The Omaha Home for Boys...
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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
Steve Bauer 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.
The OHB Video - "A
Vision of Caring"
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.
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Branching Out ... Boys Volunteer to Help Twigs Grow
Twenty boys volunteered two of their evenings for the
Branching Out Program sponsored by the Omaha World Herald – Omaha’s
local newspaper.
The Program is designed to replace trees in Omaha residential areas that were severely damaged or destroyed by a disastrous snowstorm in October of 1997.
Our boys helped sort, bag and label individual trees stored at Lanoha Nursery in West Omaha. The boys were able to prepare about 10,000 trees for the giveaway program.
The trees were distributed at various city parks on Saturdays during the spring and will be distributed again in the fall planting season.
Volunteering time to help others is strongly encouraged by the Home and the boys love doing it!
Thanks to a great program and the help of a bunch of great guys, the City of Omaha’s streets and parks will again be filled with trees.
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Jim … a Regular Guy Who Just Keeps Getting Better
Jim is a soft spoken young man.
When he came to the Home in October of 1997, he said he didn’t really like anybody or want to be here. He got in fights often.
Finally, after quite some time, Jim began to “settle in.” Eventually, he gave life at The Omaha Home for Boys a chance. Now he gives people a chance, too!
Jim is learning to see the bigger picture instead of reacting to situations immediately. He is learning to accept the responsibility for his actions and realizes there are consequences that affect his future. This has allowed Jim to do very well in advancing through the levels of the Family Home Program.
Jim is much happier about the changes he’s made in his life. He is in 4-H and works with two calves. He has learned a lot through the experience.
“When you play by the rules, you have a lot more friends and you get to do the things you enjoy and be yourself.” says Jim.
Recently, Jim rode in the Benson Days parade representing the Home in the local community. Jim made the commitment to be in the parade even though he had to attend his sister’s high school graduation party that same day.
Jim will be a Junior at Benson High School this fall. He is planning to stay at the Home until he graduates.
Thanks to his hard work, Jim is a young man you’d be glad to call your friend.
Nice work, Jim.
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SPEAKING
PERSONALLY -- Let’s take a momemt
to talk about ...
Education and Awareness Lead
to Healthy Communities
We are special on this planet because of our awareness.
Becoming aware is a process. It’s hard work. Most of us would rather work hard than think hard. Working hard is instantly gratifying, you can see what you’ve accomplished.
Becoming aware,
by learning and thinking, is less tangible. You see results later,
after you have accumulated knowledge and put it to use. I remember
sitting in school wondering when I would ever use what was being
taught. Boys at the Home have the same questions today.
Education is the key to awareness. Most young people don’t have the experience to understand where education is leading them, many skip school or worse – quit altogether.
When Graduation Day comes each year there is a lot of excitement at the Home.
This year five boys crossed that major threshold in their lives. A lot of learning and becoming aware of what life is about come before graduation … and a great deal more is yet to come.
“It is the end, but it is just the beginning,” that is how our Education Director, Alan Berk, put it during the Graduation Dinner in May.
Graduation is the beginning of developing into a mature adult who uses everything he has learned to become aware of who he is and what he wants to do with his life.
Many young people are really lost in life. They’ve tried everything to get out of their difficulties, but mostly they have avoided their problems because they didn’t know how to deal with them.
We help boys and families who have nowhere to turn. They have tried “everything,” but that has only led them deeper into problems.
We have a big job at the Home, and seeing the boys through school is just a part of it. We must start a process of turning troubled lives around. They must be taught many basic things about life, like practical living skills and being socially responsible.
We use the Family Home Program at The Omaha Home for Boys and it is a proven method of guiding young people in a positive direction.
Sitting in on a number of training sessions for our House Parents, it dawned on me that these couples are taking on the responsibility of becoming teachers ... life teachers.
Parents must also be teachers to be effective. The better they are at it, the more committed they are, generally the better their “students” turn out.
The Omaha Home for Boys offers Parenting Classes that help parents become aware of their responsibilities and teaches them to effectively raise their children.
Over the course of 78 years we have learned that everyone in the community must be aware of what it takes to raise healthy children.
Our Mission Statement was changed in 1992 to state our expanded goal of “Strengthening Youth and Families.” At The Omaha Home for Boys that is our job every day.
John C. Furstenberg
Executive Director
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A New Educational Program is Aimed at Filling in the Gaps
A new program was started this summer to address serious educational problems facing many boys entering the Home.
The Academic Enrichment Program was implemented to make up for deficits in a youth’s learning experience at the most basic levels, the traditional 3 R’s. Unfortunately, many young people leave school without knowing how to do basic mathematics, read or spell.
