March 19 Heart for the Home to benefit CCHO

For some very special children who have had to deal with trauma of all types in their young lives, the Christian Children’s Home of Ohio offers a safe but structured environment to meet their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs right here in Wayne County.

The organization’s largest fundraising event, the Heart for the Home benefit and auction, which helps to support the children CCHO services throughout the year, will be held March 19 and feature a Cleveland news legend as its guest speaker.

“We started looking for our guest speaker months ago and are thrilled Romona Robinson is available to be a part of this event,” said Dan Franks, director of development at Christian Children’s Home and organizer of Heart for the Home.

Franks also will serve as emcee for the event. “Romona is known for her Emmy-nominated feature, ‘Romona’s Kids,’ and personally understands the importance of organizations like Christian Children’s Home of Ohio. She is also the author of several books that will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting CCHO.”

This year’s benefit and auction will take place March 19 at Greystone Event Center, located at 50 Riffel Road in Wooster. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. In addition to Robinson being showcased, a silent auction will be featured with some items up for bid. Tickets are $35 a person, or a table of eight may be purchased for $250. Online details and tickets can be purchased at www.ccho.org/benefit.

“Christian Children’s Home of Ohio provides a safe, structured environment to meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of children from all across Ohio who have been abused, neglected and traumatized by the people they should be able to trust most,” Franks said. “Children ages 6-18 live in spacious cottages and are provided with therapeutic, social, spiritual and educational opportunities designed to aid the child with the healing process, model for them how a healthy family functions, develop coping and life skills, and help them discover their worth in Christ.”

Funds raised through the Heart for Home event not only go toward the general services CCHO offers its residents, but also additional programs and counseling services available through the facility.

“Beyond our residential services offered on our 165-acre campus north of Wooster, we also provide counseling to the general public through Encompass Christian Counseling and foster care services from Encourage Foster Care,” Franks said. “This event helps to provide for the services at our family of ministries. During the course of the evening, you will hear an inspiring message from Romona Robinson and stories of how children have been positively impacted during their time at CCHO.”

The event actually will begin online on Wednesday, March 9 when bidding will start for auction items. Registration for that is open at www.ccho.org/benefit. The auction will continue until 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, the night of the benefit.

“This is an evening filled with great, amazing auction items and stories of lives that have been changed,” Franks said. “CCHO is a nonprofit agency that depends on the generosity of individuals, churches and businesses to provide the services necessary to bring healing to those who have suffered some of the most severe forms of trauma. While an individual is able to send a donation at any time, special events like the Heart for the Home provide a donor the opportunity to learn more about the organization they are supporting while having some fun and enjoying delicious food.”

At this point there are about 20,000 Ohio children in the foster care system, Franks said.

“These children have suffered various degrees of trauma, and frequently the children who come to CCHO have sadly endured a higher level of trauma,” he said. “The support provided through events like Heart for the Home helps us to provide a safe and loving environment where children can process their pain with highly trained professionals. Typically, children come to us a couple of grade levels behind where they should be at their age. During their time with us, we provide education on campus to help close this gap.”

If someone is unable to attend Heart for the Home but would still like to be involved with CCHO, there are a variety of other ways to help including mentorship opportunities, work groups and sharing professional/life skills with the children there. Visit www.ccho.org to learn more or to learn how to donate monetarily.