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Programs |
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Programs |
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Hospices were first established by religious orders during medieval times in Europe as places of rest, refreshment and care for sick and weary travelers. Since that time hospice has come to be a support system to help people with life-threatening illness live their lives to the fullest. Respite Care provides care-givers a needed break one or two times each week.
Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice is a volunteer support program intended to meet the emotional, spiritual, physical, and psychological needs of those facing a life-threatening illness and their families. Support and care will continue through bereavement, should death occur.
Some services that volunteers could provide include: transportation, shopping, babysitting, eldercare, running errands, reading, writing letters, estate planning, financial advice and in general providing the the supportive compassion and friendship that the patient and/or family needs. Each situation is unique.
Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice also provides a Medical Equipment Loan Program that is available to hospice care patients and to the general public. There is a wide variety of durable medical equipment and one time use items that are available at no charge and may be kept as long as there is a need.
Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice does not work in isolation; instead it is a part of a comprehensive health care program that strives to work cooperatively with all home health agencies that provide services to patients. It does not matter to Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice if patients are receiving services from more than one agency.
Some services that volunteers could provide include: respite care, shopping, child care, running errands, reading, housekeeping, transportation, writing letters, preparing food, estate planning, equipment loans, visiting, advanced medical directives, basic caregiver information, referrals to community agencies, and financial advice.
In general we try to provide the supportive compassion and friendship that the patient and/or family needs. Because every situation is unique, the services provided by Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice vary with each individual patient and family unit.
Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice also provides a Medical Equipment Loan Program that is available to hospice care patients and to the general public. There is a wide variety of durable medical equipment and one time use items that are available at no charge and may be kept as long as there is a need.
There is no charge for any of the services or equipment provided by Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice. Kingdom Respite Care and Hospice is supported by donations, memorials, contributions, the United Way, and local churches through Ecumenical Ministries.
However, services provided by hospitals, home health agencies, and pharmacies are billed accordingly by those agencies.
Caring individuals with a broad range of backgrounds who are drawn from all sections of the community. Some volunteers, after specialized training, work directly with the patients and families; others help with administrative tasks, public relations, and fund raising. Volunteers are needed in all service areas. Volunteers do not provide skilled medical services. Volunteers can typically provide one to three hours of weekly services.
Ecumenical Ministries provides weekly visits by lay and ordained ministers from several church backgrounds. These church volunteers come to see anyone in the jail who wants a caring visitor.
Ecumenical Ministries also makes available the services of an Inmate Concerns Coordinator who is permitted to provide a variety of services to those in jail and their families.
Services are provided on a confidential basis as long as no jail rules or state laws are violated.
Church visitors and the Inmate Concerns Coordinator can:
The Inmate Concerns Coordinator can also provide:
Monday Night - church visitors are available for women.
Tuesday Night - church visitors are available for men
Thursday Night- Inmate Concerns Coordinator is available for both men and women.
Bibles and special holiday greeting cards are available on request. Ecumenical Ministries gives stamps, paper, pencils, and envelopes to the jail for people without money.
The Jail Outreach Program cannot provide legal help, loans, bail, mail service or any service or item that would violate jail rules or state laws.
The Little Brother/Little Sister program is one of the oldest
programs of Ecumenical Ministries. It was first organized in 1968, by matching
high school students with children referred by Family Services. By 1970 it had
become apparent that many of the children needed more specialized attention
than high school students could provide.
College students were then recruited through the college chaplains and the William Woods YWCA. The students' time commitment, then and now, was at least one hour a week to be spent with their child. Originally, the college students took a child for one semester. In 1974 it was decided that a more solid relationship should be developed between the college student and the child. Thus, all current matchings last for the entire college year. This change has provided some long-lasting friendships that have been enjoyed by both the students and children.
Little Brother/Little Sister annually makes about 50 matches between Westminster College and William Woods University students and area youth from the Fulton Public Schools and Missouri School for the Deaf.
The purpose of the Little Brother/Little Sister program is for college volunteers to interact creatively with children whose families have requested their participation. This is done by affirming a positive self-image in the child; by exposing the child to the world of books, new ideas, and new persons; and by assisting in the development of basic positive values such as the ability to forgive, the ability to share, and the ability to care for another person.
The program offers the student volunteer an opportunity to commit as a concerned and caring individual to a child who needs basic supportive relationships.
The goal of Little Brother/Little Sister is to provide a reassuring relationship to children in kindergarten through 5th grade who are hindered by emotional distress, family breakdown, poor educational performance, or physical disabilities. The child is singled out for special attention from an exemplary young adult, who can share educational and entertaining new experiences with them. The college student may also work with the child on a specific problem, such as language skills or personal appearance. Time spent with the student volunteer allows individualized time for each child.
For the college student blessed with energy, maturity, time, and good educational background, the program offers the opportunity to make a loving commitment to one small, needful person. It alerts the student to different ways in which others live their lives. It gives the students contact with the town in which they live. Finally, it provides experience in relationships relevant to future vocations and/or parenthood.
