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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, or we can help in any way, call us at our new toll free number 1-800-408-4663
Taking Risks ... a Necessary Part of Life
Carl on the set with other cast
members
For many people,
being away from home for a few weeks can make life a bit chaotic. Can
you imagine living away from home for 5 years beginning at age 10?
Carl can. His first 3 placements were a test for him, his family and
those who worked with him. Unfortunately these placements did not
work out.
Carl is now in the 11th grade and focusing on his future by setting small and large goals. He believes this will be the key to his success in life. Carl has dreams of graduating from high school, attending college to become a biology teacher and capitalizing on his love for humor. He describes himself as a comedian which “allows me to be a kid more or less”&emdash;something he felt he missed out on.
What’s interesting about Carl is his growth and maturity since coming to The Omaha Home for Boys 10 months ago. According to Carl, dreams come true if you work hard and have an outlet. Drama class and participating in plays are Carl’s outlets. They give him the opportunity to make people happy and keep his mind off family challenges.
In October, Carl participated in his high school theater production of the Bram Stoker classic novel DRACULA. Playing the part of a Sanitarium Assistant was something new for him, as he has typically participated in humorous theater productions. Carl found he not only enjoys humor but he now likes to scare people too!
Taking risks in life is not easy for adults, let alone a 16 year old living miles away from his family. Carl has a challenging road ahead of him and the Home is happy he’s part of our family. Thank you Carl for believing in your future.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
October 1, 1997 featured another fun evening of singing, dancing, music and comedy for the boys, their families, volunteers and staff of the Home. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of TJ Ludeck and Becky Carder, The Omaha Home for Boys’ Talent Show was a success!
Doug, age 16, provided comedy relief
with his adaptation of Jeff Foxworthy material. Rick , Amos, Jeffry,
Joe and TJ Ludeck wowed the crowd with their rendition of the Village
People’s popular song YMCA. Darryl entertained by playing the drums.
William and Jayme sang great solos. Tony performed as a clown and Joe
recited original lyrics. A highlight to the evening was the House
Mothers’ showing off their dancing talents by doing the Tootsie Roll.
The evening came to a close with Ryan taking first place for his guitar playing original rendition of the “Mad Cow Blues”. Second place went to Jeff for singing “Open Arms” by the musical group Journey.
Thanks to the Pinnacle Group Associates and El Bees Restaurant, prize money and a pizza party were provided for the boys. Community spirit and self-assuredness for the boys were obvious hallmarks to a fantastic evening.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
SPEAKING
PERSONALLY
Let’s take a moment to talk about . . .
Teaching the Lessons of Life -- A Challenge for Us All
In dysfunctional families there is often little if
any assimilation of life skills. We assume these skills are just
picked up as a part of daily life.
The boys living with us seldom come from what one might consider a normal family life and learning acceptable social skills just doesn’t happen.
The skills they need to live in society must be taught to them.
The Family Home Program used by The Omaha Home for Boys is designed to teach living skills by use of example, feedback and rewards. The Program is based on a system we all basically use to learn, only it is used in a more quantifiable form.
Learning is a process of starting with the basics and building on that knowledge.
For young people who haven’t yet learned basic behavioral and social norms, the program teaches life skills in an easily understandable way and then builds on those with more complex ideas and behaviors.
Many of the boys that come to the Home lack almost all social skills. They don’t know how to meet or greet people. Their educational needs are enormous.
It can be shocking to see the lack of progress an early teenager has made in life. Some can barely read. The simplest math problem can be a dead end for them.
If you can’t function around people, understand written communication or speak correctly, or perform basic arithmetic your choices for the future are very limited.
Teaching a program based on accepting the responsibility of one’s own actions to youngsters who aren’t familiar with following rules is a difficult undertaking for our House Parents. Their patience and composure are tested often.
The boys aren’t aware of how important discipline is to their development and success in life. Making them aware of this, and putting it into practice, is often the most crucial thing the Home must do.
These “lessons of life” are some of the most important any young person can learn.
Perseverance, continuous teaching and reinforcement through use of the Family Home Program can do amazing things to change self-defeating behaviors.
Kids you think are hopelessly lost start to turn around. Many graduate from high school and embark on successful careers.
It takes a tremendous amount of effort, but when all of us meet the challenge the rewards of success give us a deep sense of satisfaction.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
In late October, Omaha was hit with one of the most destructive snow storms in the city’s history. Fourteen inches of heavy wet snow brought down power lines and tree branches that blocked streets and left many homes without power for over a week.
