Alabama Birthday Wish

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend a birthday party in Montgomery celebrating Alabama's foster children's birthdays. Three children were invited to attend from each county, and my little sisters were representing Lee County. The event was orchestrated  by a new group called Alabama Birthday Wish and their goal was to raise money to give each child in foster care $25.00 for their birthday. 

They had cake, ice cream, inflatable slides, arts and crafts, face painting, a puppet show and a one act play performed by Birmingham's children's theater.  It was fun, but it was REALLY hot.

To start the party, Alabama's first lady Patsy Riley said a few words about how important it is to take care of our foster children. She even teared up while speaking. Then Governor Riley spoke a small bit, and the party began. We were able to meet the governor and take a picture with him, and later I had the opportunity to tell him about BigHouse. He was really supportive and encouraging. To read my mom's account of the afternoon, click here.

We are finally TAX EXEMPT!!

We found out today that the IRS has reviewed our application to become a legal tax exempt non profit. They approved us!!! We were so excited to get the news from our accountant. The truly amazing part is that we were told it could take months, and we got ours back in less than 5 weeks!!! What a God thing. This is just another example of His hand in all of this... nothing man could control- only GOD!

What does having our 501c3 tax exempt status mean? It means we can now accept monetary donations that can be written off on your taxes. This is such a blessing for BigHouse. This status also qualifies us to receive government grant money, corporate donations, and other exciting opportunities. Please prayerfully consider whether you could support BigHouse financially at this time.

We are also starting our awareness campaign this summer, in which we will visit different churches to share what BigHouse is about and ask for their support- financially and spiritually.

If your church is interested in learning more about BigHouse, email us at info@ourbighouse.org.

BigHouse Info Video!!

Our BigHouse Video is done! Check it out!
BigHouse Video
Thanks to Chris Kelsey with Kelsey Creative Media, Jana Calano, Stan and Kelly Cox, and Jan Burke.

the time has come...

tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of my life...

sound overly dramatic? maybe a bit, but tomorrow officially begins my life as BigHouse Director and beyond. For anyone who may not know, I graduated from the University of Alabama on May 9th. I was then blessed enough to go to the beach with friends and Orlando with my husband's family. I spent this weekend reading Harry Potter, taking naps (pathetic I know), and cooking out with friends for Memorial Day. Basically, I gave myself 2 weeks off to relax, chill, have no school/no stress and genuinely be a lazy bum. It was really hard. I have always wanted to have nothing to do but of course once I finally got it I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. I have found I need structure, a bit of stress, and a lot of work to do to get anything done.

This is why I am ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the beginning of "Hi, I'm Micah Melnick, Director of BigHouse".

I know this probably sounds stupid, especially since I have been "doing" BigHouse stuff since November, but I really have not felt comfortable saying those words yet. I have always felt like that was another part of my life that would begin later... After I graduated or something. Well... I am finally ready to say those words and know they are true! I gotta admit I am really excited about this.

I am going to try and commit myself to blogging about this phase of BigHouse more. People are always telling me I should journal about these beginning days of BigHouse. Well I hate to journal. I can't seem to write to myself... it kinda makes me feel crazy. Blogging however, allows me to at least pretend like others would read this, and I don't feel quite as loony while writing it.

Ok so back to BigHouse. As of tomorrow, it will be my almost full time job (I have three more weeks of working part time at the job I have had all through college.) Then, after June 18th, BigHouse will be my full time job. This is very exciting and very intimidating and scary. I feel prepared to interact with the kids and come up with cool things for them to do, but I have little experience running an organization. I was a double major in art and human development... i mean really...

Thankfully, I have some really awesome people helping me along the way. Our BigHouse board has been awesome at helping me know what to do and how to do it so far. I have to give a HUGE shout out to Jana Burns Calano- quite possibly the most driven person I know. She is brilliant and such a blessing. It is no coincidence she and her husband Mike(equally as awesome) are on our board- God totally knew what he was doing. Our family and friends have also been incredibly supportive and encouraging. I appreciate their guidance more than they will ever realize. Of course, Blake (my husband) has been more incredible in this endeavor than I thought any spouse could be. From the moment I began talking to him about the idea of helping foster children, he has been 100% on board. He has listened to me, encouraged me, and even challenged me to think bigger. We share the dream of BigHouse, which makes it so much easier than going it alone. I love to hear him share a new idea he has about BigHouse. His hard work and dedication have made it possible for me to pursue my dream full time. What a gift!

