was graduation of another kind at The Omaha Home for Boys recently.  At the Home’s Dining Hall, the applause rang out as twelve young men and women were recognized for completing the Home’s Transitional Living (TL) program.

TL began in 1995 for young men and women ages 17 - 23, to augment the Home’s residential program services for boys up to 18 years of age.  The program is held at “Jacobs’ Place,” two apartment buildings named after former Board Member Warren L. “Pat” Jacobs.  Independent living skills were a subject close to Pat Jacobs’ heart.  So much so, that he remembered the Home in his will with a generous gift specifically for a transitional living program.

Residents at Jacobs’ Place attend meetings with TL staff, have regular apartment checks, set goals and attend employment prep classes.  If they’re already employed, they get job coaching.  Residents must maintain specified conditions to remain in the program, such as working and/or going to college. 

For Cole, age 20, the program has meant a crucial stepping-stone into complete independence.  “I’ve learned self-discipline thanks to the TL program.  The staff’s encouragement and support convinced me -- I know I can achieve anything!” 

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George’s Will

My name is George* and I have a will.  Two months ago I couldn’t say that. It took the death of a close friend to wake me up.  Now I’m wondering why I procrastinated so long.

Let me tell you about my will.

My will reflects my wishes. Instead of the courts appointing an executor (personal representative), my son will handle this, and without bond.  My will makes provision for family members in a way state statutes would not do.  My will establishes a trust to benefit my spouse and reduce estate taxes.  My will lets me disburse money to my children and grandchild in an orderly and prolonged manner.  My will identifies several charities to receive special bequests.  In short, my will allocates my assets according to my desires. 

My will is legally valid. I went to an attorney who specializes in estate planning.  She knew the right questions to ask and the best way to accomplish my goals.  I was tempted to take a short cut and use one of those will documents you can get at a stationery store.  I even thought of just sitting down and writing out my will on a piece of paper, a sort of do-it-yourself project.  I’m sure glad I didn’t fall into that trap.  After all, why do a will and then spend the rest of your life wondering whether it is truly valid? 

My will is up-to-date. This is because I only recently created it and it reflects my current situation.  But life never stays the same.  Within a few years, new estate laws may arise.  Family members may develop different needs.  The composition of my estate may change.  As my attorney says, “An out-of-date will could be as harmful as having no will at all.”

My will can be amended. It is not set in concrete.  I can change it easily, either by adding a codicil or by simply having it redrafted.  The important thing is that I have a workable will in place -- now. 

My will is safely stored. I have a copy of my will in my files at home, but I keep the original in a bank safety deposit box.  I don’t want to lose this important document through fire or theft.  I also made sure my personal representative knows how to find my will.

My will provides peace of mind. For years I lived with a nagging apprehension about what would happen if I died without a will.  Those feelings are gone.  I now have a sense of well-being about these matters, an inner calmness.  It took a little time and effort and it cost a few dollars, but it was well worth it all.

If you do not have a current, valid will or comprehensive living trust, The Omaha Home for Boys urges you to take care of this very important matter.  Not only will such planning benefit your loved ones, you may also want to remember the Boys’ Home as well. 

Please feel free to contact Todd Simpson, the Home’s Director of Development, for information about wills and charitable bequests.  If you like, Todd can also help you find a qualified attorney.  Feel free to call Todd at 800/408-4663.  Estate planning and giving information is also available at our web site www.omahahomeforboys.org   Thank you!

*Fictitious name

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GIFT ANNUITY RATE CHART
The following chart is based on a gift of $5,000:

OHB rates American Council Gift Annuity Rates as of July 1, 2003

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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.