1. family and parenting
2. children

DONOR RECOGNITION
Hanover Rotary Club helps the children at Hoffman Homes
At their annual luncheon held on November 4, 2014, the Rotary Club of Hanover presented a
$500.00 check to Hoffman Homes. Pictured are Bob “Cork” Troxell, Chair of Community Request
Committee and Lori Hoffmaster, VP of Institutional Giving and Grants. Thank you for your ongoing
support of our mission.
A.B.A.T.E Supports Hoffman Homes
The people who are a part of the organization A.B.A.T. E. really care about our children. In addition
to donating $5,000.00 they also provided a t-shirt for every child in treatment. The event took place
on a cold November Saturday. The cold day did not stop these committed supporters from riding their
motorcycles to Hoffman Homes to deliver happiness to our children. Once the presentations were
made and the gifts handed out they had time to throw the football around with some of the children.
They mingled and even let some of the children sit in/on their motorcycles. A.B.A.T.E stands for
Alliance of Bikers Aimed Towards Education and we are extremely lucky and grateful to have them
support our children. Thank you! Pictured are some of the children in care accepting the check.
A Strathmeyer Christmas for everyone!
Christmas without a Strathmeyer Christmas tree is like…well let's just say boring! Once again Gary
Strathmeyer and his staff donated 3 Christmas trees to help our children and staff celebrate Christmas.
A 16 ft. Douglas fir was placed in the middle of our oval. Two 6 foot trees, one placed in the
Administration lobby and the other one placed at the gazebo area, brought the Christmas spirit to the
children, staff and visitors. Thank you, Gary, for your donation.
Hope
WORDS of
Winter 2015
Hoffman Homes for Youth
IN THIS ISSUE
• CEO Letter - “Evelyn”
• Kids Corner
• Campus News
• Upcoming Events
• In a Donor’s Voice
A Psychiatric Residential Treatment Program for Children
815 Orphanage Road, Littlestown, PA 17340
www.hoffmanhomes.com
Campus News
Letter from the CEO
The Voice of a Donor -
Dear Friends,
Hoffman Homes for Youth
815 Orphanage Road, Littlestown, PA 17340
(717) 359-7148 • www.hoffmanhomes.com
Vision Statement
The vision of Hoffman Homes for Youth is to
be the leading choice for providing innovative
human services to the communities we serve.
Mission Statement
The mission of Hoffman Homes for Youth
is to be committed to promoting personal
growth and achievement of those we serve
through continuous quality improvement,
education, staff development and the use
of evidence-based practices.
Core Values & Guiding Principles
Honesty & Integrity
Safety & Well-being
Dignity & Respect
Commitment to Excellence
These will be achieved in part by following the
seven commitments of the Sanctuary Model.
Helping Children
2014 Statistical Totals
Recently I was thrilled to receive an email from “Evelyn”, a child I
worked with at Hoffman Homes in 1980. She was contacting me to
thank me for everything that Hoffman Homes had done for her,
especially the job training she had received in our dining hall. She
was able to put the skills that she learned in our program to use by
working in a nursing home for over 20 years. She hopes to come
back for a visit in the near future.
Sometimes we forget the lasting impression we can have on the
children in our care, especially since their length of stay with us
has decreased drastically over the years; from 1910 when orphaned
children basically grew up here, to today when children are only with us for an average of 8 months.
As Maya Angelou famously said, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them feel”. Evelyn thanked me because in 1980 we made her feel
that she was a person of value, that her feelings mattered, and that she could grow and change.
Today, through our use of the Sanctuary model, we are still committed to the growth and change of the
children we serve by being emotionally intelligent, by respecting the input of the children and their families,
and through open and honest communication.
So, as much as we believe that many things have changed over the past 35 years, some things (our core
values and purpose) haven't changed much at all.
That's a good thing.
Sincerely,
C. Mitchell Snider, MBA
Chief Executive Officer & President
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KIDS CORNER Interviews with former kids who were treated at Hoffman Homes
Victoria - Age 19
Casey - Age 21
117 Children Admitted
118 Children Discharged
69% of Our Children are Discharged to the Parent
13 Average Age of a Child in Treatment
9.0 Months Average Length in Care
90% of Our Children Admitted Had a Previous
Psychiatric Hospital Placement
44% of Our Children Admitted Made one
or More Serious Attempts at Suicide
26% of Our Children Admitted Were
Sexually Abused Prior to Placement
47% of Our Children Admitted Were
Physically Abused Prior to Placement
94% of Our Children Admitted Had a
History of Aggressive Behavior Prior
to Placement
85% of Our Children Admitted Were Discharged
Having Met Their Treatment Goals
Why did you need the services of
Hoffman Homes?
