Heroes of Hope

Lisa Coleman of Indianapolis felt relief after drafting her will.  “I always thought I was too young to have a will.  During Covid isolation, I began to think about my own mortality and decided it was time to draft a will with my attorney.”  She decided to continue supporting a charity she loves as her legacy.  “It was a simple decision for me to include the Children’s Home as a beneficiary.”  She now has peace of mind that her siblings will be taken care of as well as one of her favorite charitable organizations.

“The Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home gives kids hope for the future and I am beyond blessed to be able to help,” she added.

“I remember touring the Home with my United Methodist Youth Fellowship group in the early ‘70s”.  She loves hearing the success stories of the youth and knows her gifts help children who have been abused and neglected.  “Helping the Home was something that was passed down to me by my church and later my grandfather.  I know that I am part of their success and that means so much to me.”  One day, her estate gift will continue her legacy of sharing God’s love with children who need the most support.

Morris E. Thomas, Jr. (Mo) is visionary. Serving on the Home’s Board of Trustees for 27 years helped shape his passion for ensuring the Children’s Home will always have its doors open to children in crisis. To do that, he took action to create the Children’s Home Foundation. Today, he serves as Foundation President, and his vision is to build its endowed funds to meet the growing needs of Indiana’s abused and neglected children.

Mo and his late wife Judy have been regular donors to the Children’s Home. “We have given to the Home for years and will always give because I have seen firsthand the results of the programs in helping the children,” he said. “The Home’s model of care helps the children learn the skills they need for happiness and independence. It makes me feel good to give a child hope for a better future.”

Mo has shared his intention to include the Children’s Home Foundation in his will. Through his legacy, Mo will help ensure the Children’s Home doors will always be open to give children hope for the future. Now retired from commercial real estate, Mo lives in Florida with his daughter Terri and granddaughter “Little Judy.”

Karen and Jim Ottjes of Warren, Indiana, are committed volunteers and donors at Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home. They believe wholeheartedly in the Home’s mission – to enrich the quality of life for children and families through Christian values.

Karen became familiar with the Home when she served as minister of Thorntown United Methodist Church. In fact, Karen and Jim served on the IUMCH Founder’s Day committee and on the 100th Anniversary committee. According to Karen, “As Jim and I served on these committees and spent more time with the youth and staff, we were very impressed and wanted to do more to support the Home’s mission.”

Karen and Jim recently shared with the Foundation that they included the Home in both of their wills, so they are recognized as members of the John Wesley Society. They also give yearly through an IRA distribution.

Karen added, “Giving to the Home was an easy decision. We believe the Teaching Family Model is successfully preparing youth for healthy adult lives. It provides more than just counseling therapy and academic education. Their program helps youth learn how a healthy family functions by sharing together in meal preparation, household chores and much more. The Teaching Family Model prepares them for a better life.”

The Ottjes enjoy life in northern Indiana. Jim, now retired, owned a successful heating and cooling business in Bluffton, and Karen serves at minister of Uniondale United Methodist Church. When reflecting on the Home and why they give, Karen and Jim both believe that one of America’s greatest needs is to raise youth to become productive members of society. Karen added, “It makes us feel good that we are a part of helping these youth become responsible citizens. We feel good about the fact that we are changing the trajectory of their lives.”

Spend one day with Norma Singley and you’ll see why she is loved and admired by all who know her. A typical day for Norma includes tending to her soybean farm and garden full of tulips, stopping by Trinity UMC in Lafayette for a meeting or to serve a meal, going to one of her meetings at Altrusa or the Lafayette Art Guild and then sitting down for a meal with some of her closest friends.

September was another busy month for Norma. She celebrated her birthday in the church parlor at Trinity UMC and was surprised to see friends from near and far in attendance. During her party, staff from the Children’s Home presented Norma with the Godwin Children’s Champion Award for her devoted leadership and service as a volunteer at the Home. She was also honored for serving as President of the Auxiliary for five years and for serving on the 100th Anniversary Gala Committee in 2015.

Over the years, Norma has inspired numerous others to join the Auxiliary. The Godwin award is named in honor of Miss Angie Godwin, a Methodist Episcopal Deaconess, who was the founder of the Home which began in 1915. “For the first time in a long time, I’m simply speechless,” stated Norma as she addressed the large crowd. Norma was the third person to receive the Godwin Children’s Champion Award.

In 2011, Cathleen Graham, President of the Indiana Association of Residential Childcare Agencies, received the award, followed in 2012 by Justice Steven David of the Indiana Supreme Court. For more than two decades, Norma has been an outstanding advocate for the Children’s Home. Just last week, she donated her car to the Home. “I was aware that the Home had a car donation program and knew that it would be an easy process. Plus, I know how my donations help the children that we are so blessed to serve.”

Linnea Krasutsky is part of the Teaching Family Model team at Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home and was recently named Distinguished Practitioner of the Year during the Teaching Family Association Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. The award is given to a Family Teacher for outstanding service to youth.

Linnea is a unique Children’s Home employee. Currently, she is instrumental in facilitating the independent living program curriculum, and Linnea knows first-hand about the struggles our youth face. After all, she was a resident of the Home in 2006 at the age of 14. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually work at the Home someday. You just never know the path you may take,” stated Linnea.

Linnea had a contentious relationship with her mother and was eventually placed at the Home through the Indiana Department of Child Services. It took her a while to adjust to life in the Wesley Home but soon learned to accept the structure and routine. “My fondest memory of living at the Home was going to the canteen on Saturday night. The canteen was a recreational area where we could play games, listen to music and eat snacks. I can still smell the popcorn popping. We had a citizenship program back then and I eventually earned the highest level which meant I had more privileges,” she added.

After Linnea successfully completed the Home’s treatment program, she was placed in foster care and lived with a caring family. “It seemed like the Children’s Home was very strategic in finding me the perfect foster family that would embrace my interests. For instance, I loved horses, and they found me a foster family that lived on a farm. Later, she was adopted by her foster parents and graduated from high school.  A few years after graduation, Linnea began working for Mental Health America of Indiana and saw the benefits of providing social services for people in need. A particular staff member was impressed with her knowledge and tenacity. Eventually, she learned about a job at the Children’s Home as an Assistant Family Teacher and went through the interview process. “I didn’t think they would hire me since I was a former resident and had some rough times there. But they had confidence in me, and I was hired to work primarily on the night shift. Linnea was later promoted to Independent Living Assistant/Family Teacher working with older teens as they begin to transition to adulthood. She teaches a variety of independent living skills including budgeting and interviewing skills.

Outside the Children’s Home, Linnea is a loving mother to three young children. “I use some of what I’ve learned in the Teaching Family Model to parent my own children. I can certainly tell that it makes a positive difference in their day-to-day lives.” According to Stacy Youngblood, Residential Supervisor for the Independent Living Homes, “Linnea professionally seeks and implements feedback from Family Teachers and her consultant to grow even stronger in her craft. She effectively uses the motivation system to inspire youth to achieve more, while continuing to make relationships a priority by talking, listening, teaching and having fun. We are so blessed to have her on our staff.”