Celebrating Easter at Krause

On Easter Sunday, the gym at the Krause Children’s Center rang out with music, as the youth and adult choirs from the Kainos Community Church performed and celebrated Easter at the Krause Center. The optional service gave many of the Krause kids a chance to learn about the meaning of Easter Sunday.

It was a happy day for staff, visitors, and especially the Krause kids, many of whom asked the visitors to pray for their families, a new foster home and a new beginning. What an amazing Easter Sunday it was, as  16 of the kids signed up to be baptized!

Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and now RED LOBSTER at Krause

Dining at Krause Children’s Center gets better all the time! The “Harvest Program,” a brainchild of the national Food Donation Connection (FDC), links available sources of surplus food to charitable organizations – like Krause Children’s Center. Restaurant operators have discovered that this is a much better way to redirect excess prepared food … to hungry stomachs rather than landfills.

Red Lobster is the newest restaurant to donate to Krause, and they’re sharing everything that’s available on their menu:  shrimp, lobster, fish, scallops, chicken, baked potatoes, cheesecake, and those amazing cheese biscuits. Four Starbucks have been sending more than 200 pastries each week, and Pizza Hut sends around 60 pizzas plus chicken wings.

The Harvest Program saves so much money – the food is all FREE to Krause, and the kids love having quality, wholesome “restaurant food.”  It only makes sense to stop discarding and start donating, and the kids are the grateful and deserving recipients

I entered CPS [Child Protective Services] when I was 9. My mother used drugs and neglected me and my sisters. We barely had any food to eat. I went to live with my grandmother but she was caught with drugs too and I was put into foster care.  I’ve been to several foster homes and placements.  People think of me as dangerous because I have physical and verbal outbursts. These outbursts are what landed me at Krause.  When I told my foster mom that I wanted to kill myself, I ended up here at Krause Children’s Center. I wasn’t being really honest in therapy with Ms. Bekah, my therapist. After about a month at Krause, I refused to participate in any group therapy, thinking that would help me leave sooner. At that time, I gave up on everything.  After about two months I realized they weren’t going to give up on me and Krause wasn’t going to send me away, and I started taking my treatment seriously.  I have a lot of mixed feelings about that but I continue to work my treatment. So now after 8 months at Krause, I’ve learned lots of things like respect, different ways to communicate with others, follow my dreams, think positively about myself, and most importantly I learned to trust. I now enjoy art, playing sports, and card games. I also go to church activities. I believe this placement at Krause is different from the rest. For the first time I know I will succeed in life because of what I’ve learned here. Nothing’s going to stop me now!

  

Mais oui! On Saturday, February 23^rd, the Eiffel Tower sparkled, the artwork by the Krause kids impressed, and our friends and supporters raised more than $155,000 for the Krause Children’s Center. It was the second annualHealing Hearts Gala, “An Evening in Paris,” held at the Julia Ideson Building in downtown Houston. True to the Paris-in-the-20s theme, participants dressed the part, with flappers and beret-wearing bon vivants enjoying a night dedicated to raising funds to support the severely troubled residents of the Krause Center in Katy.

LSS CEO Dr. Kurt Senske lead a successful appeal to fund summer school at Krause, and with this “Gift of Education” the Krause kids will be able to get the educational boost of year-round school– helping them to regain credits needed for graduation.

To the live and silent auction winners, our generous sponsors, and the committee and staff responsible for coordinating this dazzling event, we can only say merci beaucoup!

Click here to view photos from “An Evening in Paris.”

An art gallery showcased student work and many guests were especially drawn to one student’s artwork. When this particular resident – we’ll call him Justin – first came to Krause he was a bit shy and initially kept very much to himself. And then he discovered ART, an entirely new talent. He’d never picked up a paint brush before and now you can’t get him to put one down. His gift is a natural one, and his delight and confidence from this new passion is a wonder to see. Once he found his new identity as an artist, he began gaining respect and admiration from his peers. He’s become a leader, helping others with their art projects, and his healing process has progressed significantly in a short time.  Two of Justin’s paintings are pictured above and below. We are so proud of him!

