2018 Nonprofit Magazine by FM Area Foundation

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SEASON

OF CARING

STORIES SHOWCASING THE WORK OF NONPROFITS IN OUR AREA

SEASON OF CARING The FM Area Foundation is the community foundation serving Cass Clay, and our role is to connect people and purpose. We do this by providing grants to nonprofits and assisting donors with their charitable giving. Each day working for the community foundation, I am in awe of the amazing work being done by the nonprofits in our community and the donors who help make that work possible. This magazine highlights powerful stories of charities helping people right here in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Each story gives us an opportunity to think about how we each can make a difference this holiday season. At the Foundation, we are excited to launch the FM Area Caring Catalog. The Caring Catalog is a new online tool and one-stop shop for donors to learn about needs in the community and give back to local charities. Visit areafoundation.org and click Caring Catalog to view a list of projects and programs that need your support and to make your donation. We are waiving all credit card fees, so 100% of your donation will go to the organization you are supporting. Be sure to make your donation by December 31! Finally, we’d like to recognize and thank The Forum for helping us produce this magazine for the seventh year in a row; a partnership that helps bring awareness to the work of the nonprofit sector. And thank you to the organizations who submitted stories and ads for this special end-of-year publication. This holiday season, discover what matters to you and give back to the place you love. Thank you, and happy holidays!

Connect with the FM Area Foundation online at

www.areafoundation.org Tim Beaton Executive Director FM Area Foundation

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 2 FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring

@fm.areafoundation

Two Graduates ��4 Home Is Where the Care Is �� 6 Cultivating Joy �� 8 Single Mother’s Desire To Better Life Crosses State Borders �� 10 Audubon Dakota �� 12 Lakes and Prairie �� 14 Ready, Get Set, Go Back to School �� 15

@FMareaFnd

Legacy Children’s Foundation �� 16 Lutheran Social Services �� 18 The Art of Hope and Healing �� 20 With Humor and Hospice, Couple Finds Peace and Comfort at the End of Life �� 22

A TALE OF TWO GRADUATES This year, nine students graduated from Dakota Memorial School—eight in Minot and one in Fargo. All their stories are inspiring—how they came to the Ranch, the barriers that got in their way, their ultimate success, and their plans. Two of our graduates asked us to share their stories—hoping to inspire both the students who come after them, and the Ranch donors who made their success possible. Here are their stories of courage and perseverance.

SHAWN’S STORY When Shawn and his twin brother were only three years old, they were removed from the custody of their parents, who were good people struggling with the demon of alcoholism. They were placed with a relative, who filed first for guardianship and then adoption. Their adoptive mom moved them from home to home, and when the boys were school-aged, from school to school. Sam and his brother spent their time in front of the television, were often hungry, and their clothes were too small and filthy. “My adoptive mom always treated my twin brother and me differently than she treated her children,” Shawn said. “We were abused and beaten, and they got a little lecture once in a while. When I was old enough to work, I worked two jobs to help her pay the bills, and I still got treated differently.”

In his time at the Ranch, Shawn grew (literally – he’s now 6’2”), and studied, and went to chapel. He listened, and learned, and laughed. He applied for, and received, an on-campus job, then an off-campus job. He went to therapy and Wildlife Club and studied some more. In just one year, Shawn earned enough credits to graduate from high school. “You know how people do full-time school,” Shawn said. “Well, I did overtime school. The hardest class I took was anatomy. “I wanted to quit that class so bad. I was raised to be a quitter. If I had a job I didn’t like, I just quit because that’s what I was told to do. I tried to do that here, but the teachers and Mrs. DeGree [Dakota Memorial School-Minot, Principal] wouldn’t let me. That was the hardest class in the school and I made a C in it. I’m proud of that!” Shawn graduated from Dakota Memorial School in May—on time and having truly earned it. In his graduation speech, he said, through tears, his only regret for the day was that his brother didn’t have the opportunity to come to the Ranch, and is not graduating from high school.

When they moved to North Dakota, Shawn said he and his brother were home-schooled. “She kept telling me I was going to get my diploma, but all we did is watch TV and play video games all day.” In an unconscious attempt to get himself out of a bad situation, Shawn started acting out. He became belligerent, non-compliant, sometimes violent. After being placed in several out-of-home placements, he came to the Ranch as “incorrigible” and way behind in school. He was old enough to be a junior but had only enough credits to qualify as a freshman.

While at the Ranch, Shawn reconnected with his birth father, who is now sober and doing well. His father drove from Oklahoma to North Dakota to be with Shawn on his big day—and they are starting a new and exciting chapter in their father-son relationship—a relationship filled with love and support. “I grew up with people shutting down my dreams,” Shawn said. “Here I learned if I work hard I can reach them.

Community of Care

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Care Coordination • Referrals, information, assistance for yourself, your parent or a friend

Heart-n-Soul Community Cafe

Volunteer Program • Including transportation to medical appointments

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

www.communityofcarend.com

Arthur (in the mall) 701/967-8502

Your local 24 hour Helpline linking you to community resources and offering listening and support

Dial 2-1-1 or 701-235-7335 (SEEK)

Faith Community Nurse Program

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4 FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring

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“caring for people by partnering with rural communities” Serving rural Cass County

Medicare Part D Drug Plan Enrollment Heart-n-Soul Community Café, Inc. is a nonprofit, social entrepreneurship that serves locally grown, fresh food and operates under a pay-whatyou-can model. We value a place where everyone is welcome, and we provide creative payment solutions for all. Mission: Committed to addressing food insecurities, building communities and providing delicious food to nurture body, heart and soul. • www.heartnsoulcafe.com

Story Submitted By:

Casselton (in BankNorth) 701/347-0032

1-800-273-8255 (TALK) Answered locally by FirstLink

Now offering Community Navigator Service Text your zip code to 898211 for all services

MADDIE’S STORY

One of the most valuable lessons Maddie learned at the Ranch was to trust. She learned how to trust others, especially adult men.