Boys from the Anderson Cottage rose to the occasion by checking with the Nebraska Office on Aging to see if anyone needed help clearing limbs and debris from their yards. There was a request for help from an elderly couple.
Anderson Cottage to the rescue! House Father Rick Norton manned the chain saw and the boys cleared the yard in less than two hours.
After finishing
the yard, the boys were on a roll and asked if they were going to
help someone else. They didn’t have another job lined up so they
drove for a while until they found a yard that was still covered with
branches.
Rick knocked on the door of the home and asked the elderly woman if she would like to have her yard cleaned up … for free.
The woman looked like she had just won a sweepstakes. She was unable to do the work herself and it had been bothering her for some time.
With the completion of their second good deed of the day it was time to eat. Rick and the boys found the nearest Burger King and proceeded to satisfy their ravenous appetite.
To top off the day, the boys decided to make a contribution to the Open Door Mission. In all they donated enough of their own money to buy twenty Thanksgiving meals for the homeless.
That night not a creature stirred in a cottage full of very tired … but satisfied young men.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
In June of 1994 Kurt entered The
Omaha Home for Boys.
His parents are very hard working people, both work at night and up to 50 hours per week. They cared a great deal for their son and were with him as much as possible, but there never seemed to be enough time.
Kurt spent too much time on his own and with his “friends”. That led to trouble. Nothing terribly serious, but enough to have him separated from his home.
Kurt was lucky. He was able to enter our Home.
After two years he was reunited with his family. But, unfortunately it wasn’t long before his old “friends” and habits returned.
Kurt had matured a lot since he first came to the Home. At the first sign of trouble, he made a smart move and asked to come back to live with us. He knew he needed the structure and discipline the Home would provide if he was going to finish high school and go on to college.
He returned to the Home in June of 1997 and is finishing his senior year. He has been accepted at Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska, and plans to pursue a career in the heating and air conditioning trade.
After completing his degree, Kurt will work for a while and then continue his education to become a plumber.
Kurt is a very mechanical minded young man. Math and science are his favorite subjects in school. He also plays on the Benson High School football team.
To relax he enjoys bowling and ping pong.
Another very unique interest of Kurt’s is drag racing! His father has been racing for many years and Kurt has grown up around the sport. As a result, he has become a fairly good mechanic. One would think he might pursue that as a career, but Kurt wants racing and fixing cars to remain a loved hobby.
It isn’t widely known, but there is a division for high school students in the sport of drag racing, sanctioned by the NHRA.
Recently, Kurt won a $1,000.00 scholarship in an event held in Kearny, Nebraska. An impressive reward for his dedication.
Kurt has made some mistakes in his eighteen years and he knows it. He has also faced his problems, gotten help and is headed in a direction that should provide him a happy and successful life.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Last Fall nine
youth from The Omaha Home for Boys suited up for Football with the
local Jr. High and High School. That’s the largest number of football
players from the Home in a long time. Great job boys!
Besides being
named Grand Champion at the Douglas County Fair 4-H competition last
fall, Felix – a High School Junior – was also named the Commander of
his Explorers Post. Congratulations Felix!
Amos, a 7th
grader from the Buck Cottage was honored as the September Monroe
Middle School Mustang of the Month. The Mustang of the Month is a
recognition given by the school for those students who exemplify
excellence in grades and citizenship.
Brian, an 8th
grader from the Scott Cottage, is a member of Junior High Band. Brian
plays several instruments and is currently playing the tuba in the
band. Brian was also named a Mustang of the Month last September. Way
to go, Brian!
Matt, a Junior
from the Scott Cottage, has joined the High School Hovercraft Club.
Jayme, a Freshman from the Anderson Cottage, is also in the Club. The
members are currently building an actual full sized hovercraft for a
competition in Indianapolis. Best of luck, Matt and Jayme!
The Omaha Home
for Boys’ Successful Living Educator Dave James reported 12 boys were
involved in last Fall’s Career Prep course. Career Prep teaches youth
the basic skills they’ll need to be successful in the workplace.
Topics include dressing for success, interviewing skills and visits
to area companies.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Transition from Transitional Living
Many young men and women have taken part in our Transitional Living Program during the past three years. The program is offered to young adults between the ages of 17 and 21.
The transition from high school to a job or career training is a very uncertain time for young people, especially if they have little or no family support.
The Transitional Living Program was
started to give guidance during this critical time. Eight apartments
in a two building complex provide a home for the young people
enrolled in the program.
