Dear Kids Hope USA Directors,
I recently read this quote by Elisabeth Elliot: “Ordinary work, which is what most of us do, most of the time, is ordained by God every bit as much as is extraordinary.” I immediately thought of you – our program directors. Do you know how extraordinary your work is and that it’s ordained by God? Even the seemingly ordinary tasks become extraordinary when done for the Lord. Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, puts it this way: “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” Thank you for the loving ways you carry out your responsibilities as a director and for serving the students and volunteers well. As you end this school year and look forward to a new one, let’s do as the Apostle Paul and forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. It will be extraordinary.
Davina Pennington
Program Support Director
Don’t Miss – June Prayer Call & Director Group
Please invite your mentors and prayer partners to join our June National Prayer Call. After a time of focused prayer, we’ll have a director group on the topic of recruiting. In addition, check out the summer prayer calendar below to share with your volunteers.
Date & Time: June 23 at 1 pm EST (adjust for time zones)
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87908555331?pwd=S1plNWFFNEg5dmxQKzVjSXBRSWkxdz09
Meeting ID: 879 0855 5331
Passcode: KHUSAPRAY
Or dial by your location
Central: 1 (346) 248-7799
Mountain: 1 (669) 900-6833
Pacific: 1 (253) 215-8782
Eastern: 1 (646) 876-9923
Judgement Free Annual Survey Your Opinion Matters
Regardless if your program was able to mentor this school year, we want to hear from you. We not only need to know mentor counts and the status of your program, but we need feedback on how to serve you better. By completing the survey, it helps us be efficient with our administrative time. Please see the link below.
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey early! The winner of the early bird contest was Angela Atkins of First Baptist Church in Norman, Oklahoma! Congratulations, Angela. You’ll be receiving $50 worth of KHUSA SWAG!
From Lesley Rhodes-Maroney KHUSA Board Member & Principal of Adams Elementary in Arlington, TX
“I know that when our Kids Hope USA mentors show up and walk through the doors of our school, it puts a great big smile on my face! Every week, these faithful volunteers show up to love and support our students. These friendships make our kids feel extra special. And one of the most beautiful parts of seeing the mentors meet with our kids is the joy that I get to see on the faces of the mentors as well. The laughter, the smiles, the pride, the learning, and the connections – all of these – are the things I see in these budding friendships. Volunteer mentors, you may wonder if you’re making a difference. I can assure you: Yes, you are making a big difference in our school and with our students! I think I can speak for all educators that are part of the Kids Hope USA program – if you stopped coming, we would most definitely miss you!”
Introducing Your New Principal or School Contact to Your Kids Hope USA Program
School staff changes are important transitions to actively manage. If you hear that your school principal, counselor, or school contact is transitioning away from your school, we’re happy to help you introduce Kids Hope USA to their replacement. See this sample communication below for introducing your church and the KHUSA program. Contact your Program Success Specialist to schedule a Zoom meeting with yourself, the new replacement contact, and your supervising pastor.
Sample Email to New School Leadership
Recruiting Changes Lives
An important and often challenging part of a director’s job is recruiting, which comes easier to some than others. With that in mind, we’re working hard to prepare a new Volunteer Recruitment Toolkit that will be ready for the July director newsletter! In the meantime, here’s a list to help you begin thinking about ways to recruit for the fall. Your school will need more mentors. And more mentors equal lives changed – forever. You can also check out additional ideas on our Recruiting & Retaining Volunteers Pinterest page.
Top 10 Recruitment Ideas
- Make a pulpit announcement that includes a story. If a mentor is sharing, ask the prayer partner to stand as well.
- Enlist the principal or counselor to speak at the church. Interview style works great.
- Set up a table in the foyer with pictures, recruitment flyers, and sign-up sheets. Decorate with children’s books, games, and pictures! Ask passersby if they would consider mentoring.
- Have mentors wear an “ASK ME ABOUT” name tag!
- Advertise on the church social media pages.
- Visit small group classes or prepare a flyer for the class leader to share.
- Show a Kids Hope USA video during the service.
- Ask each mentor to invite one friend to consider becoming a mentor! Celebrate new mentors within the group.
- Have mentors and prayer partners attend church in KHUSA t-shirts and recognize them for their service!
- Pray, pray, pray!
Volunteer Center Updates on the Director Portal
Have some downtime in your KHUSA program this summer? Use this time to update your volunteer list online. Keeping this list current is part of the agreement your church made as an affiliate, and we’ve listed the benefits to your program and volunteers below. To update your list, log into your director account and click on Volunteer Center to see a list of volunteers associated with your program. You can archive volunteers that are no longer active and add new ones. Watch the video below to see how to edit and add to your volunteer list. Let your Program Success Specialist know if you have any questions.
Benefits to Updating Volunteer List
- Volunteers have online access to training and resources.
- Volunteers can complete online DPRs.
- Volunteers will receive webinar invitations and prayer partner devotionals.
- Volunteers have a place to share their stories and read stories from others – inspiring and fueling their passion.
- Volunteers will feel part of something bigger, and that’s proven to help with volunteer retention.
- Volunteers will have access to the Kids Hope USA Store to order their own SWAG.
- Archiving former volunteers removes their access to KHUSA training and resources.
Summer Reading Suggestions
We hope the summer months afford you and your volunteers the opportunity for a regular time to enjoy a good book. It’s time to refresh body and soul and gear up for a great mentoring season this fall! Program Success Specialist, Tammy Johnston, offers these recommendations:
For Mentors:
The 5 Practices for Caring Mentors – by Dr. Daniel H. Shapiro EdD.
For Prayer partners:
5 Heart Positions of Prayer – by Deb Hvass
For Students:
I Can Do Hard Things-Mindful Affirmations for Kids – by Gabi Garcia
Video version of I Can Do Hard Things by Gabi Garcia
Join Our Director Facebook Group!
Connect with other directors and team Kids Hope USA by joining our private director Facebook group. Click the button below!
August Back-to-School Webinar – Save the Date!
Title: Preparing to Connect with Your Student this Fall
Who: Please invite your mentors, prayer partners, and pastoral staff
Date: Tuesday, August 17, at 1:00 PM EST
Guest Speaker: Dr. Emilie DeYoung of Winning at Home
Connect with the Program Success Team!
Cheryl Molhoek – Program Resource & Training Director
(616) 202-6877
cmolhoek@kidshopeusa.org
Beth Wassink – Program Success Specialist
(616) 536-1012
bwassink@kidshopeusa.org
Davina Pennington – Program Support Director
(770) 727-1478
dpennington@kidshopeusa.org
Kari McLennan – Launch Success Specialist
(847) 971-0963
kmclennan@kidshopeusa.org
Kate Cochran – Launch Success Specialist
(210) 288-7520
kcochran@kidshopeusa.org
Lori Cyr – Program Success Specialist
(281) 772-4338
lcyr@kidshopeusa.org
Tammy Johnston – Program Success Specialist
(817) 717-3116
tjohnston@kidshopeusa.org