Maddie grew up around drugs—they were always around when she visited her dad. Because she saw him try to quit many times, and fail, she remembers telling herself she was never going to try drugs or alcohol. But then it started to look normal.

“I struggle with trusting adult males because of my dad. I saw him abuse his girlfriend. Then he moved away, and I didn’t see him for several years,” Maddie said. “It’s like I’m afraid of men and it was hard for me to be next to them. Mr. [Jim] Miller [long-time Ranch English teacher] proved to me I can trust him. He’s always been kind, and I really trust him. That’s something I definitely needed in my life.”

“I started hanging out with the wrong people. First, I smoked pot, and then I moved to alcohol. And then I got depressed,” Maddie said. Maddie started getting in trouble at school and at home, and eventually social services got involved. She was hospitalized a couple times for depression, spent time in juvenile detention, lived with a foster family, her grandma, an aunt, a family friend, and several times moved back home with her mom. She spent seven months at the Ranch in 2015. “When I moved back home I stayed clean and sober for a while,” Maddie said. “It was hard to find friends, so I didn’t have anybody to hang out with. I went back to my old friends and got in trouble again.” After a couple of difficult years, Maddie decided she was ready to live the life she learned about at the Ranch. She came to the Ranch in March 2017 and graduated from Dakota Memorial School in 2017. “I like it here. I’m doing way better than ever. I’ve been clean for a whole year now. And when I’m here, my relationships with my family are so much stronger,” Maddie said. “In school, I get the support I need. I learn differently than others, and the teachers here teach to my understanding. If I don’t understand something, I’m not afraid to ask questions. At my old school, they just handed me the assignment and told me to figure it out.”

As for graduation, Maddie was thrilled to prove to her family and friends she could do it. She never expected to graduate, thinking she would drop out and work the rest of her life. “Now I’m actually going to miss school, and the fun times I had here,” Maddie said. “Honestly, without the Ranch, I’d probably be dead from using or suicide. I think about that some days—if it wasn’t for this place, I would not be alive.” These are stories from just two of our strong, smart, amazing kids. The financial support and prayers of our Ranch friends make it possible for children like Shawn and Maddie to take part in this great achievement. High School Graduation— something many of our kids never expected to experience.

The Anne Carlsen Center

The Anne Carlsen Center has positioned itself on the cutting edge of innovation with unique programs, creative therapies and advanced assistive technologies that meet the specific needs of those served. To learn more about Anne Carlsen please visit www.annecarlsen.org

i have the support to say...

yes

i can!

Mental Health

Behavioral Health

Autism Services

Speech and Occupational Therapy

Assistive Technology Visit a location near you:

Jamestown • Fargo • Bismarck • Minot Grand Forks • Bottineau • Devils Lake • Moorhead

annecarlsen.org FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring 5

Story Submitted By:

HOME

IS WHERE THE CARE IS As Carl Ostby mops floors and moves office furniture at Family HealthCare, his heart is filled with gratitude. Three years ago, he came to the clinic for medical care. He found that plus a second chance at life. “Family HealthCare turned my life completely around,” he says. “It saved me. I’m grateful.” Carl moved to Fargo in 2015. He had recently been released from prison after serving seven-and-a-half years on drug charges. It had been the second time the 60-year-old was incarcerated.

Carl agreed, but wanted to postpone the surgery until he lost 68 pounds. He felt the surgery would be more successful if he weighed 200 pounds or less, but he didn’t know how he was going to lose the weight. That’s when he saw a sign for a fitness center in the downtown Family HealthCare clinic. The fitness center equipment was free to patients as long as a volunteer staffed the small gym. To increase his access to the room, Carl asked if he could volunteer. Staff at Family HealthCare said, “yes.”

Still on parole, Carl lived at Centre Inc. in transitional housing. One of his first priorities was finding high-quality, accessible healthcare. He found the care and expertise he needed at Family HealthCare.

“It was good for me to have a place to go to, a purpose,” Carl says. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

Carl’s most critical issue was a bulging abdomen – a side effect from numerous surgeries and hernias. (He had his first of three back surgery at age 21. He had undergone 19 abdominal surgeries for gallbladder issues and hernias.) While not painful, the bulge was uncomfortable and limited activity. His primary healthcare provider recommended one more surgery to replace surgical mesh that had been removed because of complications.

Over the weeks, the pounds began to melt off his frame as he regularly walked on the treadmill and used the elliptical machine. His commitment and dependability caught the attention of staff members in the building. When Family HealthCare began looking for a facilities person that fall, Carl was encouraged to apply.

