|
Rebecca is a
very likeable and talented 15 year old in our care. She loves music
and writing poetry. She is having significant struggles with
clinical depression and drug abuse. However, she has been making
good progress in therapy and is showing signs of improvement.
Recently she
took a turn for the worse. Rebecca's mother died last Christmas. She
is now reliving that difficult time and needs additional counseling
and support. Our staff has rallied around her and is helping her to
overcome this very challenging time.
Your special
support at this time of the year allows us to help hundreds of
children, youth and families to celebrate the love of the season!
Thank you and remember you do make a difference!
Enjoy the
Holidays!
Bob Drummond,
Ed.D
President and
CEO
Changing Lives...
Giving Hope during the Holidays
This
Halloween, like many other children, eight year old Ashley and her
four year old brother Alex were dressed in their adorable costumes
and ready to go out trick or treating. They were filled with
excitement as they thought of all the candy and fun they would have.
Sadly,
before Alex and Ashley were able to go trick or treating with all
the other kids the police arrived at their home. Their excitement
suddenly turned to fear and confusion as the police informed them
that their mommy was not well and they could not stay with her. The
children were taken by the police to TLC's Juvenile Intake and
Assessment Center.
Their story
unfolded later to TLC staff, revealing that the mother was reported
for substance abuse and it was apparent to the police that she was
not able to care for her children. Ashley and Alex's father was on a
tour of duty overseas and there were no immediate relatives who
could care for them.
TLC was able to
provide immediate safety for these children during this turbulent
and confusing time. They are now in a safe home with a caring foster
family to help meet their emotional, physical, educational and
social needs. Although TLC cannot change their experience on
Halloween, we can begin to give these children hope for a happy
holiday and a brighter future.
Thanks
to everyone who has committed to help
TLC's
youth this holiday season.
We wish
you and your family a happy holiday and new
year!
Year-end Giving Ideas...
A year-end gift
to TLC not only demonstrates your belief in our mission, but also
reflect your commitment to making a difference in the lives of
children. Consider the following important ideas for your year-end
gift planning:
•
Gifts of Cash. Cash donations provide an
immediate charitable deduction delivering immediate benefits to TLC.
•
Appreciated Securities. Transfer
appreciated stocks, bonds, and/or mutual funds to avoid capital
gains tax and qualify for a charitable income tax deduction equal to
the full fair market value of the securities. Click
here to learn more.
•
Give from your IRA. If you are over 70˝,
you may rollover up to $100,000 annually from your Individual
Retirement Account (IRA) to TLC. Click
here to learn more about this new method of making tax-free
charitable gifts.
•
Life Income Gifts. Several gift
arrangements permit you or your beneficiaries to receive fixed or
variable lifetime income while TLC receives the remainder.
Click here to learn how life income gifts (gift
annuities, charitable remainder unitrusts, charitable remainder
annuity trusts, etc.) can provide an immediate income tax deduction.
Year-end is the
perfect time to reflect about long-term planning as well. Visit
TLC's Gift
Planning website to learn more about making bequests through
a will or trust, gifts of life insurance, and gifts of real estate.
SHINING STARS...
Recognizing Special
Volunteers
During the years
that Kathy Vetter worked at Keller Williams Diamond Realty in
Olathe, she would coordinate their angel tree every year for the
holidays. She took on the responsibility of adopting TLC children,
or angels, and heading up an office wide effort to purchase holiday
gifts for the children. For many years TLC was the lucky recipient
of her hard work and many children received beautiful gifts thanks
to Kathy and the other Keller Williams staff.
Kathy has now
retired from her work at Keller Williams….but not from helping TLC
children during the holidays! Kathy has a soft spot in her heart for
helping children, especially this time of the year, and so she
volunteered to be TLC's 2007 holiday volunteer. For months Kathy has
been working with TLC staff, volunteers, donors and the community to
collect gifts for the children of TLC. Her hard work is already
paying off, as we are well on our way to having gifts for every TLC
child this year! Thank you to Kathy for continuing to support TLC!
Many children will have a happy holiday season because of you.
If you would
like to adopt a TLC child this year, we still have children in need.
Please contact Hayley Hayes at 913-764-2887.
Becoming a Foster Parent...
TLC's Resource
Family Services Group will get 2008 off on the right foot by
offering PS-MAPP classes to any interested
potential foster and/or adoptive parents in the Kansas City area.
On Thursday,
January 10th at 6:00 the 10 session class will start in TLC's Mabee
Center. Over the course of the class, all participants will learn
about the many issues they will face as foster/adoptive parents. The
class trainers will help each family decide if their expectations
and abilities match the realities of fostering/adopting.
Completion of
the class by all parents in the home is required by the state of
Kansas before licensing is possible. The classes are free and come
without obligation.
Please contact
one of TLC's MAPP leaders at, 913-324-3624 for more information.
*TLC turns
away an average of 340 requests for temporary homes
for children and youth each month because we don't have enough
foster families. Please make a resolution to learn more about how
you might be able to help kids and families in need.
Special Event Spotlight...
TLC Holiday Cards
For the
13th year, TLC will be offering unique greeting cards for the
holiday season. This is an excellent opportunity to support TLC
while also sharing the joys of the holiday season with your family,
friends, clients, customers and other business associates.
This
year's Union Station painting is entitled Holiday
Station, donated by local artist Gil Rumsey. You may
also purchase a variety pack containing 5
of this year's Union Station scene and a variety of previous years'
cards.
Order
your cards online today!
California Pizza Kitchen Celebrates New
Location in Leawood with TLC...
California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) invited supporters of TLC to
join them for a complimentary dinner at their VIP Grand Opening
night December 2nd. They celebrated their newest location in
Leawood at Park Place. Guests enjoyed a complimentary
selection of pizza, pasta, salad, beer, wine, and dessert.
CPK
will donate 100% of all dine-in pizza sales from the Leawood
location on December 10th to TLC in an effort to
give back to the community. CPK is the home of the original
BBQ Chicken Pizza and other innovative hearth-baked pizzas.
Children who dine at California Pizza Kitchen choose from an
extensive menu, recently named “The Best Kids Menu in America ” by
Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.
 Director of
Resource Development, Hillary West said, “We are really excited that
California Pizza Kitchen decided to partner with TLC for these two
special events. The VIP night was a great way for us to thank
our donors.”
| 
