Newsletter Correction re: YMCA, Boys and Girls' Club and Reilly C. Bush Foundation

In our recent newsletter, we included an article about support from the Reilly C. Bush Foundation to help the children at Spring Valley. The Foundation provides funds for extracurricular activities the children would not otherwise be able to participate in. Unfortunately, in the list of activities/programs cited as examples where the funds have helped, memberships at the Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCA were included. Thankfully, both of these organizations provide direct assistance to our families in order for them to enjoy all both have to offer - kids and, in the case of the YMCA, adults, too.

This provides structured, healthy opportunities for our participants and allows the Bush Foundation contribution to help fulfill even more children's needs. We apologize for any confusion or misrepresentation of support we receive from donors or other organizations.

Memorial Opera House Show to Benefit CCA's Storm Recovery Efforts

The Memorial Opera House’s October 4 performance of the Broadway musical, On the Town will help Christian Community Action’s efforts to repair and rebuild their basement that experienced major storm damage as a result of the storms over the September 13-14 weekend.  “This is where our clients take computer classes, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is offered, and more.  This is also where our children play and learn.  As a result of the water damage, everything that touched the floor is a total loss.  Basement walls and floors need to be replaced and we have limited insurance to cover the tremendous costs.  We are very appreciative of community partners like Memorial Opera House for helping us during such a challenging time.” 

Memorial Opera House will be donating a portion of the ticket price to the CCA for the Saturday, October 4 performance of the Broadway musical On the Town.  On the Town is the tale of three sailors on a 24-hour leave from their ship docked in this fabulous city. Memorable musical numbers include Come Up to My Place, Lucky to Be Me, Some Other Time and New York, New York. It's an uplifting, fun show with energy and verve.  You can purchase tickets online at www.mohlive.com or by calling 548.9137. “We will also be accepting monetary donations and having a food drive to benefit the local food pantries throughout the month as well. Christian Community Action is part of the great dynamics of our community and it is essential to support their undying efforts to help those less fortunate,” says Faith Jones, Sales Coordinator for the Memorial Opera House,

The best way to help Spring Valley Shelter is by making a donation payable to:  Christian Community Action, 2001 Calumet Avenue, Valparaiso, IN  46383 OR donating online at www.ccatransforms.org.  Financial contributions are the most useful form of assistance because it provides funds to meet the immediate needs of material replacement and the associated labor.  There will be a need for volunteers and in kind donations in the near future.

SPRING VALLEY HOMELESS SHELTER'S BASEMENT HAS MAJOR WATER DAMAGE: 
Essential Services Disrupted

Record rains over the weekend resulted in storm water damage to the basement at the Spring Valley Homeless Shelter.  The Spring Valley basement houses our children's educational programs, the multipurpose room where children are tutored, etc., a kitchen and storage.  This is where our clients take computer classes, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is offered, and more.  This is also where our children play and learn.  As a result of the water damage, everything that touched the floor is a total loss which may include our HVAC system and two new water heaters that supply our offices and a third of our apartments.  There is also the loss of future programming to offer child care while parents work or attend class.  That program expansion will now have to be put on the backburner. 

Basement walls and floors will need to be replaced and many of our residents continue to be without hot water. (Update: as of 4pm, Sept. 16 all hot water is back on) We do not know the full extent of the damage at this time and while we do have insurance coverage, there is a cap on it. 

Here are some images from Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we had a sustained 6" inches of water until is began to recede in the late morning. By late afternoon, all but a few low-spot puddles remained.

Just before the crew arrived to begin the decontamination process on Sunday morning at 10:45a, we lost the battle of equalization again and water began pouring into the basement again from drains and sewer access. The sump pumps, again, couldn't provide enough pressure to get water out. Tudor Services used sand bags on drains, sinks and toilets to stem the tide as we watched parking lots and Calumet Ave. overflow.

The best way to help Spring Valley Shelter is by making a donation payable to:  Christian Community Action, 2001 Calumet Avenue, Valparaiso, IN  46383 OR donating online.  Financial contributions are the most useful form of assistance because it provides us with the funds to meet the immediate needs of material replacement and the associated labor.  There will be a need for volunteers and in kind donations in the near future.

Clean-up Begins:

Monday and Tuesday, crews from Tudor Services began the long, painful process of cleaning out the basement. Hundreds of items were lost due to their exposure or proximity to the sewage water in the basement. Additionally, crews began cutting out 2' of drywall from walls as it has soaked up the contaminated water. Hours of volunteers' time hanging, painting, decorating and furnishing the lower level has been lost. The uniquely Girl Scout, designed Children's Enrichment rooms and Eagle Scout project tables were victims of the damage.

1,000 Days - 1,000 Lives Transformed Campaign Launched

August 19, Christian Community Action kicked off a new era with the unveiling of a new brand featuring a new logo, purpose and purpose statement. In conjunction with this announcement was the launch of the 1,000 Days – 1,000 Lives Transformed Campaign.

CCA’s new logo features a dove taking flight from a hand, representing our new purpose – Transforming Lives, Ending Homelessness in Porter County. CCA provides a safe haven for individuals and families to build solid foundations through education, counseling and support to motivate and empower them to become productive economic and community contributors.

Christian Community Action is entering a new era in its 44 year history. During the last 2 years, CCA quadrupled our capacity to serve, we have tripled our physical property and doubled our operating budget to meet these needs. CCA has grown more in the last two years than in its previous history.

During this growth, much has changed in how we provide our services, our funding sources, our funding needs and, more importantly, the challenges and needs of our clients.

In consecutive months, CCA has set new records for intakes – the term for a completed application from a household seeking assistance. In May, more than 90 households completed intakes for either shelter or emergency assistance. In July, the requests increased 60% with 153 households (3-5 person per household average) seeking assistance – 109 for our residential program, Spring Valley and another 44 households who sought Emergency Assistance. (Read More)

New Executive Director Named for CCA

Christian Community Action’s Board of Directors has appointed RG Skadberg as the new CCA Executive Director. He moves from CCA Director of Resource Development, a position he has held since December, 2006 and one which he will immediately be looking to fill.

Board President, Tracy Ruiz, is pleased to have the process completed with a leader who will help set the new vision for CCA.

“There have been substantial changes at CCA this past year. We have new program needs, new personnel and an increase in the number of people seeking help. RG has been working with our staff and Board to develop the vision to move the agency forward to serve our community and those seeking assistance.”

“This is a wonderful organization and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with the team that is committed to the mission and vision of CCA,” expressed Skadberg. “We face new challenges – as do the individuals, families and communities we serve – and we are setting a new vision and role for CCA in Porter County and The Region as a whole. During the last several months, we have developed a new brand, image and direction for CCA. We have a great team, and we are focusing upon exciting ways to serve our clients and our stakeholders.” (Read More)