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Today Carl is the facilities team lead and oversees five fulltime employees. His expertise and enthusiasm have been valuable as Family HealthCare continues to grow. Carl’s life has been blessed beyond belief. He shares an apartment with his daughter in south Fargo. He has new friends. He still wants to lose 25 more pounds, but focuses on the progress he’s made. He hasn’t scheduled his surgery yet – mostly because he’s too busy. “I’m healthier now than I’ve been in a long time,” he says. “I feel great.” Carl knows firsthand how hard it is to succeed after life in prison. After he served his first sentence, he stayed clear of drugs for a while. But the siren’s song was too sweet. He returned to bad habits, which led to bad choices. This time is different. “I didn’t have (Family HealthCare) last time,” Carl says. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had. It’s the best care I’ve ever received. It’s like family around here.”

“Family HealthCare turned my life completely around.”

reside. relax. rehab. At Bethany Retirement Living, quality of life matters. bethanynd.org FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring 7

CULTIVATING JOY You matter. These two tiny words hold a special meaning in my heart because they are the inspiration behind the inception of Hope Blooms. They exemplify belonging and inclusion, and they illustrate a person’s fundamental value as a human being. I felt all of these things stirring in my heart as a young girl when I spent time with my sweet Grandma Freda. I was fortunate enough to see her nearly every other weekend and for six weeks every summer while growing up. During that sacred time together, our interactions made me feel like I was the most loved, bright and important little girl. A special bond formed between us as my grandma began to teach me the value of performing simple acts of kindness for others — just because. She taught me so many things like cleaning, ironing, baking and — most significant to me — how to tend to a flower garden. I spent humid summer days elbow deep in dirt and weeds, caring for her countless flower beds. It was in these small, seemingly insignificant acts I found the most love and joy because they meant so much to my darling grandma. I distinctly remember how a job well done brought a soft and sincere smile to her face, and how she often looked back on my labors with gratitude. And ever since then, I have felt the most fulfilled in my life when I’m cultivating

wedding day

moments of joy for others. My servant heart blossomed under her loving guidance. And, I felt all of the same emotions flooding back to me with the birth of my son, Henry Fisher, in November 2015. I want to instill the same values in my son as my grandma did for me. I hope to nurture his servant heart from a young age and teach him compassion, empathy and giving back as a way of life. Inspired by my time with my grandma and being a mom, Hope Blooms came to life in July 2016. Hope Blooms repurposes flowers from weddings, funerals and other special events and delivers beautiful bedside bouquets to community members who are facing difficult times. What started out as a simple idea to spread more hope, happiness and emotional healing throughout our beloved communities has blossomed into a budding nonprofit two years later with the help of countless volunteers.

Henry Fisher

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my Grandma Freda on

Story Submitted By: Kelly Krenzel, founder of Hope Blooms

Adopt-A-Pet is a nonprofit, volunteer-run humane organization dedicated to placing homeless and/or unwanted animals in permanent, loving homes. Information: 701-232-5681

Please visit our website at www.adoptapetfm.org 8 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/Adoptapetfm

We have impacted the lives of so many, delivering more than 5,300 bouquets to those who can use a little extra joy in their day — from hospice patients, nursing home and assisted living residents and women staying at the YWCA emergency shelter to families staying at the Ronald McDonald Houses, those receiving treatments at the Roger Maris Cancer Center and more.

Hope Blooms facts

Birthright is a free, inter-denominational support service founded in 1968 to offer a personal and caring response to women facing unplanned pregnancies. Birthright continues to evolve to meet the needs of families – mothers, married or single, dads and even grandparents, in helping babies have a healthy start in life.

•Family-centered support for infant needs including diapers, formula, clothing and other items up to 24 months •Referrals and help in finding appropriate resources for prenatal care, financial help and other needs •Friendship, acceptance and understanding in a confidential atmosphere

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With each passing year, the need for volunteers at Birthright has grown. Volunteers with Birthright provide help in a positive and tangible way:

Birthright of Fargo-Moorhead For more information, to donate or become a volunteer: 218-477-1977 | www.birthrightfm.org birthrightfm@702com.net

FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring 9

SINGLE MOTHER’S DESIRE TO BETTER LIFE

CROSSES STATE BORDERS When former Richfield, Minn., resident Kristie Garcia, 22, discovered she and her son could have a better life, she didn’t give the eight-hour weekly round trip to Fargo a second thought. Garcia, one of the newest residents of Jeremiah Program Fargo-Moorhead, participated in a special 12-week Empowerment class designed for single mothers who are motivated to lift themselves from poverty. “When I first started Empowerment, I was still going through a lot of emotions and anger about my son’s dad, who has not made an effort to be in Rey’s life,” Garcia said of her 14-month-old son. “The class helped me have the right mentality and gain support from other women who were dealing with similar challenges. The drive was not as important to me as beginning a new journey that would be better for my son and me.” The Empowerment class is the first in a series of steps for single mothers enrolled in Jeremiah Program. Focused on two generations at a time, the comprehensive program prepares determined single mothers to excel in the workforce, readies their children to succeed in school, and reduces generational dependence on public assistance. The Fargo-Moorhead campus, which opened in January 2018, is the fifth Jeremiah Program location to develop. The Fargo-Moorhead campus, which opened in January 2018, is the fifth Jeremiah Program location to develop and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. The organization also has programs in St. Paul, Minn.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Rochester, Minn.; and Brownsville, NY. The Fargo-Moorhead campus features 20 furnished apartments designed to support single mothers, who are required to work part time or volunteer, attend college full time, and work toward a career-track education while participating in Jeremiah Program’s weekly coaching and life skills classes.