This week not only marks a beginning to my new career, it will also be the first time we have a BigHouse sponsored "event". BigHouse volunteers and I will be providing childcare for the Foster Parent Appreciation, hosted by DHR. I have finally been able to email some of the people who have contacted me and said they want to help with BigHouse, and give them an opportunity! This is our first official interaction with the foster parents and children. I am really excited. We will begin building relationships with the parents, the kids, and the volunteers on Thursday! This will be the first event of the summer and we are already working out details for other events for the whole family.

Ok, so that is just a bit of what is in my head now on paper... or the internet...

MAY is National Foster Care Awareness Month! I wanted to share some statistics about the foster care system. These are national statistics from fostercaremonth.org.

National Facts About Children in Foster Care

Total Population: 513,000 children were in the U.S. foster care system on September 30, 2005. Most children are placed temporarily in foster care due to parental abuse or neglect. Age: Average Age: 10.0 years 6% <> 26% 1-5 years 20% 6-10 years 28% 11-15 years 18% 16-18 years 2% >19 years Gender: Male 52% Female 48% Race and Ethnicity: As a percentage, there are more children of color in the foster care system than in the general U.S. population. However, child abuse and neglect occur at about the same rate in all racial/ethnic groups. Race/Ethnicity In out-of-home care In general population Black (non-Hispanic) 32% 15% White (non-Hispanic) 41% 61% Hispanic 18% 17% Am. Indian/Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 2% 1% Asian/Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 1% 3% Unknown 2% N/A 2 or More Races (non-Hispanic) 3% 4% Length of Stay For the children in foster care on September 30, 2005, the average amount of time they had been in the system was 28.6 months. Half of those leaving care that year had been away from home for a year or longer. 54% of the young people leaving the system were reunified with their birth parents or primary caregivers. Foster Homes In 2004, there was a total of 153,000 licensed/certified/approved kinship and non-relative foster homes nationwide. In 2005, 24% of youth living foster care were residing with their relatives. Adoptions In 2005, 60% of adopted children were adopted by their foster parent(s). The "foster parent" category excludes anyone identified as a relative of the child. 25% of children adopted in FY 2005 were adopted by a relative. A "relative" includes a step-parent or other relative of the child. Siblings and Extended Families Over 2 million American children live with grandparents or other relatives because their parents cannot care for them. When relatives provide foster care (known as kinship care), siblings can often stay together. Kinship care also improves stability by keeping displaced children closer to their extended families, their neighborhoods, and their schools. Youth in Transition Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people "age out" of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Several foster care alumni studies show that without a lifelong connection to a caring adult, these older youth are often left vulnerable to a host of adverse situations: Outcomes National Regional or Local Earned a high school diploma 54% 50% - 63% Obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher 2% 2% Became a parent 84% 42% Were unemployed 51% 30% Had no health insurance 30% 29% Had been homeless 25% 36% Were receiving public assistance 30% 26%

During May, we especially want to thank our Foster Parents who have given their lives to take care of these children. They are truly the hands and feet of Christ and are living James 1:27 every day. The service they provide for our community is immeasurable! If you know a foster parent, tell them thank you, give them a hug, or even better, babysit for them or do their laundry!!! Find a way to appreciate the incredibly hard job they do day in and day out!!

We also want to thank our Social Workers, Teachers, Therapists, Judges, Lawyers, and other professionals in social services for the hard work they do every day to help foster children. It truly does take a village to raise a child!!!

Update on Swimsuit Drive:

We are still collecting new swimsuits and beach towels through May. We really need more towels, so if you would still like to contribute, please consider donating a towel! All the towels will be monogrammed with the child's name!

Panel Discussion

Blake and I were invited to speak to a new group of foster parents at a panel discussion Monday night. It was really encouraging to see people going through training to become foster parents. I think there were at least 7 new homes represented at this meeting. We were really excited to share with these future foster families about BigHouse. They were all very receptive to us and encouraged that someone will be taking care of them as they take care of foster children. Our hope is that BigHouse will encourage more people to get involved in foster care, and that our community will support these families in every way possible. Thanks to Allison at DHR for inviting us!

Also, we interviewed yesterday with a writer for The Crimson White, our university's newspaper. It went really well and we are so excited to share our story with our school. I'm not sure when the article will be published, but I will link it to our blog!