The Program is managed by a married couple with almost twenty five years of youth care experience. They offer guidance to the residents and provide training in independent living skills.
Last fall a number of residents left the Program to begin life on their own. All went on to college or trade schools.
One of the young men was Craig. He lived at the Home for five years. After graduating from high school he set out on his own. He tried a number of jobs, thought about school and eventually felt he wasn’t getting anywhere.
Craig made the move to enter the Transitional Living Program and spent 18 months going to school full-time and working part-time before he made up his mind about his career goals.
He decided to pursue the things that interested him most in high school, acting and art.
Craig is attending Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska, a small private college noted for its drama department.
The Omaha Home for Boys provides scholarship funds for Craig’s educational needs. Scholarships are available to all boys who complete the Home’s residential program.
For Craig, the Transitional Living Program, which is available through very few youth care facilities, has given him the chance to pursue his life’s dream.
Hasting College uses the interim program which is a month between semesters set aside for students to choose among a select number of alternatives for independent study.
Craig will get a firsthand look at art of the world during his interim coursework.
He signed up for a monthlong study of art in Europe.
We know Craig will make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Providing opportunities for needy boys is what The Omaha Home for Boys is about. Besides giving them a stable caring home environment and an education, we try to enrich their lives in other ways.
Cottage outings, field trips and trips to special events show the boys other aspects of life they may have never experienced.
Omaha has ample opportunities for cultural enrichment.
The effort to provide diversified educational experiences led several groups of boys to a concert in the Jazz on the Green series, an evening of Shakespeare on the Green and a visit to the Joslyn Art Museum.
Taking the boys to cultural events increases their range of learning experiences and gives them a chance to observe and take part in social interactions outside of school and the Home.
Making the boys aware of other aspects of life, such as music, literature and art increases their awareness and encourages them to think. They may develop life-long interests that can be a source of inspiration in their daily lives.
One observation of staff members and volunteers supervising the trips was that the boys enjoyed watching people as much as the events they were attending.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
“Being House Parents is not just a job … it’s your life. It’s a good life. But it’s a hard life too.” That’s what Jean and Roger Meek from Riverside and Brandon, Iowa, said about being House Parents with The Omaha Home for Boys.
The Meeks, who have been House Parents since July of 1996, are one of the reasons the Home is so successful.
In 1993 the Meeks met through mutual
friends and were soon married. After marrying, they began looking for
an opportunity to work together. “The Home was the perfect
opportunity,” says Roger, “tell me where else you can spend all your
time with your family and help change the life of needy kids!”
Even so, the decision to work with the Home was a tough one. “We wanted to work together,” explains Jean, “but we had very different careers.” Before joining the Home Jean managed a J.C. Penney Styling Salon and Roger was a salesman for Schwan’s Frozen Foods. “I had seen an ad for the Home in the paper several times and finally I asked Roger about it.”
Jean decided to call and get more information on the Home. After going through the background checks, the Meeks were invited to Omaha to interview with the Home. “Seeing the campus and meeting the other House Parents is what made my decision,” says Jean, “it just felt right!”
Not long after joining the Home, Roger and Jean had a difficult decision to make. Both wanted to begin a family of their own, but they were not sure they could care for a baby and continue to work as House Parents at the Home. They spoke with other House Parents – like Bob & Diana Rugg and Vickie and Harry Dibert – who had small children at home, and they spoke with Kevin Orr, the Director of Youth & Family Services. In the end, they decided to give it a try. “We weren’t the first House Parents to have a baby while on staff,” noted Jean, “and Kevin was very much in favor of the idea.”
With that, on August 12, 1997, Mackenzie Meek came to live at The Omaha Home for Boys. “Mackenzie has been great for the boys,” says Jean “they love being around her.” Having Mackenzie in the home has truly made a difference in the boys. Most of the boys living at the Home have had a life filled with challenges and heartache. Few of them had ever been around a baby before, and the caring, loving atmosphere was new to most of them as well. “And their (the boys’) questions never seem to end!” jokes Roger.
But the boys were excited long before Mackenzie came home. Jean explains “Since for most of the boys a baby was a brand new experience, I wanted to include all of them as much as we could.” So the Meeks began a ‘Baby’ contest where the boys had to guess the sex, weight and birth date. And, after she was born, the boys came to the hospital to visit Jean and have their picture taken with Mackenzie.
Roger and Jean Meek are modern day heroes, working every day to help give at-risk and needy boys the chance for a better life. They take their positions with the Home seriously – like all House Parents do – and they’ve already had a positive impact on over 100 young lives!