There are expectations of the college students who volunteer. The students will participate in the interview process conducted by Ecumenical Ministries. A time commitment of one hour a week spent with the children is the heart of the program. The students should realize this time commitment may, in fact, take more than one hour a week of their time. The volunteer is required to attend the orientation meeting and the group events held through the year, usually on a Saturday or Sunday. The student volunteer will attend the catch-up meeting in January and will report to the coordinator on a monthly basis throughout the school year.
Any problems or schedule conflicts must be reported to the coordinator or staff associate at Ecumenical Ministries.
It takes time and effort to build a relationship but the results are well worth it.
Ecumenical Ministries sponsors a weekly Bible study at the Fulton Senior Center. Pastors from the county's churches offer their insights on different portions of assigned Bible text, as part of a larger program of study.
Ecumenical Ministries raises funds for worldwide hunger relief projects. One-fourth of the approximately $7,500 raised annually in this walk goes to the nutrition programs of the Callaway County senior citizen centers.
Assistance is offered to various community projects. Presently clerical help is given to Callaway Clergy.
Ecumenism is the goal of the Worship Commission, which sponsors an annual Service of Prayer for Christian unity, Thanksgiving service, and other community worship services such as the Fulton High School Baccalaureate.
Since October, 1997, Ecumenical Ministries has been recruiting volunteers from the community to visit the young men who are required by Missouri's courts to live for a time at the Youth Center in Fulton. These youth, aged 14 to 17, come from throughout the state and are in the custody of Division of Youth Services as a result of a felony conviction.
Volunteers, who must be screened by state law enforcement, are recruited to make regular weekend visits to the center to socialize with the youth, many of whom rarely receive family visits. Volunteers engage in such activities as playing board games, working on homework, doing puzzles, joining in sports, or simply listening and being a friend. An Ecumenical Ministries Coordinator leads a weekly bible study and worship service at the Youth Center.
As requested and during the holidays, EM helps to locate service projects the youth can participate in and arranges special visits by church music, youth, or service groups.
Haven House is both a concept and a place.
Conceptually, it is intended to supplement and support the resources already available to people in crisis situations in Callaway County, by connecting caring volunteers to individuals and families referred by the existing service agencies.
Physically, it is a building located at 829 Jefferson Street in Fulton. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and two baths designed for use as a temporary shelter. The main floor dining room and kitchen are planned for invited lunch guests and soup kitchen suppers. There is a main floor bedroom which is used for live-in staff and two rooms set aside for meetings and an office.
Haven House is a collaborative project which evolved out of community leadership and service provider discussions, begun in the Fall of 1995, concerning the growing number of families in Callaway County with emergency needs and the decline of resources in existing public and private service agencies. The name HAVEN House was chosen because the house is seen as a place for Helping Actions by Volunteers for Emergency Needs.
Examples of people who can be helped are as varied as the people themselves. Recent examples of people who might have received help include a pregnant woman with several children who was abandoned by the family provider, a family who moved to the county for a new job, but needed to work for two weeks before they had enough money to cover the necessary deposits for rent and utilities, a county man released from an inpatient recovery program who needed to establish a new living environment, a county woman released from prison living in her car with no family support, an older resident with grown children diagnosed with a major medical condition which ended her employment and created a crisis in resources, an elderly couple who were unable to do minor home repairs and weatherproofing, a woman with several small children who needed help filling out employment applications and making phone calls about work while the children were kept occupied, a man without transportation to work awaiting major repairs to his car, and many individuals who need someone to listen to their problems and help them determine achievable goals for the future.
The amount and kind of help which is provided depends on the response of volunteers and the level of community support. HAVEN House attempts to meet needs in three specific areas:
1. Supportive Volunteer Actions - on-site:
Supportive Volunteer Actions - off site:
2. Emergency Shelter - short term shelter for people, sent through agency referral, who need a place to stay until their permanent living arrangements are made - several days to two weeks.
3. Soup Kitchen (Independently operated)- evening meals available throughout the week (5-6 p.m. Monday - Friday) to anyone in need.
Parish Nurses of Callaway provides a very intentional health, healing, and ministering role within the community. They clarify the interrelationships of faith and health to promote positive health behavior. They are listeners, health educators, health consultants, volunteer coordinators, support group organizers, resource providers, and health screeners.
Parish Nurses of Callaway can help individuals and the community through their roles as:
Integrators of Faith and Health - assists individuals and the community to bring together faith and health, promoting higher levels of wellness by improving spiritual health as well as physical health.
Health Educators - Provides opportunities to learn about health topics and issues, both individually and/or in groups.
Health Advocates - serves as a liaison to connect people with community agencies. Works with the community to advocate for needed services.
Health Counselors - Discusses health issues, emphasizing early response to small problems and encouraging healthy lifestyle changes. Counseling for caretakers and children of aging parents. Discussion of grief related issues.
Comforters - Provides compassionate presence and encourages self reflection. Consoles and/or supports individuals through life situations.
For more information or to schedule an appointment -
please call Judy Boss, R.N., Susan Anderson, R.N., or Helen Manson, R.N.
573-642-6065
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Administrative Office 829 Jefferson Street Fulton, MO 65251 |
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Created: July, 1997
Last Updated: October, 2004