10 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

Story Submitted By:

Community spaces also available to campus participants include a community/multipurpose room, library, interior gymnasium and outdoor playground. The ground floor of the campus also features a licensed early Child Development Center that can serve up to 52 children ages six weeks until starting kindergarten. The center team is working toward national accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children as well as certification through North Dakota’s quality rating system: Bright & Early, which certified the Fargo-Moorhead campus with the first health & safety cohort and authorized its participation in the second cohort: space & materials. The center plans to pursue the second as well as the third and fourth cohorts (activities & experiences, and relationships & interactions) throughout the next 12-18 months.

“I honestly don’t know where I would be without this program and the support of donors and agencies who helped build it,” Garcia said. “I feel like I have grown so much as a person already and I am so happy to be in a program that has put my son and me on a better path. I feel like I finally have a fresh start and a place to call home.”

Garcia, who learned about the program from another Jeremiah Program participant at the Minneapolis/St. Paul campus, applied at the FargoMoorhead campus because earning a bachelor’s degree for radiological sciences is far less expensive in North Dakota. She is working toward a career as a diagnostic sonographer and would like to specialize in obstetrics. Garcia will start classes at North Dakota State University this spring, after she finishes some general coursework this fall at Minnesota State Community and Technical College-Moorhead (M-State). After completing the mandatory 12-week Empowerment course this past spring, Garcia moved into a fully-furnished apartment at Jeremiah Program’s Fargo-Moorhead campus in June and found part-time work at the M-State bookstore while her son Rey attends the on-site child development center at the Fargo-Moorhead campus.

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE!

“Improving lives and creating communities by developing and sustaining housing for those most in need.”

CHRISTMAS ON THE PRAIRIE December 1, 2018, 10am - 5pm OPEN MAY

THROUGH

SEPTEMBER AND

WEEKENDS

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Serving Communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Beyond!

OCTOBER

WWW.BONANZAVILLE.ORG 701-282-2822 FM FM Area Area Foundation Foundation -- The The Season Season of of Caring Caring 11 9

AUDUBON DAKOTA RESTORES GREEN SPACES ALONG RED RIVER

Where birds thrive, people prosper. Thrive and prosper. Those may sound like two positive words useful for a catchy motto for an organization, but “thrive and prosper” sums up the work of Audubon Dakota. The heart of Audubon Dakota’s program initiatives includes the restoration and protection of roughly 110,000 acres of land to allow prairie, woodland, and wetland birds to thrive. And through compelling stakeholder interest, be they urban or rural, Audubon Dakota’s efforts are designed to allow people to prosper, enjoying the benefits of the land, which also promotes bird conservation.

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UWP sites to meet with biologists and land managers and learn about the ecosystems in their own backyards.

In the Fargo-Moorhead area, the Urban Woods and Prairies Initiative (UWP) is restoring bird habitat in areas where it hasn’t existed in decades, if not a century. UWP was born out of the need to turn property lots no longer in use as residences or businesses into something more than thistle and buckthorn thickets. Through intensive work, which began in 2014 and is projected to continue through 2022, almost 650 acres of land on both sides of the Red River have been turned into nature parks. Stretching along 28 river-miles, these parks range in size from just a handful of acres to well over 100 acres large enough to make a hiker forget they’re adjacent to a metropolis with a quarter million people. From Oakport in the far north of Moorhead, Pontes Prairie in the heart of the Clara Barton neighborhood, south of Downtown, and to Heritage Hills and Forest River south of Fargo, there’s a UWP nature site near you. These sites are closely managed by an array of partners, including the Cities of Moorhead and Fargo, Fargo Park District, Buffalo River Watershed District, NDSU, and Prairie Restorations, Inc. Sites undergo a five-year management schedule that includes turning the soil over and herbicide application to remove non-native species, along with prescribed fire if appropriate. Eventually, sites begin to resemble the vegetation communities Alexander Henry would have seen when he explored the region over 200 years ago. Along with restoration of native plants, birds have also returned. Intensive surveys at all UWP sites in 2018 revealed nearly three dozen species of birds calling, including Eastern Bluebirds, Saw-whet Owls, and Bobolinks. Through the success of the UWP Initiative in the Fargo-Moorhead area, Audubon Dakota has recently begun expanding UWP to the cities of Grand Forks, Minot and Bismarck. Beyond increasing nesting habitats for birds throughout the FargoMoorhead area, UWP sites have provided extensive, year-round access to green spaces to the residents of Fargo-Moorhead. Audubon Dakota has served as host for several area schools, where students of all grades visit

“Audubon Dakota has devoted time and resources to help the students of Fargo Public Schools develop and appreciate the complex relationship between humans and their environment,” said Joshua Rogers, English Learner Science teacher at Davies High School. “Students are able to connect the rich environment of Fargo-Moorhead to the skills and concepts taught in our environmental science course. The overall experience deepens and stimulates student’s critical

Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living is a nonprofit organization that works to help people with disabilities live more independently.

For more than 45 years, the Emergency Food Pantry has helped feed the citizens of Cass and Clay counties in times of crisis.

