• Donate gently used items that you no longer want and LYDIA will list them on eBay and keep the proceeds. It’s part of our new “Goods4Good” initiative. Items should be in good condition and can include name brand, designer and vintage clothing, shoes and designer handbags; jewelry; silver; and electronics. Unsold items will be given to families and children in need. For more information or to arrange pick up, please contact Sean Durbin at (773) 794-3300 or by . You can drop off items at 4839 W. Irving Park Road (a LYDIA facility). 
• Designate LYDIA as your charity while selling items on eBay, and LYDIA will receive a percentage from your sales through an eBay program called Giving Works. Click on Giving Works from the eBay home page to learn more.
• Register with the search engine GoodSearch.com (and designate LYDIA as your charity). Every time you use GoodSearch, LYDIA will receive a credit of about a penny. If 100 people average just two searches a day for a year, LYDIA will receive about $730.
• Use GoodShop.com to shop online, and LYDIA will receive a percentage of the money you spend (percentages vary). Over a thousand online retailers participate, including Target, iTunes, Travelocity, Amazon and Old Navy. If 100 people purchase $500 in merchandise with an average of 3% donated to LYDIA, the estimated revenue would be $1,500.

Visit LYDIA on Facebook!
LYDIA has a new "fan page" on Facebook, designed to help people connect with the ministry and each other in new ways. As we continue to develop the page, it will keep visitors informed about upcoming events and initiatives, provide links to media stories about LYDIA and tell them more about how LYDIA is changing lives. Find us by searching "LYDIA Home Association," and click on "Become a Fan."

projectMUSIC Hits a Real High Note
projectMUSIC was a big success! The event’s 114 guests enjoyed an inspiring concert by recording artist Angel Taylor and a performance by the Divine Inspiration Dancers (whose members live at LYDIA’s Residential Treatment Center). The event raised $27,000 to cover the cost of camp for kids who live at our Residential Treatment Center.

Many thanks to event organizers Dan and Kim Michelson for pulling everything together so beautifully...to Catered by Design for donating all of the food and catering services...to Catalyst Ranch for donating the event space on a Saturday night...to Aware/Columbia Records for Angel’s transportation and entertainment costs...and to all our volunteers and silent auction donors.

Join Us for Our May Open House
Join us for an informational Open House on Thursday, May 21, which will feature a tour, Q&A time, short testimony from an LUA student and a brief presentation by Dave Anderson. To make your reservation, please contact Erica Postma, Associate Director of Development, by  or (773) 653-2249.

How Does Our Garden Grow?
“The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.”
Dorothy Frances Gurney

Kids who live in our Residential Treatment Center are preparing for spring with an eye toward their gardens, which have become a source of inspiration, recreation, salad fixins, flowers and more! We want to extend a special thanks to Nature’s Perspective Landscaping for providing consultation services at no charge this winter. They developed exciting plans for LYDIA’s grounds and for our vegetable and flower gardens (immediate improvements call for the addition of raspberry bushes and a pumpkin patch).

Volunteers are needed to assist with soil preparation and planting in May. To help, please contact Mel Gonzales by  or (773) 653-2233.

• $5,000 provides one year of tuition for a student at LYDIA Urban Academy.
• $3,000 pays for a mother and her children to participate for one year in our Healthy Families program.
• $1,200 covers the cost for LYDIA to serve one family through Safe Families.
• $500 provides 10 counseling sessions for a family in crisis.

• Serving as a Safe Families volunteer 
• Hosting group activities for kids in the Residential Treatment Center (perfect for small groups or church families) 
• Serving as a church liaison 
• Helping plan our Benefit Gala in December

This is a great opportunity for you to make a difference in the lives of those in need! To learn more, please contact Erica Postma by or call (773) 736-1447, ext. 249.

Lastly, did you know that Safe Families was featured on Chicago’s ABC7 News in January? Reporter Harry Porterfield featured Safe Families as part of his "Someone You Should Know" segment. To watch the clip, click here.

Changing Lives Through Employment
What a difference a year makes. Last spring, Katherine Santos was skipping school to get high with her friends. Today, she is excelling academically at LYDIA Urban Academy (LUA) and working part-time at a real estate office downtown!

Katherine’s job is made possible through a new work-study program at LUA, and it’s motivating her to work toward a career. “I don’t even think about using drugs and alcohol anymore, because that will get in the way of my goals,” she says. “Now I want to go to college and become a first- or second-grade teacher.”