Clothes Closet Swimsuit Drive!

The BigHouse Clothes Closet is sponsoring a swimsuit drive this spring! We will be collecting new children's swimsuits and beach towels for our BigHouse kids. We are collecting boys and girls swimsuits in all sizes.

Please help us provide a summer necessity to the foster children of Lee County. We will be collecting swimsuits through the end of May.

In Opelika, please drop off donations at our clothes closet, 221 S. 8th St., Opelika, AL 36801.
On the University of Alabama's campus, you can drop off donations at the Wesley Foundation, 505 9th St., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at director@ourbighouse.org.

-micah

Yesterday, the UA Department of Art and Art History, along with a couple other groups on campus, had Victoria Rowell, dancer, actress and author, come and give a lecture as a part of the Paul R. Jones Lecture Series.(more on who Paul R. Jones shortly). Victoria is also A FORMER FOSTER CHILD, and an incredible advocate for foster care and adoption. When I recieved an email stating she was coming to Alabama, I nearly fell out of my chair. I was so excited to hear her speak and I was hoping I might get to at least say hello! I emailed my art history professor, Dr. Amaki, who happened to be in charge of this lecture, and asked if I could possibly meet Victoria and share with her what we are doing with BigHouse. Next thing I know, Blake and I are at a private Luncheon with Victoria and Paul R. Jones, as well as some other professors and administrators at Alabama. What an incredible honor! We introduced ourselves to her, and when I finished telling her about my family and BigHouse, she gave me a hug! I haven't met many "celebrities", but she has to be the most down to earth, gracious celebrity there is. I gave her a brochure and my business card(which I proudly designed myself!). She signed my copy of her book(which is incredible and you should all read it!) and gave me her personal card!!! How awesome! Before we left, we also got an opportunity to talk to Paul R. Jones, who is probably in his 80's, but doesn't miss a beat. He recently gave UA a collection of art worth 4.5 million dollars. We told him who we were and a little about BigHouse, to which he replied "I'll have to come down and visit ya'll sometime, Opelika is not far from Atlanta at all." uh-OK! We told him to come anytime he wants to!

After we left the luncheon, I was so excited that we got to meet her and give her our card. I was just hoping that God would use that in the future, reminding her somehow of that couple she met at Alabama who had a big dream. Well, God is a much bigger dreamer than I am, and I know He has much bigger dreams for BigHouse than I can even fathom.

Monday evening, I went early to work the book table before Victoria's Lecture. I was just helping Dr, Amaki and paying my "dues" for getting such an awesome opportunity earlier in the day. I had already decided I was going to get a few more copies of her book for my mom and BigHouse, and I told Dr. Amaki I wanted to go ahead and buy them before so I could have her sign them afterward. She said I should go with her to the reception room where Victoria was and go ahead and have them signed. Well, ok, that would be great! Right before we walked back to the reception, my friend Lauren walked up to the table and bought a book. I asked Dr. Amaki if she could come get her copy signed too, and she said sure. We walked into the reception, and there were about 5 people waiting to get a book signed by Victoria. When it was our turn, Victoria said "Hey, I have all your info you gave me in my briefcase :)". I was just glad she recognized me from earlier. I don't really remember what happened next, but Lauren and I talked to her about BigHouse for at least 10 minutes. She asked us tons of questions, and she seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing. Then she said she wanted to come back to Alabama for a week in the fall, and she wanted to work it out to come to Opelika and help us with BigHouse- I nearly hit the floor...
She even mentioned BigHouse in her speech!

The whole day was just a GOD-THING. It is so clear He had His hands in it... At the end of the night, when I was recapping my exciting experience of the whole process of BigHouse with Dr, Amaki, she said "God is all in this thing... I don't wanna even know what kinda stuff ya'll are gonna be doing in 5 years!" Well, I am pretty sure I couldn't even dream it up!!!

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."Eph. 3:20-21

Building a DREAM!!!

We hosted a group from UA's Wesley Foundation over spring break. They worked on the house, re-vamped the clothes closet, and had a kids camp. The week was incredible. Thanks for all the prayers! There are some photos from the week above. We got tons of work done! We also had the opportunity to introduce the students to foster families in Opelika. Meeting the families and playing with the kids was a great experience for our group. They were able to see first hand the families their contribution to BigHouse would help.