Freedom Resource Center has offices in Fargo, Wahpeton, Jamestown, and Lisbon N.D.; Moorhead and Fergus Falls, MN. For more disability-related information, call (800) 450-0459 or see www.FreedomRC.org 12 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

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• Services are free to all • We serve any disability • We serve any age • No income requirement • No medical verification • No complicated applications

EmergencyFoodPantry.com 1101 4th Ave. N, Fargo 701-237-9337

The pantry provides hungry families and individuals with wholesome food to tide them over during these times of emergency.

thinking. The Audubon Dakota organization is critical in helping students understand and appreciate the diverse environment of the Red River Valley.” The sites also provide training for tomorrow’s biologists and teachers. Vegetation and bird surveys are conducted with the help of undergraduates from Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College, and North Dakota State University. Audubon Dakota and its extensive list of managing and funding partners have helped restore hundreds of acres of bird habitat throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area, restoring a natural community that has been absent for decades. These green spaces, filled with birds and flowers, are also easily accessible for the residents of Fargo-Moorhead, and are often just a short drive or walk from their homes. Funding partners that have made the UWP Initiative possible include the FM Area Foundation; North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund; North Dakota Game and Fish; Brad Freeman Foundation; Starion Financial; the Minnesota

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment; Xcel Energy; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; North Dakota Natural Resources Trust; Jeff and Carrie Haug; Dale Summers; Carol Stoudt; Ron and Sue Miller; Dr. David and Barb Johnson; American Veterans Auxiliary; and the Audubon Society Chapter of Fargo-Moorhead.

Serving Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota • • • • •

Camp & Youth Programs Adult Support Groups Information & Referral Services Seizure First Aid Training Seizure Smart Schools

Helping those with epilepsy realize their full potential.

efmn.org | 800.779.0777 FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring 13

HELPING SENIORS LIVE HEALTHY, INDEPENDENT LIVES

Story Submitted By:

Kermit Lomsdalen is a long-time resident of Ulen, Minn. Kermit and his wife Doris were married for 64 years and lived in the Ulen area all of their lives. Kermit and Doris were both active members of the community who volunteered to prepare and deliver meals on wheels and cared for their young grandson with special needs. Kermit recently had a stroke, which limited his mobility. Since Doris passed away in 2016, Kermit has been able to maintain his independence at the age of 87 staying in his home with the help of Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership Senior Program. Kermit receives a monthly Nutritional Assistance Program for Seniors (NAPS) box delivered by a volunteer that provides him with nutritious food. Kermit is active in the Ulen Senior Center and regularly attends meetings and classes offered at the center provided by Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership. Kermit can maintain his independent lifestyle within his own home with the support of the program, which is a cost savings of over $5,000 a month when compared to the cost of residing in the nursing home. Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership is proud to help seniors stay in their community and live healthy, independent lives.

Fall II Session: October 29 - January 5 Classes for boys & girls Babies • Toddlers • Preschool • School Age • Ninja • Special Needs Register now at tntkidsfitness.org

Unlocking potential through movement

GET A HIGHER LEVEL OF FINANCIAL GUIDANCE As one of a select number of financial professionals who has earned the CAP® (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®), a designation granted by the American College, Bryn Mawr, PA, I can provide you with in-depth financial guidance to help you reach your goals. Let’s talk soon. Paul Holtan, CAP® Financial Consultant 1131 Westrac Drive Suite 107 Fargo, ND 58103 701-478-7134 paul.holtan@thrivent.com Thrivent Financial representatives are licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. They are also registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55415. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.

2800 Main Ave. Fargo • 701-365-8868 14 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

Appleton, Wisconsin • Minneapolis, Minnesota Thrivent.com • 800-847-4836

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TU’DEAKO GROUP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW AMERICAN CHILDREN

Story Submitted By:

TU’DEAKO GROUP

Tu’Deako Group’s mission is to build a community in which basic education and other needs of new American families are met. In 2018, the Tu’Deako Group received a $2,000 education grant from the FM Area Foundation for their back to school program, which seeks to build selfconfidence in children. Tu’Deako provides tutoring and after school youth programs, some in cooperation with Legacy Children’s Foundation, and organizes multi-cultural events. Tu’Deako’s primary focus is on education, because they believe it is the key to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty for new Americans. Their programming gives children opportunities to see themselves as successful and contributing students and classmates. Tu’Deako Group is a 503(c)(3) organization incorporated in 2010. It originated out of the Episcopalian faith tradition of several south Sudanese persons, and now serves new Americans in the Fargo Moorhead area, regardless of their faith, nationality, ethnicity or culture.

ElksCamp CampGrassick Grassick Elks children and adults with various disabilities and special ServesServes children and adults with various disabilities and special needsneeds

“Tme hemo merie mos ries created at “T he at ed at ca mp , wh eth erscre it’ s esom e type of camp , wh eth er it’ som ty pe of ity, th era py or som e ty pe oftivactiv therais pypos or iti som e ty pe of ac ity , e ybeembedded in th is pos iti vel yvel em dd ed in th e mi nd s of th e campers that will mindbe s ofchtherie camp ers that will sh ed eti.”me.” be cherished for aforlifaetilifme

Speech/Language Services • Reading Instruction Speech/Language Services • Reading Instruction Occupational Therapy Activities • Swimming Instruction Occupational Therapy Activities • Swimming Instruction Supervised Recreation • Adaptive Technology Services • Craft Activities Supervised Recreation • Adaptive Technology Services • Craft Activities

Eventide Foundation creates a full spectrum of programs and activities so that every resident can continue to live their lives to the fullest!

