VFW National Home for Children : FAQ

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	The VFW National Home for Children has a broad, dedicated base of supporters. Our national network of friends ask many of the same questions about the National Home. We have attempted to answer the most common questions here, but please feel free to contact us for more information. Where is the National Home located? Who can the National Home serve? Where do the children come from? What is life like for a child living at the National Home? Are the children responsible for household chores? How many children live in each house? How many families live in a house? How long do children stay at the National Home? What does the National Home do about health care needs? Can you send me a roster of your residents so that I may send birthday cards to the children? Are the children adoptable? Can we visit our state’s house any time? Where do the children attend school? What services, other than housing, are provided by the National Home? I know of a child or family in need. How can they live at the National Home? What can I do to help the children? Where does the money come from to operate the National Home? What is a National Home Life Membership? How can I get financial information about the National Home? Where does the National Home need the most financial help? Where is the National Home located? The National Home is comprised of 629 acres of land in rural Eaton Rapids, Michigan. The main campus, with over 70 buildings, sits on 70 acres of land. The remaining acreage is cultivated by a local farmer, or sits as recreational wooded areas. Who can the National Home serve? The child, grandchild or great-grandchild of a VFW or Ladies Auxiliary member is eligible to live at the National Home, either with childcare workers in the Residential Program or with their single parent in the Single Parent Family Program. Services are also available for children of active duty military personnel who are not able to provide adequate care for their children through the approved family plan arrangement. Children and families come to live at the National Home because of a crisis, be it abuse, neglect, divorce, death, abandonment or any challenge that requires the intervention of a caring facility like the National Home. Where do the children come from? Children at the National Home come to us from all over the United States. Recently, we have housed children and families from Virginia, New York, California, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan and many other states. We rely on our supporters from across the nation to refer children and families to the National Home. Without them to spread the message, so many children could not be served by the Home. What is life like for a child living at the National Home? The goal of the National Home is to give children what they need most - a childhood. Therefore, life at the National Home is designed to mirror society, with individual family homes, community recreation opportunities, local public school attendance and community involvement. The National Home is set up like a typical American neighborhood with the added benefit of support services such as counseling, education, recreation and any other needed assistance. Are the children responsible for household chores? Each individual family home is responsible for setting up household duties for the children residing there. Children do have household chores, and the National Home sponsors a variety of community service activities and opportunities to work on campus. How many children live in each house? How many families live in a house? In the Residential Program, up to six children may live with professional childcare workers in an individual home. A single childcare worker may care for up to four children. The National Home is licensed by the State of Michigan, and licensors determine how many children may live in the home based on the square footage of the house and the number of childcare workers available to provide care. In the Single Parent Family Program, the parent and their dependent children live as a single family unit in a house regardless of the number. Most homes utilized by the Single Parent Family Program house one family. However, there are a few homes on the National Home campus that are conducive to a shared residence, where two single parents, each with one child, may live together in one house with individual bedrooms and shared common living areas. How long do children stay at the National Home? Children residing with their parent in the Single Parent Family Program stay for up to three years. Children in the Residential Program live with professional childcare workers until they graduate from high school, or return to live with family members. Young adults enrolled in post-secondary school or working full-time are also able to remain at the National Home for up to four years through the Aftercare Program. What does the National Home do about health care needs? Children that do not carry health insurance from a family member are provided health care through the National Home’s general fund. The National Home also employs a full-time nurse. These expenses make up a significant portion of the National Home budget. Can you send me a roster of your residents so that I may send birthday cards to the children? Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the National Home has set new standards for the release of personal information about the children and families that reside here. At this time, the National Home does not release a list of names and birth dates of its residents, formerly known as the “birthday roster.” However, the National Home does appreciate the love and care that our supporters feel for the children of the National Home. Any birthday cards sent to the National Home will be posted for public viewing and/or sent to children whose birthdays fall near the receipt of the card. Supporters can also re-direct their birthday card funds to the National Home Children’s Activity Fund, which pays for birthday parties for the residents of the Home. Are the children adoptable? Youth residing in the Residential Program maintain family ties with their grandparents, aunts and uncles or others important to their family of origin. Some may be reunited with their family after a period of time. All residents of the National Home have a living parent or legal guardian who has placed them in our care. Therefore, they are not adoptable. Can we visit our state’s house any time? The National Home always welcomes visitors to our campus. For a complete tour of the National Home’s grounds and buildings, we ask that you contact the Public Relations Department to set up a time. While every attempt will be made to accommodate special requests, we cannot guarantee that visitors will be able to see a specific house that their Department supports at any given time. Where do the children attend school? The children of the National Home attend local public schools. A “School of Choice” system allows students to choose local Eaton Rapids Public Schools, or nearby Leslie, Springport or charter public schools should they find a better educational “fit” elsewhere. Youth are encouraged to participate in school sponsored activities such as sports, student government, band, choir, scouting, etc. A number of National Home residents require special education services or remedial help, and the Home’s education staff works with families and the school system to provide these services. What services, other than housing, are provided by the National Home? Services received by the children and families on the National Home campus include counseling, case management, recreation, education support, vocational training, spiritual growth, child care opportunities, health awareness training, outreach and aftercare services, scholarship assistance and parenting classes. I know of a child or family in need. How can they live at the National Home? Call our toll-free referral line at (800) 851-0238 or fill out our online form to determine eligibility and begin the referral process. What can I do to help the children? The best way to help the children is to help ensure they have a home, which is provided for with unrestricted financial support of the National Home. Unrestricted donations provide for the daily care of the children, including staffing needs, health care, utilities, food, clothing, recreation, education, training and mentoring. Although it is more fun to give toys or a gift designated for a specific use, an unrestricted gift allows the National Home to provide for what is needed when it is needed. Should you wish to help a child in other ways, the National Home has a detailed gift policy designed to treat all children equally. While recognizing the individuality of our children, the gift policy provides for the giving of individual gifts that do not exceed a set amount. Recreation, birthday presents and other incidentals that are very necessary in a child’s life are provided through generous contributions to the Children’s Activity Fund. Where does the money come from to operate the National Home? The VFW National Home for Children is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported solely by contributions from private individuals and organizations. The VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary, the Military Order of the Cootie and its Ladies Auxiliary and individual members are the National Home’s primary source of funding. Life Membership fees are placed in an endowment fund that produces interest to help fund some National Home projects. Traditional gifts of cash, securities and in-kind gifts provide much of the Home’s operating expenditures. Planned giving such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, gifting appreciated assets and other such offerings provide for the Home’s future stability. The National Home actively solicits funds through annual direct mail appeals to individuals and organizations. Other fundraising initiatives, such as annual National Home Awareness Week in March and donations through the Web site and newsletters also help fund the National Home. What is a National Home Life Membership? Anyone can become a Life Member of the National Home. VFW or Ladies Auxiliary members are eligible to become Life Members and non-VFW affiliated individuals are eligible for Associate Life Membership. A one-time fee of $35 is placed in the National Home’s endowment fund. Life Members may vote for candidates hoping to serve on the National Home Board of Trustees (Associate Life Members are not eligible to vote), as well as any Bylaw changes. All Life Members are eligible for souvenir discounts and reduced rates at the National Home Guest Lodge, as well as Lifeline, a bi-annual newsletter. How can I get financial information about the National Home? A complete audited financial statement prepared by an independent auditing firm is sent to each VFW and Ladies Auxiliary Department headquarters annually and is available for viewing there. Life Members and donors to the National Home may also request financial information. Where does the National Home need the most financial help? Donations to the “General Fund” of the National Home are most helpful in supporting the children and families of our nation’s veterans. General fund monies are used where the National Home needs it most, including heating the homes during cold Michigan winters, providing health care to residents, and maintaining a professional staff to manage the program and fundraising efforts at the National Home. When a donor specifies how his/her donation is to be used, that money is restricted and may not be used in any other manner, despite a potential need in other areas of the National Home.