Hannah Sewell led worship each night with Seth and Matthan Brown, and we had speakers from our community as well. A big thanks to Stan and Kelly Cox and Michael and Angie Brown for being INCREDIBLE all week. They helped with food, speakers, work on the house, and talking to the students about their lives as foster parents. Also, a huge thanks to Alexia Frazier and Kathy Ward for providing us dinner and sharing their own insight into foster families. The Fraziers have fostered OVER 500 children!!! We were also thankful to have the support of Lee County DHR! Thanks to all the directors and social workers who came to the cook-out and to see the house. Jan Burke, Carolyn Hunter, Sheila Godfrey, Yolanda Ratchford, Allison Foster, and many others who came to support BigHouse. We are really proud that they want to help us!

We are also excited to work closely in the future with Shane Kyles and The Way ministries. He came and shared his experience with our group, and his vision for helping those in the Lee County area.

Many others contributed to our trip by providing meals for the group. Michael and Ellen Melnick, Jill Long, Denise Hankins, Leann Tyer, Tiffany Cook and her Sunday School Class, and the Foster Parent Association. Others who helped make this trip possible are Jeff and Lisa Skinner, Jason and Lisa Smith, Susan Rudd, Pam Coxwell, Terri Neighbors, and Britney Finley. A special thanks to the Confirmation class at First United Methodist Church in Opelika for volunteering to help at our clothes closet during their spring break! Tim Gore and Victory Designs, we LOVE our T-shirts, and will hopefully be needing many more in the future! A big thank you to Opelika High School, for allowing use of their gym floor to sleep on, as well as First Baptist Church for letting us use their youth building each night! 

I would also like to thank others who helped us working on the house! Roger Broom, Megan and Adam Dimon, and Kara Leigh Pritchard all came and pitched in during the week. Billy Smith, a professional painter, not only volunteered his knowledge and expertise to help us with the painting, he spent many hours that week at the house stripping doors and molding. A big thanks to all of them!

I am also incredibly grateful to our friends at the Wesley Foundation! They gave up a relaxing spring break to come and work at BigHouse. They are so supportive of our dream, and it is clear through their actions! Thank you all for believing in us and wanting to be a part of it! 

Spring Break is coming soon!

Wow- I can't believe it is almost March!  We will have a group from the Wesley Foundation at the University of Alabama coming to help with the renovations during their spring break.  I am really excited to share the dream God gave us with so many of our friends. 

During the week, we will have worship each night and a speaker. Please pray that God will use this time to really speak to our group. Our goal is to strengthen the relationships our group has with each other and the Lord. Our "theme" for the week is about realizing and building our God-given dreams.  We greatly appreciate our friends giving up their spring break to help us realize our God-given dream.  

We are focusing on Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever, Amen." 

What a powerful verse! How appropriate for BigHouse and spring break. I love that He can do more than we even imagine, because, it seems so often we put Him in a box.  Honestly, three months ago I could not imagine the plan God had for BigHouse; I was hoping to find a hole in the wall office where I could collect some clothes and donations and help a few families. He had much greater plans- Plans for BigHouse to have a BIG HOUSE, where children can feel safe, loved, and comfortable. A place for foster families to receive support; physically, financially, and especially emotionally. Wow- God had much bigger plans!  And just as Paul told the Ephesians, TO HIM BE THE GLORY!

Pictures of the future BigHouse

This is the future BigHouse! Just a couple pics of the before! We can't wait to upload the after pics!

BigHouse has a BIG HOUSE!!!

Wow, alot has happened since June.  BigHouse is now an official organization!  We are working with our accountant to get our 501c3 tax status for non profits.  We hope to get this status later this year, the process takes around 6 months.  We are also working with the owners of the historic Frederick house in Opelika.  The house was moved from downtown Opelika to Andrews Rd. 8 years ago, and has been empty since.  The house was vandalized, so we are currently working to restore the house and prepare it to be the new home to BigHouse.  We will have workdays many Saturdays this spring.  Let us know if you would like to help clean, paint, do yardwork, etc.  

Our goal is to be up and running by August, so we can start our after-school programs with the new school year.  We want to offer tutoring, as well as art, dance, music, drama, and sports lessons.  We will need many volunteers so if you are interested in being involved please let us know!  We will also have opportunities to volunteer on a monthly basis too!

Thanks for reading our blog! We will try to update it more often than every six months!!! 

Keep us in your prayers! 

 

blake and micah