Owned & Operated by North Dakota Elks Association Owned & Operated by North Dakota Elks Association 701-327-4251 • elkscampgrassick.com • facebook.com/campgrassick 701-327-4251 • elkscampgrassick.com • facebook.com/campgrassick

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Eventide Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization created to support the Eventide mission of empowering older adults to thrive.

eventide.org FM Area Foundation - The Season of Caring 15

LEGACY CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION

Story Submitted By:

HELPS STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR POTENTIAL One Student’s Story. Frozen pipes, no electricity or TV, a few pieces of furniture and a mat on the floor to call my bed. My life at home would have horrified my teachers. My parents fled their war-torn country and tried their very best to adjust to the American way before I was born. In their homeland, there was no such thing as garbage trucks, free school, beds, refrigerators, and stoves. Life was lived mostly around and in a cement hut from one day to the next. Water was hauled and food prepared one day at a time. Life was straightforward. Everyone helped each other survive. Their faith was the strength that brought them through tough times.

face and body displayed a little boy who was sad and disconnected from the purpose and people at school. I had no friends. I failed in class and my teachers were really worried about me. In fifth grade, a group of teenagers started to come after school to play with our class in the gym. I had never been around such happy teenagers. As the oldest of three sons, I experienced the constant tension of trying to connect my parents to the culture and expectations of America. I felt overwhelmed and out of place. My language, food, and clothing all singled me out as “different.” No one played with me at recess. I often sat alone at lunch. I struggled the most with the pace of school bells and classes. I was always late and moved very, very slowly from one place to the next. My

I looked forward to time with them every week. They told us they belonged to a group called the Legacy Children’s Foundation. In the spring of that year, I joined LCF as a sixth grader entering middle school. I was still the sad, disconnected little boy I was when I entered school six years earlier, but my life was about to somersault!

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NDSCSAlumni.com 800 6th St. N., Wahpeton, ND 58076

Kim Nelson

Executive Director Kim.J.Nelson@ndscs.edu 701-671-2187 16 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

LCF provided life-changing resources, like Academic Coaches who met with me every day after school. They ignored my pity potty attitude and redirected me to get my assignments done. I complained about everything and blamed everyone for my problems. I sulked from one class to the next, but they would not give up on me! And, most importantly they would not let me give up on myself. Their favorite mantra was, “You don’t lack brain power. You lack willpower! Let’s do this!” LCF taught me discipline, determination, and pride! I have been strengthened by the mindsets and pay it forward attitude of my Legacy friends. We support and encourage each other to dream big! There is something very unique in our competitive world to find a group that wants the best for each other. We lean on each other through the ups and downs of growing up. My eyes have been opened to the potential impact my life can have in the world because of LCF. I have traveled to the International Music Camp three times and now have friends from all over the world. I have been to many national parks, St Louis and Boston with LCF. I have befriended the homeless and fed the hungry. LCF has developed my body, mind, and spirit! As a junior in high school, I am a three-sport athlete and proud Board member of LCF! I am currently earning a 3.3 GPA. I stride proudly from one class to the next with my head positioned proudly on my athletic, broad shoulders. As an educated adult, my children will have resources to sleep in a warm bed and bathe in hot water because I have hope and a future! I will make a big, bold splash in this world because of the upbringing I received from the Legacy Children’s Foundation, my second family.

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HEALING TRAUMA

“Jace” and “Eli” were just 2 and 4 when the drug-enforcement agents broke down the door to their family’s house and arrested their dad and stepmother. While the two little boys looked on, the agents seized a large quantity of drug paraphernalia, including syringes and other gear for IV drugs. The parents had been so consumed with selling and using drugs that the young brothers had been left to fend for themselves. The home was trashed, the cupboards were empty and the little boys were barely clothed. They received emergency placement in foster care, where their caregivers quickly saw the effects of extreme neglect as well as physical and sexual abuse. Eli and Jace had little language or socialization skills and couldn’t regulate their emotions. At age 4, Eli could describe in detail how to shoot up – possibly because he had to help a parent do so whenever they were too sick to do it themselves. He also knew how to make macaroni and cheese, as that was the only way he and his brother could eat.

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The boys were referred to Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota’s Abound Counseling, where every counselor is – or is in the process of becoming – nationally certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Trauma screenings of the boys revealed severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A course of extensive treatment followed, with the young patients spending three to five hours per week in intensive outpatient therapy with Abound therapists. This varied from attachment approaches to help them bond appropriately with adults to recreational therapies that helped fill in the developmental gaps for little ones who had been deprived of the typical childhood experiences. With trained therapists at their side, they did all the things kids usually do with their parents: baked cupcakes, played games, read books, visited the mall, practiced grooming rituals like combing their hair.