Disruptions in a child’s schooling caused by frequent
moves, family upheavals or absenteeism, often mean that the material
covered in school during that time is never taught to the youth.
That’s why this summer four of our tutors, Karen Brooks, Paula McWright, Phyllis O’Brien and Steve Steinbruck started the Academic Enrichment Program. They taught spelling, reading and comprehension, and mathematics to a number of boys in need.
The program began by teaching each boy in a one on one setting. As the program progresses, assessing individual learning levels will make it possible to teach several youth who have similar skill levels at once.
The Academic Enrichment Program is filling in educational gaps for many boys. In the process it changes their attitudes about reading, writing and arithmetic.
The Program also changes their attitudes about themselves, because they know they can do the basics that most of us take for granted, instead of feeling embarrassed because of their academic weaknesses.
The boys involved in the Academic Enrichment Program are very enthusiastic about this chance to catch up in areas that will make their chances for success in life much greater.
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This
year’s Graduating Class presented five young men who were more amazed
than anyone that they were actually about to make such a monumental
achievement in their lives. They are all fine young men who worked
very hard to reach a point in their lives few of them believed was
possible.
A dinner was held for the graduates on May 27. Also attending the dinner were Chris, who spent many years of his young life at the Home, and Jose who received his GED in January.
Everyone at the Home and indeed YOU should be proud of these young men for the accomplishments they have made – against all odds.
Steve
found out about The Omaha Home for Boys from his army recruiter,
Sergeant Marsha Bezrutczyk. He was in ROTC, but was struggling with
high school … actually he thought about quitting. He had played
football in his freshman and sophomore years, but things just started
unravelling for him at home.
Then Steve entered the Home. Although he was only here for four months, during that time he did a lot of catching up on schoolwork to graduate on time. He even took three English classes in one semester! Steve spent a lot of time with our tutors.
At the Home’s Graduation Dinner held on May 27, Steve thanked many people for helping him complete high school. He was amazed that he was graduating.
Steve left the Home on June 25th for Fort Knox, Kentucky. He entered the army as an E3 -19 Kilo Private First Class. Steve will be taking technical training to prepare for an assignment in an armored division.
Good luck, Steve, in your endeavor to serve our country!
Felix first came to the Home as a young boy of 11 in 1992. He left in 1993. He returned in 1996 and in 1998 he realized he needed the help of the Home if he was going to make it through high school.
Felix’s pride
and enthusiasm were apparent during his speech at the Graduation
Dinner. “Never give up on your goals,” he encouraged the younger
boys. “You need this diploma to do anything. Take advantage of the
opportunities you have here at the Home for yourself and your
family.”
A strong testament from such a young man, one that shows how grateful he is for his success.
Felix is currently enrolled in our Transitional Living Program and working at Benson Storage and Transfer. He is considering the military as a career.
It’s been a long road, Felix, the best of luck to you in the future!
Zach
spent 15 months at The Omaha Home for Boys. He was always
pleasant and was a frequent member of the Lawn Crew. Zach was a
young man who was very responsible and was often given jobs like
handling equipment or supervising a project.
Zach lettered in football his Senior year at Benson High School, playing safety and on special teams. He also loved playing basketball at the Home’s Recreation Center.
For now, Zach is working construction and taking some time for himself. In the fall he plans on attending Metro Community College and then transferring to Midlands College in Fremont to major in Sports Management.
He is also planning on joining National Guard in January.
Congratulations, Zach, and good luck to you!
Kurt’s
good humored speech during the Graduation Dinner credited his
House Parents and many other “old friends” who helped him when he
needed to discuss a problem or when he needed to make a key decision.
Kurt entered Transitional Living and is working at Carmody Plumbing over the summer as an apprentice. As a part of his apprenticeship he will attend classes at Associated Builders and Contractors two nights a week for four years.
Associated Builders and Contractors is an Educational Association for trades, so Kurt will receive scholarship assistance from the Home for tuition and tools.
During the three years Kurt lived at the Home it was always apparent that he was a hard working young man. Now, he has set goals for his future and is working toward them every day.
Good luck, Kurt!
The Omaha Home for Boys showed Jose a different life than what he had known on the streets. He had seen it all, crime, shootings and the intense pressure of trying to free yourself from a gang.
Jose lived at
the Home for three months when he took the test to receive his GED.
He had no high school credits, because he had never finished a
semester in the same school.
Jose is a sharp young man. He passed the test on his first try and received his GED. That was in January. Later Jose moved into the Home’s Transitional Living Program and started taking classes at Metro Tech, setting his career goals in psychology and counseling.