I arrived on May 14, 2012. I came in shackles and cuffs in a Juvenile Detention van. I came here because on March 21, 2012, I aggravatedly assaulted my mother with a butcher knife. I was a cocaine fiend, a pot-head, and an alcoholic, going through withdrawal. I can remember when the cops came to pick me up, I thought everything was funny, so I continuously smart-talked the cops. Then the radio said “46” and they handcuffed me and took me in. When I got to JDC [Juvenile Detention Center] for weeks I bragged about what I had done. I also bragged about my drug habits, gang relations, and alcoholic habits. I thought I was cool and everything was funny.

Time went by and reality sunk in. My freedom was gone. I had no say in what I could or couldn’t do. I couldn’t see my family or friends. A lot of the other juveniles started to realize this as well, and they turned to God for forgiveness. I was a nonbeliever, so I didn’t.

On April 24, 2012, I was sentenced to Krause Children’s Center. My first thoughts were, “What will it be like?” When I arrived at Krause, everything was foreign and unfamiliar. I came with absolutely nothing, except the clothes on my back. Krause staff immediately got me the things I needed to make me comfortable. I started to meet new kids, but I didn’t talk much, I just isolated myself. When I started therapy, they made a plan to help me with anger management, family therapy, and substance abuse.

As weeks went by and I got to know the children here, we started to grow bonds. I always resented my parents and the people in my life for putting me through physical, mental, and emotional abuse. When I heard the stories of others here, I realized that compared to them, I had been through nothing. I was ungrateful and selfish. During that time was when I realized it was time for a change. I started really working my treatment. There was a lot of rough patches where I wanted to fight and get upset, but I had to stop and think about everything I would and could lose for a little mistake, that I would most likely regret the next day. I had to do my coping skills.

Since being in Krause, I learned to control my anger in positive ways. I also learned to have better respect and attitude towards my parents and peers. I also learned that just because you have problems in life, you don’t have to turn to drugs, because eventually drugs would be the problem you would have to get rid of. In Krause there was always something for me to do that kept me out of trouble. I attended spiritual and therapeutic groups that helped me reconnect to God and myself. They also had recreational activities and events that kept us busy and having fun.

As the time went by, I gained responsibility and trust, which enabled me to be able to do more things. I got to help out at Krause, and volunteered in the kitchen. On probation, I was supposed to be here six to nine months, but on good behavior, I was able to leave after four months and seven days, to reunite with my family.

Going to jail, then Krause, were the best things that ever happened to me. It was life-changing, and changed me inside and out, and helped open my eyes to better opportunities. I appreciate everything I was taught and everything I learned. I now know that I will never take anything else for granted again.

Sondra

On departure day, Sondra slipped a  note (shown below) under my office door. This is why we do what we do here at Krause!

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Decorators worked diligently for two days, and when the Krause kids arrived, the gym had been transformed into a sparkly ballroom filled with balloons, silk chair covers, and table cloths.

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A special reward for those kids whose behavior earned them a “high level” was a LIMO ride to a New Orleans restaurant called Babin’s Seafood House in Katy, all donated by generous supporters.  All of the Krause staff stood outside, sending the festive group off as the limo driver opened the door to welcome each of the kids.

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Not only did volunteers decorate the gym and donate the food and the tuxedos, but we had a seamstress, make-up artist, and hair stylist on board who all converged on the Krause Center to change the lives of the Krause kids for just one special night!

Once the party started, the Krause kids danced, they laughed, they danced some more … and prom night 2012 created some amazing memories they’ll never forget.

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Chicktime partners with local nonprofits to support girls of all ages, exposing the girls to a wide array of creative and fun opportunities, gifts, and talents, so that they can look inside themselves and identify their own. Chicktime leaders help these young women develop their passions and use their gifts to make the world a better place for the next generation.