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These seemingly everyday activities had a deeper therapeutic purpose, such as improving coordination, teaching them how to act appropriately in crowds or learning how to tolerate normal sensory stimulation. Even so, the road to wellness was rocky. Eli’s behavior was so violent and out of control that he was suspended from kindergarten five different times. Medication was suggested, but his therapy team knew the real problem was trauma. The commitment to intensive therapy continued. This year, the two boys are back in school and thriving. Their IQs have tested off the charts and they are no longer having behavioral problems in school, says Sara Stallman, LICSW and coordinator of Abound Counseling. The birth parents have terminated rights, and the brothers are awaiting adoption by extended family. While there may be challenges ahead, their story illustrates how early and appropriate intervention can heal even severe cases of trauma. Thanks to their experiences with Abound, the two brothers now have the skills to get through life’s challenges, and they don’t need to be defined by the trauma that marked their earliest days. “It’s two little kids who didn’t get medicated, who didn’t get kicked out of school, who got appropriate therapy – and with appropriate treatment, they are now developmentally on track,” Stallman says. Abound Counseling provides quality, affordable behavioral health services to people in communities across North Dakota through a therapy network that matches experienced therapists with individuals and families who seek care. All of the Abound Counseling accept North Dakota Blue Cross Blue Shield, North Dakota Medicaid, Sanford Health Insurance, and preauthorized referrals from the Veterans Administration. The Abound counselors at LSS of North Dakota

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THE ART OF HOPE AND HEALING People with substance use disorder are often reduced to a onedimensional caricature of who they are. A person can be compassionate, funny, and a great storyteller, but these things are often forgotten if that person is an addict. Between 2010 and 2016, America saw its drug overdose rate increase in 47 out of 50 states, including North Dakota and Minnesota. Still, we stigmatize addiction and make it difficult for people to seek help and share their experiences. That’s where Plains Art Museum’s Art of Hope and Healing comes in. The Art of Hope and Healing is a free art workshop for individuals and families who have been affected by substance abuse. The workshops offer a welcoming space for individuals who share similar experiences and who can find hope and healing through making art together. Each session begins with a short reading before moving on to a healing art activity. The type of art participants make can change from session to session. Past participants have made clay vessels, acrylic paintings, and collages. The class facilitator, local artist and trained therapeutic arts facilitator Nikki Anderson, says she switches the art medium so that the class “can reach different people with different interests.” Plus, repeat visitors are given the opportunity to try something different. You don’t need to wait for a medium you are talented in to join—all artistic abilities are welcomed. At the end of every session, each participant has the opportunity to share their artwork with the group. Although anybody can opt out of sharing, nobody so far has passed on the opportunity. When participants “get together with people who’ve had the same situations, they open up more,” Nikki said. When participants talk about their artwork, they talk about journeys to recovery. They talk about a person whom they knew who died from substance use disorder. They talk about a specific memory of that person—of the whole person, not just that they were an addict. They talk about the ripple effect of addiction, how it affects whole families, whole communities. Because the workshops are open both to people working toward recovery and to friends and family members who have watched someone else struggle with addiction, “the ripple effect is what you really see here,” Nikki said. People who are in recovery can meet others in recovery, and

Integrity, Individuality, Respect and Dedication Fargo, ND 701–241-4858 www.fargovtc.org Proudly supporting individuals with disabilities since 1962 001788904r1

20 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

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they can also meet people who lost someone to addiction. The effects of not getting help are made real, but that reality is presented in an environment in which addicts are welcome. For the family members and friends of an addict, talking with someone in treatment can help them better understand what their loved one is or was going through. The struggle and depth of addiction can be better understood when the people closest to it are given a voice. Unfortunately, the voice of addiction is not always the voice of the person who best understands it. Tessa Torgeson, a regional writer who is currently working on a memoir about her own addiction and recovery, has observed how literary publications can be dismissive of first-person addiction and recovery stories, “assuming they are riddled with tropes and narcissism, and are overly confessional.” She points to William Brewer’s book of poems about the opioid epidemic in West Virginia, I know Your Kind, as one example. Brewer has been dubbed “America’s poet laureate of the opioid crisis,” despite never having experienced addiction himself. In some ways, Brewer’s poetry, like so many representations of addiction, strips people of their full humanity.

mean you are a failure. They understand that addiction is physical and that recovery is hard, that it is rare to get it right on the first attempt. Some people attend the Art of Hope and Healing as part of their recovery process, like a 23-year old man who was motivated to enter recovery thanks to his younger siblings. Some attend to understand loved ones better, like a grandmother whose son and grandchild struggle with addiction. The reasons for attending are multiple. The art abilities are multiple. What ties it all together is a need to erase the stigma of addiction. Art can help do that. To see upcoming adult classes at Plains Art Museum, including FREE Art of Hope and Healing classes, visit bit.ly/2R157Q4.

Getting those most affected by substance use disorder to share their experiences isn’t just a problem with the publishers. The stigma exists “out there,” but people can hesitate sharing their experiences because of internalized guilt or shame. If someone is told often enough that their addiction makes them inferior or weak-willed or was just the result of poor choices, they may start to believe it, too. But the Art of Hope and Healing provides a space where the participants can be honest about their past, present, and future. The reading Nikki starts each session with is intended to get people to accept their present moment, wherever they may be. Those in the class understand that relapsing doesn’t

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WITH HUMOR AND HOSPICE, COUPLE FINDS PEACE AND COMFORT AT THE END OF LIFE Editor’s note: In the time since this article was written, Bill Kelly passed away peacefully in his home under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley. When you meet Bill and Karen, you instantly feel the love they have for one another. Their faces light up with joy when they sneak a glance of each other. A quick wit and robust laughter are at the heart of their relationship. They take turns teasing each other in a healthy back and forth, always with a chuckle and a smile.