“I’m not sure how long we’ll stay with the Home,” says Roger, who is also attending college courses, “five years, maybe more. But I do know this, working with these boys has changed my life, and the lives of my family, as much as we’ve changed them … maybe more. I wouldn’t trade my time with the Boys’ Home for anything.”
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Remembering Friends and Family in Our Heritage Courtyard
Last year’s tragic death of Princess Diana followed by the death of Mother Theresa prompted a long-time donor to The Omaha Home for Boys to make memorials in the names of these two beloved philanthropic women.
Many people use the passing of a loved one as an opportunity to memorialize family members or friends and at the same time remember the Home.
A memorial can become even more of a lasting tribute to a loved one by placing their name in our Heritage Courtyard.
Over 1,600 friends of the Home are remembered with their names engraved on bricks placed in the Courtyard adjoining the Youth and Family Services building. The Courtyard is a restful place surrounded by beautiful perennial plantings and trees.
Engraved bricks are placed in the Heritage Courtyard for friends of the Home making gifts of $100 or more.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Bill Martin ... Planned Giving Administrator
Let me introduce myself. I am Bill
Martin, Planned Giving Coordinator with The Omaha Home For Boys. I am
delighted to be the first person to fill this important position with
the Boys’ Home.
My wife Karen and I have two grown daughters. Karen is involved in post graduate work at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and teaches in the Omaha Public Schools.
My background is 20 years in public education as a teacher and then as an educational administrator. My doctoral work was completed at United Theological Seminary, Dayton Ohio, and I have served twelve years as an ordained clergy in my church. In the Home, I have found a home where all my past experiences can benefit at-risk and needy youth.
My development experience stems from years in public education and as a pastor helping people regarding charitable giving through their estates, wills, trusts and a variety of other giving vehicles.
Ghandi said “If you want to change the world, you must start with the children.” Together we are changing the world by making a difference in the lives of these boys. The entire Boys’ Home staff is thankful for your consistent, caring support. Together, we carry the mission of The Omaha Home for Boys into the 21st Century.
I look forward to meeting you, through the mail, over the phone or in person . If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-408-4663.
1998 January Twig Table of Contents
Planning for the Future...
There are so many ways that people connect with The Omaha Home for
Boys. The relationships are often long. As a result, many friends
choose to remember our mission in their Wills or with other Planned
Gifts.
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Making a Will We recently received a substantial gift from a gentleman in Pennsylvania. His Executor delivered the check to us and relayed what he knew of the connection between Mr. Gordon Baker and the Home. Mr. Baker was a physics professor at Penn State University at Barre. He had a student in his class who had lived at the Home. The young man made a special effort to understand physics. Mr. Baker noticed this, and got to know the boy better. Mr. Baker related to the caring, understanding and discipline needed to keep an impressionable young life on a course with a future. From this chance beginning, Mr. Baker formed a bond that will be felt for years after his passing … one that may bring many other young men to higher education and a fuller understanding of the world they live in. Bequest gifts are crucial to the long term operations of the Home. With adequate funding, new facilities and programs can be added to enhance the services we provide and increase the number of youth and families that can be helped. The boy in Mr. Baker’s class is now an engineer. He remembers Mr. Baker and the part he played in his life. We have many other boys who never knew Mr. Baker, but he is playing a part in their lives as well. |
Gift Annuities A Gift Annuity with The Omaha Home for Boys is an easy way to provide yourself with a secure income for the rest of your life and make a charitable gift that gives you additional tax benefits. The income you receive from an OHB Gift Annuity is based upon your age at the time the annuity contract is made and the amount used to fund the contract. An annuity contract can also be made for two lives, with the second beneficiary receiving income after the primary beneficiary is deceased. In the year the Gift Annuity is started, part of the initial gift amount is tax deductible. Also a portion of each income payment to you is tax free. Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing your Gift Annuity is helping needy boys at the Home. New higher rates have recently taken effect. Please look through them as you consider an annuity. |
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The Following Chart is based on a gift annuity of $5,000 |
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Age |
Annual Return |
Charitable Deduction |
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65 |
7.2% - $360 |
$1,944 |
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70 |
7.7% - $385 |
$2,105 |
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75 |
8.4% - $420 |
$2,278 |
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80 |
9.4% - 470 |
$2,476 |
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85 |
10.5% - 525 |
$2,733 |
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90 |
12% - 600 |
$2,953 |