The first Healing Hearts benefit for Krause Children’s Center was an out-of-Africa experience called “Wild About Krause” held at the Houston Zoo on March 3^rd. While guests were welcomed and entertained by hyperactive chimps, nosy giraffes, and conga drums, the night was really about the children who reside at Krause, the residential treatment center in Katy for abused and troubled children.

In his remarks to guests and supporters, LSS CEO Dr. Kurt Senske answered the question: “Just who are the Krause Kids?” Because most people are curious, or don’t understand, about how children find their way into residential treatment, these remarks are well worth repeating. This is how Dr. Senske summed it up: [below, or see the video]

“Krause is a long-term residential treatment center for both boys and girls, ages 11 to 17. They stay with us an average of 6 to 9 months, and are referred or placed at Krause by Child Protective Services or the Department of Juvenile Justice. Trust me when we say that we would love to go out of business. Sadly, this side of Heaven, I don’t think we ever will.

Currently, there are 29 boys and 28 girls; about 1/3 are Caucasian, 1/3 African-American, and 1/3 Hispanic. What each child has in common is that every one of the Krause kids has been abused – sexually and/or physically.

Only those who have been the most traumatized and severely abused are admitted to Krause.

They come to Krause angry, depressed afraid, and alone. They come fighting, biting, and cursing. There is never a dull moment. A dull moment would be good!

So you can imagine how vigilantly the staff has to supervise and care for them – 24/7/365 – so they won’t hurt themselves or each other. The boys and girls have separate – very separate – dorms. The only time they intermingle is at school.

Along with therapeutic care, spiritual care, and a loving, caring staff, our intensive one-on-one educational system is a game changer and part of the healing process! As you can imagine, virtually all of our Krause Center kids are several grade levels behind educationally. Mandatory attendance at the on-site Trinity Charter School gives them a great opportunity to catch up – gaining lost credits, reaching the appropriate grade level, and establishing confidence, often for the first time, that they can become a success in school.

While at Krause, many of the kids discover talents they didn’t know they had: in music, art, cooking, and sports. They receive daily therapy and services to teach them social and independent living skills, and as they progress in the program are rewarded with outings to prepare them to return to mainstream living – for some it means going home, for some it means foster care, for some a forever adoptive home.

This is why we are here this evening. To give these children a chance that they deserve – an opportunity to give them a new life.”

A resident of Krause then spoke to the crowd about what Krause has meant in his life, and the evening continued with live and silent auctions, music, and even a conga line!

It was a beautiful night at the zoo—a “Wild About Krause” adventure that raised more than $106,000 for the Center and gave participants a deeper understanding of how young hearts can be healed at a special place like Krause.

Andrea Barefield, the lead consultant for The Etiquette School of Texas at Houston led the training with a class custom-tailored for the Krause girls. Coach Barefield emphasizes that “Etiquette is more than using the correct fork, having good posture, and writing thank-you notes. Etiquette is exhibiting self-confidence, poise, and courtesy toward others. As Emily Post famously said, ‘Good manners reflect something from inside – an innate sense of courtesy for others and respect for self.’” Yes, manners do matter, and so does each child!

The specially prepared meal—seasoned chicken breast, rice pilaf, steamed vegetables, cheesecake for dessert—was served by the Girl Scout troop leaders, one course at a time. They pulled out all stops and the training included REAL silverware, REAL china (trimmed in gold), flower centerpieces, red table cloths, and bows on the chairs. The Krause girls looked uniformly lovely in their white glittered t-shirts.

The girls were given disposable cameras to take pictures of the tables, decorations, and staff, and were also rewarded for attending with product packets and Valentine’s Day candy bags.

Coach Barefield was such a hit that we’re going to have her back to work with the Krause staff … and I plan to be the first one in the class!