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Bethany ECHO Newsletter (previous issue) Bethany ECHO 2008 Winter Issue Bethany Has a New Web Site! It’s created in Dreamweaver®, a web development application used by web developers to create professional-looking sites that are user-friendly and comparatively simple to edit, thereby keeping content fresh and interesting. Improvements to Bethany’s site include adding a top navigation bar on every page. Now visitors are just a click away from frequently needed information such as directions, programs, alumni, careers/internships, calendar, and news—regardless of where they are on the site. New pages and features give visitors more reasons than ever before to keep coming back to Bethany’s site. There’s a new calendar of events, special resources for professionals, more interactive online forms, a “frequently asked questions” page, job postings, quick links to other relevant web sites, and expanded e-mail access. The new site also uses the familiar “Bethany green” on all pages to create a unified look and feel. Customized, but visually similar, photo banners on each page create a distinctive look, while maintaining stylistic consistency of pages. An all-white background and larger text make articles easier to read. There are many more features “in the works,” too! Short-term plans include adding more professional tips and tools, regular photo and story updates, and 360 degree tours—of the campus landscape and the interior of a student home. So keep visiting us at www.bethanyhome.org. Also, next time you’re on our web site, click on “contacts” at the top right corner on one of the pages and send an e-mail to Director of Development Rob Hudson. Let him know what you think of the new site. We’d love to hear from you! A Message From Bethany Senior Leaders During Bethany’s 145 years of service to children, extensive changes in communications and information technology have taken place. When Reverend and Mrs. Emmanuel Boehringer first established the orphan’s home that would eventually become Bethany Children’s Home, the dust from the Pony Express mail delivery system was still flying and the invention of the telephone was at least a decade away. Over the next century, telephones, radios, televisions, and computers came on the scene, dramatically advancing the way Bethany received and distributed news and information. In 1911, for example, the installation of a system of house telephones at Bethany “brought the superintendent within easy call, night and day, whenever needed anywhere.” (Rev. Ray S. Vandevere, A History of Bethany Children’s Home, p.80) Today, cell phones, pagers, and e-mail serve a similar purpose, helping the Bethany community stay more in touch, available, and connected with each other. Over the years, progress in communications technology also improved the way Bethany is able to record, store, and share information. Times have clearly changed since members of Bethany’s Ladies Committee used pens and pencils to record their cottage visits in “Progress Books” during the 1950s. Today, computers provide concise, easily accessed, instantly available information storage ensuring accurate, timely communications. The Internet, in particular, has enabled exponential growth in our connectedness to Bethany volunteers, alumni, referral sources, families, donors, supporting church members, and other friends. Because our web site is such an invaluable tool for two-way information sharing, we’re in the process of making it even more effective and user-friendly. Additionally, electronic “paperless” communication provides new opportunities to be good stewards of financial, operational, and environmental resources. One opportunity we are exploring is to make the production and distribution of ECHO more cost-efficient by distributing ECHO newsletters by e-mail to those who would prefer to receive their copies that way. Please let us know your thoughts about this possibility by dropping us a note using the reply card on page 7—or even better, send us an e-mail at rhudson@bethanyhome.org. Bethany Counseling Ministry: Community-Based Counseling Services The name“Bethany” has two meanings. One, “a place of affliction,” is reminiscent of the biblical village of Bethany—the place where Jesus’ friend Lazarus died and the starting point of Jesus’ final steps in his journey toward the cross. The other translation—literally “house of figs” and. symbolically, “peace, blessings, and prosperity”— is a reminder that, according to the Bible, both Lazarus and Jesus returned to life. Like its namesake, Bethany Counseling Ministry, a community-based counseling ministry of Bethany Children’s Home, brings healing and restored lives to the “places of affliction” that life can sometimes bring, such as anxiety, marital problems, stress, depression, family issues, and grief. Established in 1982 as an extension of the healing ministry of Bethany Children’s Home, Bethany Counseling Ministry provides individual, family, and couples counseling sessions on a sliding scale fee schedule throughout the Penn Central, Penn Northeast, and Pennsylvania Southeast conferences of the United Church of Christ. Read some of the comments from people who have found new meaning in their lives through this ministry: “Thank you so very much for providing me with the opportunity to work on myself. I couldn’t have ever “If it weren’t for the financial help from Bethany that allowed us to see a counselor we would not be together “I thought my world crashed, but it is better than ever. I want to thank you for everything. Please keep the A Tradition of Excellence: Bethany Alumna Shines at College Over the years, Bethany alumna Evelyn Navarro has earned an impressive number of “A” grades in school and college. In fact, she’s a member of West Chester University’s Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society and a 2006 recipient of Bethany’s Bartolacci Award in recognition of her exceptional ability to balance work, school, and independent living. However, she is especially proud of the high marks she recently earned for a 12-week criminal justice practicum she completed at Chester County Children and Youth Center for alleged and adjudicated delinquents. While there, Evelyn says she spent significant amounts of one-to-one time with youth as she performed various duties such as escorting youth to and from court hearings, supervising mealtimes, and carrying out basic security measures. In some ways, the experience was an eye-opener, Evelyn recalled — particularly in the area of females who are “in the system.” “I noticed there should be more programs and services within the criminal justice system that are specifically for females. This internship really raised my awareness about what women in this situation need,” she said. Evelyn will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. Future plans include securing employment within the criminal justice field and possibly earning a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. She credits much of her success to Bethany Children’s Home, saying, “ I would not be able to do anything I am doing today without Bethany... not just help with the funding for college, but the encouragement and the support I need, too.” As one requirement of the practicum, Evelyn wrote a 10-page research paper about her experience. Her topic was the need for increased female-specific programs within the criminal justice system. To no one’s surprise, the paper received an “A.” Peanut Brittle and Perseverance: 30 Years at Moyer Cottage Inside Moyer Cottage, two teenagers have just arrived home from their after-school jobs. Housefather Gene Havlik throws another log on the fire. Housemother Patti Havlik is in the kitchen listening to a high schooler describe her role in the upcoming musical. Pizza—one of the teens’ favorite meals— will soon be on the table. Everything about the scene seems ordinary except, perhaps, for the unusual story of how Gene and Patti Havlik came to be Bethany houseparents in the first place. Gene recalls: “Patti and I met in Liberia in the Peace Corps in the 1970s. I was from Iowa. She was from Ohio. We decided to get married when we returned home… we had to have jobs... We saw an ad for houseparents at Bethany and we drove six hours from Ohio to meet with Reverend Henning… When we returned from our honeymoon, there was a full-time opening at Moyer Cottage… We’ve been here ever since.” As might be expected, Gene and Patti have developed more than a few “Moyer” traditions during their 35 years as houseparents. For example, every Christmas, Patti and Moyer residents make peanut brittle. They craft homemade gifts, such hand-beaded lamp shades and night lights made of painted bottles and tiny white lights. They’re “big on birthdays” complete with cake, presents, and themes such as a favorite sports team or musical group, since many of these young people have never had a birthday party. Every spring, they take a special outing together. Both of the Havliks’ children were born and raised at Moyer Cottage. Today, their daughter, Jill works as a special education teacher in Maryland and son Brian works with adults with drug addictions in Lancaster. “One thing that’s important to us,” Gene says, “is to help the girls understand that life has unexpected twists and turns along the way. We tell them how important it is to be able to persevere.” With that in mind, if the girls at Moyer Cottage ever need proof of the positive outcomes of perseverance, they need only look at their houseparents who have spent their entire married lives at Bethany helping to make brighter futures for kids.
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