Lifeline Youth and Family Services brings hope to fractured families
It has been more than 40 years since a small group of business leaders felt compelled to do something to help kids in trouble who desperately needed a safe and loving home. Their grassroots efforts originally led to the purchase of a property known as, "Black Lake Lodge," in the Columbia City area. The new family outreach was incorporated on January 25, 1968.
Known today as Lifeline Family Services, the purpose of the growing organization is to create help in fractured homes and behavior. In addition, Lifeline workers seek to bring about, with God's help, a change in heart, attitudes, thinking, values and beliefs. The Lifeline mission goal is, "changing hearts and bringing hope to a generation at risk" for a lifetime.
Two and a half years ago, Jean Paul Tiendrebeogo moved to the Berne area from Ohio in order to become a representative of Lifeline in Adams County. These days, Tiendrebeogo said, the family rescue organization, based on Christian ideology, has representation in every county in Indiana and in several states surrounding Indiana.
"I thank God for the opportunity to be with them and serve under the ministry," said Tiendrebeogo. "I love it, I love to see what God is doing for the agency."
Lifeline serves thousands of people and many are considered some of the most vulnerable in the community such as children who have been impacted by or who are at risk for abuse, neglect, or delinquency. Although most children and families are served in their own home, sometimes children may need a place to stay, either for their own protection or so that they can have the concentrated attention they need to address the issues facing them. In those cases, Lifeline offers residential group homes and independent living services to prepare them to reunite with the family or to gain successful independence from the social welfare system.
Tiendrebeogo, considered a family home base consultant, works with young people in the South Adams and Adams Central area. He noted that a situation that illustrates the heart tug of the agency occurred over this past Christmas. People were interested in adopting children to give gifts to over the holiday at the residential home in Pierceton. Children were given a card and told to write what they would like to have for Christmas.
"One child wrote, 'what I want for Christmas is my family,'" Tiendrebeogo said.
"He sealed the card and we handed it to a family. When they opened it, they contacted our CEO. When he read it, he was speechless. We didn't know how to respond.
"We realize the challenges that families are facing, just here in Berne," continued Tiendrebeogo. "Every time when we wake up, we realize that there are families out there going through issues. We are working to cement families together,
bring back the broken pieces. Our goal is always to bring families together, sometime that is not possible."
The local representative said that through Lifeline's Home Base Services, he is able to go into homes and work with moms and dads with parenting skills with the goal that children won't have to be removed from their family environment.
"Unfortunately, sometimes problems are too great," Tiendrebeogo said. "We work with the children; sometimes those that had to be removed can be transitioned back home. Other times they have to be put in detention residential homes."
One way of impacting troubled young people academically is specialized education under the, "Center of Responsible Thinking," program, an accredited education program made possible through grant monies.
"These classes are free," said Tiendrebeogo. "Anyone can come from community anywhere to receive services. I have been head of the program at South Adams; that class has been very well received. The goal of that program is to develop a good sense of morally responsible choices. Students wrote notes to me on the last day and told me how the class influenced them. Many of the responses were amazing."
At South Adams, the class is taught on the seventh and eighth grade level while at Adams Central it is taught on the freshman level.
"Through the ministry of Lifeline, God uses us to bring families back together," said Tiendrebeogo. "We are the biggest home-based service in the state of Indiana."
Tiendrebeogo told of a family where a student had a grade point average of .7 before going into the home-based study.
"As of last week, he passed every class; he is back on track to graduate this May with his class and his family is back in church," noted Tiendrebeogo. "Pray for our families that we work with. Pray for open doors to work with families. Pray that God will keep Lifeline going. God is blessing us. With the economy like it is, we are still strong."
Lifeline accepts residential placements from county Department of Children Services and probation offices, the Department of Corrections, Department of Education and private placements. Lifeline accepts boys and girls, ages 11-21.
"Families are hurting. Lifeline is not hear to put on band aids, but to bring real and true healing," said Tiendrebeogo. "In December, a boy was baptized. When his baptism was over, his grandma said, 'I want that too,' and she was also baptized. That's what we're all about."
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