The work-study program is designed to help students just like Katherine gain valuable work experience and also contribute toward the cost of their tuition. We currently have only three placements in Chicago and would like to establish 20 more. Do you, or someone you know, have an entry-level position that could be filled by a LYDIA student? LUA prepares students for employment through a course that emphasizes a strong work ethic and explains the expectations of the business world.

This could be a great opportunity to benefit your company and invest in the life of a student. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Gina Olsen by or call (773) 736-1447, ext. 311. 

Safe Families Continues to Grow
Many thanks to Harvest Bible Chapel, which recently highlighted LYDIA’s Safe Families ministry during services at all four of its campuses! The church leadership has set a goal of recruiting 100 volunteer families, and we are grateful for their partnership.

Safe Families provides parents and children with a safety net of support in the midst of personal crises such as illness and domestic violence. Our more than 270 volunteer families simply take in the children, without any financial compensation, for as long as is needed. That sometimes means just a few days, although some placements last up to a year.

This month, thanks in large part to your financial support, we are launching the ministry in Rockford and Indianapolis. Additional volunteer families are needed to help us meet the demand in these communities and in Chicago. For more information and to learn about training, please  or call (773) 736-1447. To support the ministry financially through our secured, online site, click here. Thank you!

Salem Ranch Horse Auction
Salem Ranch invites you and your family to its Annual Horse Auction on Saturday, April 12! The day’s events include a horse auction featuring Arabians and other breeds, a live auction with hundreds of items, a bake sale, picnic lunch and many other family-oriented activities. All proceeds will benefit Salem Ranch, a boarding school that helps troubled boys through teaching, counseling, Bible study, an equestrian program and vocational training.

Your help is needed to make this event a success! If you have items to donate to the auction, are available to serve as a volunteer or would like to become a financial sponsor, please contact Jo Simmons at (815) 796-4561, ext. 121. Salem Ranch is located in Flanagan, Ill., 30 miles north of Bloomington/Normal and 90 miles south of Chicago.

• $5,000 provides one year of tuition for a student at LYDIA Urban Academy; 
• $3,000 pays for a mother and her children to participate for one year in our Healthy Families program; 
• $1,200 covers the cost for LYDIA to serve one family through Safe Families; 
• And $500 provides 10 counseling sessions for a family in need.

• Table Host: this involves inviting 10 friends to attend the event (tickets are complimentary). We currently have just over half of the 100 table hosts needed.
• Silent Auction Donor: We welcome cash and items to be auctioned, including iPods, spa packages, sports memorabilia, tickets to theater productions, etc.
• Sponsor: You can help us jump start our fundraising efforts with a pre-Banquet gift of $500; $1,000; $2,500; $5,000; or more.

To volunteer or make a donation, please contact Erica Postma, Associate Director of Development, at or (773) 736-1447, ext. 249.

Double Your Generosity Through Our Matching Grant!
LYDIA is pleased to announce that from now until the end of the year, you can double your donation, thanks to a new, $100,000 matching grant, our largest ever! Made possible by the generosity of several LYDIA donors, the grant matches every donation we receive through December 31 dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $100,000! It's a great opportunity for you to maximize the effect your gift has on the children and families LYDIA serves.

Donations are tax deductible and can be made through our secure web site at www.lydiahome.org/matchinggrant or by mail at 4300 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60641. If you are not prepared to give now but would like to do so by year end, please consider an online pledge, which helps us track the effectiveness of our matching grant efforts. Thank you!

• A very successful horse auction at Salem Ranch, which brought in more $70,000. Salem Ranch is our Christian boarding school for troubled boys, and enrollment is currently at 31, a number that exceeds our expectations.
• Generous grants that were recently awarded to LYDIA from the Circle of Service Foundation, HSBC - North America, Polk Bros. Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and W.P. & H.B. White Foundation.
• Our foster care program, which is on target in its efforts to place children in permanent homes, either with an adoptive family or back with a biological parent.
• The 32 families from the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville, Ill., who are interested in becoming Safe Families volunteers.

This month, we’re grieving the loss of a great friend, Ken Randall. Ken lived at LYDIA for many years as a child, and to show his appreciation for the impact LYDIA had on him, spent the rest of his life on our Board of Directors and as a sacrificial supporter. Ken recently went to be with the Lord, leaving behind an incredible heritage. Thanks, Ken.