During his speech at the Graduation Dinner he said he prayed every day to be able to stay in school.
Jose’s House Father, Larkin Birdow, said, “Jose is an amazing person who turned his life completely around.” In fact, “He was difficult to counsel, he rarely did anything wrong after he entered the Home.”
Keep up the good work, Jose, it’s all worth it!
Chris
lived at the Home for almost eights years.
He finished the Family Home Program and left the Home before he graduated from high school. Everyone was cautiously hopeful that Chris would stay in school and get his diploma. Through the steadfast support of his girlfriend’s family he was able to stay on course.
Chris enthusiastically accepted an invitation to take part in the Graduation Dinner held for our Seniors here at The Omaha Home for Boys last May.
At the dinner, the William S. and Doris R. Hutcheson Fine Arts Scholarship was awarded to Chris for his college education in the field of Graphic Arts.
Chris was very emotional as he thanked the many people who were a part of his life and successful graduation.
Way to go Chris!
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More than fifteen years ago Carol and Dick Cerney – from Geddes, South Dakota – began talking about working with at-risk and needy youth. However, with three kids of their own in junior high and high school, the time just wasn’t right. But they always dreamed of working as House Parents for children and youth. Last year that dream became a reality.
In June, 1997, the Cerneys joined The Omaha Home for Boys as House Parents. In 12 short months they’ve made a tremendous impact at the Boys’ Home.
In 1968 Carol married her high school sweetheart, Dick Cerney. Over the years – and while raising their three children – the Cerneys spoke often of working as missionaries or helping the underprivileged. And, since they both loved children, they worked countless hours as Sunday School teachers and with other youth oriented organizations.
Then, in 1997, the time seemed right for them to make
a change. After 12 years in restaurant management and another three
years as Director of Religious Education for a local ministry, Carol
saw an ad for The Omaha Home for Boys. She showed Dick, who had
served as an Employment Office Manager for the State of South Dakota
for 13 years, and he thought the idea was worth pursuing.
They submitted a resume, met with Boys’ Home staff – while visiting their youngest son in Omaha – and the rest is history. “I truly believe our choice was driven by the Holy Spirit,” says Carol, “everything seemed to work out just right for us to come here.”
And how are Dick and Carol adjusting to living their long time dream? “We couldn’t be happier – well, maybe if we could get a little more sleep!” laughs Dick.
“When eight boys who’ve had scholastic problems all their lives come home showing off their report cards, you know you’ve made a difference” Carol says smiling. And making a difference is what makes all the early mornings and sleepless nights worthwhile. “The boys are the best thing about working at the Home,” agrees Dick, “you can see the impact you’re having on a young life almost immediately.”
When asked what traits are necessary to be effective House Parents, Dick and Carol pause to reflect.
After some consideration Dick and Carol answer together, “You must love kids, have a strong marriage ... and have a good sense of humor! Love the kids and they’ll always pay you back.” Like the boy Carol tells about who asked if his parents had come to a meeting with the counseling staff. “We’re your parents too,” Carol told him. And with tears in his eyes, he hugged Carol for the first time.
Loving kids, strong marriage, sense of humor ... clearly, the Cerneys possess these traits, and many more. And they’re using these traits to make a difference in young lives. Thank you Dick and Carol!
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Annual Awards and Family Picnic … Honors and Laughs with the Boys
The Omaha Home for Boys holds an annual Awards and Family Picnic for boys leaving the Home because they are graduating from high school or they have successfully completed the Family Home Program. The Picnic is held at Cooper Farm Picnic Pavilion. This year the Pavilion was full of boys, their family members and staff.
The Picnic, while honoring boys for their accomplishments, is also a time for everyone to play games, converse and have fun together.
A highlight of the event occurs when boys leaving the Home are “roasted” by their House Parents or other staff members. The good humored, witty recounting of the boys’ “careers” at the Home has everyone roaring with laughter. Many of the boys receive “awards” of sorts … anything from a hard hat to an Energizer bunny.
Three Awards are given annually honoring boys for their outstanding accomplishments while at the Home.
The first is the Wayne E. Decker Outstanding Eighth Grader Award. This year the award was presented to Mark for his compassion and concern for fellow students. Congratulations, Mark, you have certainly shown how much you care.
The second award, the Collins’ Athletic Award, was established to honor a boy for his athletic ability, team play and good sportsmanship. This year’s recipient was Kurt, who certainly deserved the Award for all of his hard work.
Finally, the Fred Bromley Award is presented to the youth who made the most improvement in his attitude and behaviors. This award was presented to Joe.