I came to Hoffman Homes at the age of 14
because no one wanted me. My mom tried to
kill me and her boyfriend put me in a freezer
when I was very young. I experience a lot of
emotional trauma and was in and out of multiple
foster homes. Because of my problems I ran
away a lot. I used to be a self- harmer because
of my issues and family problems.
Why did you need the services of
Hoffman Homes?
I was 16 years old when I came to Hoffman Homes
and I had a lot of behavioral issues. I did not follow
rules and had poor social skills. I would runaway
and became aggressive when I was angry. I did not
like school and would leave class whenever I felt
like it.
What helped you overcome these challenges?
Well if I would have not come to here
(to Hoffman Homes) I would have be dead.
Hoffman Homes saved me. The staff listened
to me and although at first I had problems and
eloped the staff here told me that you cannot
runaway from your issues. So I buckled down
and stopped running away from my problems.
School here was a positive for me as was the
way the therapist and staff treated me. They
made me feel that I was a part of a family.
What helped you overcome these challenges?
After adjusting to the program, I felt I had a support
system to help me cope with my feelings. The staff
cared and attended to my needs. I felt I always had
someone to talk to during difficult times. Therapy
was huge. I learned new coping skills here where
at other places they did not stick with me. I like
school and got straight A's. Here they did. I am
currently going to college to become an Aero-Space
Engineer. I was sure glad of the support Hoffman
Homes gave me and now I can focus on my future.
Mr. and Mrs. Gary and Carol Fleisher. Why do you donate to Hoffman Homes?
Even though when we retired and moved to Sun City Hilton Head in South Carolina eleven years
ago we have annually made contributions to the programs at Hoffman Homes. Our support
started when we were members at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Mechanicsburg. Our
pastor Dr. Thomas Herrold was a member of the Hoffman Home Board for several years. In
addition, Gary was a mentor to a member of the 2001 confirmation class at our church. After that
class visit in 2001 and learning more about the successful programs for the residents at Hoffman
Homes we became even more committed to financially supporting the Home. The statistics that
are reported in the periodical newsletters are an indication of the continued success in helping these residents who are mentally and
many times physically abused. From all indications most if not all the residents will become productive and successful adult
members of our society.
We think so much of the dedicated staff that goes out of their way to help the residents that we will continue to annually support
Hoffman Homes. We have also included Hoffman Homes in our wills to receive a percentage upon our deaths.
It is more blessed to give than to receive
The righteous gives and does not hold back
Jesus, Acts 20:35
Proverbs 21:26
Thanksgiving Rituals
Here at Hoffman Homes children are
exposed to and live in conditions that
emulate a family environment. This is
especially evident during the holiday
season. Thanksgiving and Christmas
are joyous times here at Hoffman
Homes. The children who remain on
our campus are treated to a holiday
family style meal. Tables are set and
food is passed around the table. The
children and staff take a lot pride in
setting the table for the festive meal.
Girls Scouts working on Silver Award
Libby and Molly Heaton and Elizabeth
Heidecker collected and donated 200 books to
the children of Hoffman Homes. This project
enabled them to attain the silver award which is
the second highest achievement award given
by the Girl Scouts. On behalf of the children
THANKS for the books!
Faith UCC of Altoona
Representatives Tour Campus
A Faith Fellowship group form Faith UCC in Altoona,
lead by former board member John Emig, toured our
facility in July, 2014. They were very impressed with
our program and mission to serve children.
Churches take on
Curtain Project
Former Detroit Tiger baseball player/
coach to attend 18th Annual Golf Outing
Mark it on your calendar! The Hoffman Homes
annual golf outing will be held on Monday, June 8,
2015 at the Hanover Country Club. Former
Detroit Tiger baseball star Tom Brookens will be
in attendance. Come out and support our children
and meet Tom.
Tom played and coached for the Tigers from 1979
to 2013. He spent 12 seasons as a major league
infielder for the Tigers, Yankees, and Indians.
Members of Shiloh UCC and Faith UCC, both located in
York, Pa. are showing their support by making and
hanging curtains in the residences. Pictured with the
curtains are Nan Frost and Linda Shissler who are the
coordinators of the project. Susan Ricchito, advisor and
Mona Griest, seamstress are also a part of the team. We
certainly are grateful for their support!