Please pray with us that:

• Our abstinence education program will receive a significant federal contract this fall, allowing us to expand to more Chicago-area schools.
• We will find a sufficient number of volunteer families to meet the growing demand for our Safe Families program.
• We would find the right foster homes for the boys and girls who remain in our residential program simply because there are no families for them to live with.

Thanks for being part of God’s work here at LYDIA!



Life Change at Camp
“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” — Martin Luther

LYDIA’s Residential Treatment facility is a place where kids heal, but the process is always painful. A change of scenery can be medicine for the soul, as we discovered when LYDIA staff took all 41 residents (ages 7-17) to Covenant Harbor, a Christian camp in Lake Geneva, Wis., during spring break this year.

For three days, kids and staff participated in activities that included a high- and low-ropes course, archery, arts and crafts, hikes and more. Group therapy took place around a bonfire, as staff shared their own stories and taught on biblical themes. Slowly, barriers came down, and kids began to let go of their hurts and pray for their families. On the last night, 17 responded to an altar call and accepted Christ as their Savior.

The experience was so meaningful and life changing for these kids that we’d like to take them again at the end of the summer. But it’s expensive! If you are able to give toward our goal of raising $6,500, please contact Kristin Etter, Development Associate, at or (773) 736-1447, ext. 223. Thank you!


“We got to do a lot of cool stuff that we never did before.” — Shonda, 10

“The staff treated us extra special and gave us a lot of love.” — Anthony, 14

“Do I want to go back to Covenant Harbor? YES!!” — Chantale, 11

The Gala is Coming!
Mark your calendar and plan to attend our 2006 Annual Benefit Gala on December 4. This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Love.”

We need your help to make this event our most successful yet. Please consider:

• Serving as a table host by inviting 10 friends to attend;
• Being an event sponsor by making a gift of $500; $1,000; $2,500; $5,000; $10,000; or more;
• Or donating items or cash for our Silent Auction.

If interested, please contact Erica Postma, Associate Director of Development, at (773) 736-1447, ext. 249 or .

Calling All Cooks!
Plans are underway for a LYDIA Cookbook! It will commemorate LYDIA’s 90th year, raise money for the ministry and share the LYDIA story with people across the country. We hope you will participate by submitting some of your favorite recipes. Recipe submissions in the following categories are welcome:

• Entrees
• Appetizers
• Soups & Salads
• Beverages
• Desserts
• Kid-friendly entrees and desserts

The deadline for submission is July 15, 2006. Please submit recipes in whatever format you prefer, whether photocopied from a recipe card, handwritten on a piece of paper or typed out in an email. All recipes can be sent to Erica Postma, either by email or mail 4300 West Irving Road, Chicago, IL 60641. Questions? Call Erica at (773) 736-1447, ext. 249. Thank you!

The Local Community Connection
Local churches and organizations help spread the word about LYDIA, provide volunteers and contribute financially to the ministry. Would you help us by serving as a liaison to your church or organization? We’ll provide you with the materials you need to share LYDIA’s story, or we can arrange to have a representative from LYDIA speak to your church or group. If you can help, please contact Cindy Loacker, Director of Church and Community Relations, at (773) 736-1447, ext. 304 or

What Your Gift Can Do
When you give to LYDIA, you are making a difference in the lives of children who have been hurt, abused, neglected and — in many cases — taken away from their parents. Your gift is really an investment in their future, and a demonstration of Christ’s love to those in need. Your generosity will make a difference today and for generations to come!

Each year we must raise about $1.2 million to help pay for LYDIA’s many services, including Residential Treatment for the 40-plus children who live at our facility in Chicago. Our fiscal year ends June 30, and we need to bring in $400,000 by that date to meet our budgeted needs. What part will you play in helping us end the year with all bills paid and start the new year strong? We are counting on your generosity!

Many giving options exist, and most provide attractive tax benefits. Please consider:

• Donating cash, whether by mail, phone or our web site, www.lydiahome.org
• Making a gift of appreciated stock or real estate;
• Asking your employer to match your gift to LYDIA;
• And/or including LYDIA in your estate plan, which allows you to leave a legacy to the children of LYDIA.

Questions? Please contact Nancy Good at or (773) 736-1447, ext. 256.