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Married for 14 years, the pair has experienced many adventures together, one of which was their initial meeting at a tiny café in Luck, Wis., where Karen says she noticed quite the “character” joking with the waitress one morning. She didn’t make much of it at the time until the following day when she returned to the café, and Bill (the character) was there again. He approached her and asked if he could join her for breakfast. “I said I suppose. I got a free breakfast out of it, why not,” Karen said with a laugh. They continued to meet up for breakfast for the following six weeks and quickly got to know one another. “She has not paid me back for one breakfast,” Bill added with a chuckle. After about a month, they went out on an official date, and according to Karen, “The rest is history!” Bill razzes Karen, “You lucky kid, you! I couldn’t run any faster, you were running after me!” With the same sense of humor and positivity as when they first met, the couple is facing the biggest challenge of their lives together. Bill was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago. Since then he has gone through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation with no progress, including the last session when he tried a new type of treatment. “I got sick for about a week and a half. I mean sick–in bed, and when I finally got up, I was sick for another week after that. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, and then it was time to go back and get another shot. You get them every three weeks,” Bill explained. He and Karen talked with his doctor about discontinuing treatment. “I said as far as I am concerned, it didn’t do me any good except put me right down,” Bill said. “Isn’t this kind of a waste of my time, your time and whoever is paying for this? It cost me $1,500 each time, and that’s with Medicare and private insurance paying, too.” After encouragement from his doctor, Bill and Karen enlisted the help of Hospice of the Red River Valley in July 2015. “You take the good with the bad. I’m not going to sit around and mope. That’s kind of silly to me. They have no cure,” Bill shared. Instead, he is focused on living the best life he can with time he has left. Staying at home with the assistance of Hospice is something Bill feels great about because he can continue to live his life and his Hospice team is just a phone call away. “Hospice is a good thing to have. If we need something, it’s here,” Bill said. “They [Hospice] actually do make it better, I have to admit. They give you a sense of confidence. While you’re here, they make you as comfortable as they possibly can. As far as I’m concerned, they are doing one heck of a job.”

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22 FM Area Foundation–The Season of Caring

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Bill is especially fond of his hospice nurse, Kelcie, and social worker Robyn. Both make regular visits to see him. “They are just like family. That’s the only way I can explain it. They really are. If I need supplies, they bring everything I am supposed to CHANGES EVERYTHING have,” he explained. Bill jokes that he also gives Kelcie and Robyn a few pointers in their jobs because he is “quite a bit older than them.” “Kelcie is great. With the medicine, you don’t worry about anything, and it sure cuts down on the expense. She checks on them every time she comes,” Karen said. “She has provided a lot of relief in just knowing everything is getting taken care of. Just to know that everyone is so helpful and friendly, that helps a lot,” Karen added. Kelcie also found out that the couple enjoys playing games, and right before Christmas she visited the pair with a surprise in-hand. “I’ll be darned if she didn’t come in with a game of Jenga,” Bill said with excitement. Karen notes with a giggle that Bill did not win Jenga when he played Kelcie, for the record.

“Bill and Karen have hearts of gold. It’s enjoyable to visit Bill because even if he is not feeling well, he makes jokes and asks how your day is going. At the same time, he is honest about his symptoms,” Kelcie shared. “Karen wanted to be able to keep Bill at home, and she does a fantastic job helping him and keeping track of his medications. It is nice to be able to help so Bill can continue to enjoy life and stay positive.”

“It’s [Hospice] is the best thing that ever happened to us. Emotionally, financially, everything. Hospice is a Godsend. ”

That’s what I wanted to hear. I mean I could live another three years, but she gave me what I wanted to know,” Bill explained. Knowing this, Bill has spent the past several months making arrangements so Karen is taken care of after he is no longer here. “I made sure all of the bills are paid off so when I go, she’ll owe nobody nothing, and I finally talked her into getting a new car,” he said. He also made sure she is able to stay in the apartment they now share. “Actually, now I’m happy,” Bill said. “From the first time I met Bill and Karen, I promised that I would always be up front with them. I also promised the end would not always be the focus of all our conversations. I enjoy my visits with them,” Robyn said. Bill points out that he cannot identify just one thing he appreciates about hospice care, rather it’s everything about the care. “You can’t pick out one thing. You really truthfully can’t, at least I can’t. Everything I’ve experienced since I’ve been in it is great. There’s no way I’d have a complaint, and I’d argue with anybody who did,” Bill shared. Karen wholeheartedly agrees with Bill. “It’s [Hospice] is the best thing that ever happened to us. Emotionally, financially, everything. Hospice is a Godsend,” she said. “That’s a nice way of putting it, actually,” Bill echoed. Initially, both Karen and Bill thought hospice was only for the last days of life.

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“Tears of frustration, anxiety and feelings of not being good enough are replaced by tears of joy and gratitude for the crew at Haley’s Hope. Dyslexia doesn’t affect one person; it affects the entire family.”

The connection Bill has formed with Robyn is one built on trust and honesty. “Because I know Robyn and Kelcie talk, I asked Robyn one day when she was here, in her opinion, ‘How long do you think I got?’ I said I knew she couldn’t tell me a day or a month. She told me, ‘If you’re planning anything big this summer, do it by June. By August, you won’t be able to.’ I thought that was so honest; I liked that. She was honest with me, and that’s what I like.

~ Jamie’s Mom

Help support the 1 in 5 with dyslexia at haleyshope.org 701-373-0397

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