
United Methodist Family Services
The UMFS is an arm of our location on 3900 W. Broad St. has a residential home where 40 youth live and go to school while being treated. The new Charterhouse School on this site provides a beautiful setting for young people ages 12 to 17 to grow and develop academically, mentally and spiritually. A chaplain is a permanent part of the staff.
As your representative, I recently participated in three activities there. One was a birthday party for the students having recent birthdays. One young man stood up and thanked those who gave the party. He said, "I never felt that I was loved before I came here." He was 14 years old.
At a recent commencement held for those completing the program, two youth came to the podium and after hugs and congratulations from the teachers and staff who had worked with them said, "While here I learned to hold my head up and feel that I was important." They were 15 and 16 years old.
At a recent Halloween party, I saw forty young teens playing games, eating homemade cookies and smiling, while having a fun time which many of them had not experienced before.
THESE ARE THE THINGS YOU FIND AT UNITED METHODIST FAMILY SERVICES!
DECEMBER is the month designated by the Virginia Annual Conference as UNITED FAMILY SERVICES MONTH! It is the one time each year that all Methodists are given the opportunity to donate to this worthy cause. This year our theme was: CELEBRATE AND REJOICE! As usual, our offering on Christmas Eve was designated to United Methodist Family Services -- and as usual you continued to Give With Your Heart and Were Generous As You Always Are!! THANK YOU!!
As a member of the United Methodist Church, I am proud to be a part of the work done by UMFS to make a difference in the lives of our youth. I attend a monthly meeting the third Thursday of each month. Please feel free to attend these meetings with me or inquire about some of the activities in which you might wish to participate.
Dot Gay, UMFS Representative from LHUMC
Ongoing ways in which you may help this mission are:
(1) Register at Food Lion with your MPV Card and a percent of your purchase will be donated to UMFS Call 1-800-210-9569 or on line www.foodlion.com This is easy way to contribute and only takes a few minutes of your time.
(2) Save General Mills Box Tops for Education and Campbells Soup labels, Progresso, Pepperidge Farm, Pace, Prego, V8, and Franco American Products. Put them in the designated box in the Narthex.
(3) Donate specific items at Christmas (a new request list is made each year).
(4) Be a volunteer or a mentor.
(5) Purchase an engraved brick in honor or memory of someone for the walk at Charterhouse School. The cost is $100.00 per brick.
(6) Be a part of the Womans Auxiliary. Call Dot Gay 795-5196 for information.
(7) Take a group to visit the Richmond campus to see what our church is doing. Call Kendra Swagger at 804-353-4461 x 1601 to set up a time.
The year was 1900. William McKinley was president. The cost of a
first-class stamp was $0.02. And Yale won the NCAA Championship. The
Virginia Annual Conference is granted a charter from the State Legislature and
builds an orphanage on property in Richmond at 3900 West Broad Street.. It
flourishes as a farming community and includes a school, print shop and
dairy. The orphanage also operates a farm and camp in New Kent
County. (Since then, UMFS has evolved into a thriving organization
delivering services from seven locations and helping 3,000 children and families
annually. Our history is rich but our potential is even greater- READ ON).
1933 -- The church designates the month of December to raise funds for the orphanage. Prior to this, the Board requests that a 10 percent assessment on pastors' salaries be the means of financing the orphanage oeration. Farm income, and later, special church collections, provide funds to operate the Home.
1935 -- The Social Security Act is enacted. Combined with public assistance, this means children no longer have to be placed in institutional care due to financial necessity. From this date forward, the number of children living at the orphanage for custodial care declines.
1951 -- The name of the orphanage changes to the Virginia Methodist Children's Home. Programs now serve more children on a temporary basis and return them to their families.
1953 -- The farm operation at the Broad Street site is discontinued. Child labor laws prohibit farming as a profitable venture.
1980 -- To meet the changing needs of society and to better identify our program goals, the Annual Conference votes to change the name to United Methodist Family Services. Now a special emphasis is placed on working with the whole family to help meet the needs of children.
2005
-- United
Methodist Family Services adopts UMFS
as its operating name.
UMFS provides a range of placement services that recognize that adoption is a lifelong process creating a relationship between a child and adoptive parents. We pay special attention to the complex circumstances that give rise to the need for adoption and to the stresses and adjustments that ensue for all parties in this process. Areas with special emphasis include:
Parental placement
Special Needs Adoption
International Adoption
The UMFS Treatment Foster Care Program was developed in 1980. This program provides for a therapeutic structured environment that allows us to place emotionally, behaviorally, physically, or medically challenged youth in the community. Treatment foster parents are trained to be part of a professionally supervised team model based in the home and serving children and adolescents with certain emotional, behavioral, psychiatric, and psychological problems.
Did you know:
In Virginia, over 7,000 children are in foster care at any given time.
26 children in Virginia died from injuries attributable to abuse and/or neglect in fiscal year 2005.
UMFS offers residential treatment on our 33-acre campus in
Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Problems, and
Sexually Reactive Males
Did
you know:
In 2005, 82% of Residential Treatment Center youth were returned to a less restrictive environment.
A 12 month follow-up showed that 77% of youth were in school or working and had no negative contact with the police.
UMFS offers a range of services which support children and families. In many cases, these types of services may help preclude the need for more intensive support or treatment in the future. These include:
In-Home Family Services
Mentoring, and
Counseling
Did
you know:
87.5% of children discharged from our in-home family services program were either maintained in their current
It is estimated that 140,000 children are awaiting mentors in the State of Virginia.
ATTENTION!!! NEEDED!!
Campbell labels from beans, soups of every kind, tomato juice, V8 and Swanson broths and poultry. Also, front labels from Prego pasta sauces and lids from pasta sauces and pasta bake sauce. They also need lids from Pace salsa and Picante. Front labels are needed from Franco-American Gravies and Spaghettios as well as Box tops from Education coupons. Please look for containers around the church to place them in or give them to Kathy Russell or Dot Gay. Thank you for helping our youth at Family Services.
For additional information call 804-3534461. fax 804-355-2334 or on line www.umfs.org