It isn’t what happens to you in life that changes your future as much as how you handle what happens. Congratulations, Joe, you certainly deserve this award for the way you have handled yourself!
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The 1997-98 Scholarship Improvement Awards were given to Ryan, Tim, Will and Chris. The awards are presented to those boys who were experiencing difficulty in school when they entered the Home, but through the year turned their grades around.
These young men have shown exemplary progress in their personal discipline and educational achievement. We are all very proud of them.
The School Awards for 1997-98 4th quarter were awarded to 40 students.
Ryan led all students with 11 A’s on his report cards and had a 4.0 grade point average. Exceptional job Ryan!
Ryan, Jeff, Mark, Jeremiah, Will, Mike, Chris, Jared and Joel made The Omaha Public Schools Honor Roll with a 3.0 or better grade point average. Fantastic job guys!
We celebrate that 8 young men met their academic goals for the year. The goals are set at the beginning of the semester and may include completing homework on time or having grades of a “B” or above. The students achieving their goals are Ryan, Doug, Zach, Jeff, Jared, Steve, Chris and Will. Way to go! Keep up the good work.
The 100% Awards are given to students who achieve perfection in the following areas:
• No F’s on their report cards
• No referrals to the principal’s office
• No absences
Fifteen boys received the 100% Award. They are Ryan, Shane, Mike, Brian, Zach, Dan, Steve, Mark, Doug, Brian, Tony, Chris, Jeremiah, Tim and Will.
This is a major achievement for all of these boys and we are proud of their hard work.
We have a lot to celebrate in the results that we have seen this year.
Congratulations boys!
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We are so
thankful that many of you have recently remembered the boys we serve
through your giving. People have asked about ways they could turn
their dreams of giving into a reality. The information presented
here will give you a brief introduction to some of the most common
tax wise methods of giving to The Omaha Home for Boys. I urge you to
discuss your charitable giving and tax planning with your accountant,
attorney or other professional financial advisor.
Should you have any questions about the examples given below, please call me at 1-800-408-4663 ext 7022.
Respectfully,
Bill Martin
Planned Giving Administrator
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More and more people are taking advantage of the many gift-planning options available today. These include bequests by will, revocable trusts, gift annuities, charitable trusts, gifts of securities and real estate, endowment giving and other possibilities.
Some gifts can be made to benefit The Omaha Home for Boys now (current gifts) and others can be made now to benefit the Home later (deferred gifts). Some gift arrangements are revocable (you can change your mind); others are irrevocable.
A planned gift usually requires more thought than a quick check written against a monthly income. These gifts often come out of estate assets. You have to consider the impact of your gift on your overall financial position. Can you afford a sizable gift at this time, or should you make it later by will? What is the best way to make the gift? Do you need temporary lifetime income from your gift arrangement? What are the tax implications?
Careful planning can actually make a good gift better. Consider these potential benefits of planning your gift:
The Omaha Home for Boys wants to help you make a good gift better. I am happy to assist you in making your plans by discussing various gift plans and explaining the various options as well as providing helpful illustrations for you geared to your specific needs.
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Jerry and Ron Jones recently decided they wanted to make a significant gift to The Omaha Home for Boys. They took a look at their taxes and the capital gains of their stock portfolio. Together they decided to make a gift of long-term appreciated stock. According to Jerry their gift was three fold. First, they received a tax deduction for the full fair market value of their stock on the date it was given. Second, they avoided paying the high capital gains tax on their stock (it had doubled three times since their purchase). Finally, they have the satisfaction of knowing their investment was made for the future – it was an investment in the work we do each day with children and families in need.
James Wilson had a $10,000 life insurance policy that he no longer needed. Therefore he named The Omaha Home for Boys as both owner and the beneficiary of his policy. He received a charitable deduction equal to the cash value of the policy when he made the gift.
Mary Smith recently turned 78 and she had a $5,000 CD come due. After a recent conversation with me, she realized that she could nearly double her interest income as well as receive a portion of it tax free! Mary purchased a charitable gift annuity from The Omaha Home for Boys. Simply put, a gift annuity is an irrevocable gift to the Home which will pay Mary 9.0% interest or $450 annually, a portion of which is tax free, for the rest of her life. Mary also received a substantial tax deduction for the actuarial value of her gift.
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The following chart is based on a $5,000 Annuity: |
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Age |
Interest Rate |
Yearly Payout |
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65 |
7.0% |
$360 |
|
70 |
7.5% |
$375 |
|
75 |
8.2% |
$410 |
|
80 |
9.2% |
$460 |
|
85 |
10.5% |
$525 |
|
90 |
12% |
$600 |
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