Valley Mission

Programs

In order to help our residents address the varied issues that led to their homelessness Valley Mission staff seek to develop educational programs and offer a variety of resources that support self-sufficiency.

Garden Program

Paul Wolfe, from Second Presbyterian Church in Staunton has once again begun to work with our Vegetable Garden Program. The garden is located in back of the shelter on the hill of our only green space available.

Last year we had a handful of residents actively engaged in this project which provided some fresh produce to the offerings from our kitchen. This year all residents available to help are required to attend the plantings and be involved in the maintenance and harvesting. Since most of our shelter residents are from the local area where gardening and farming are a way of life, we have found many residents have the knowledge of what needs to be done. Even so, it is of benefit to be actively involved in useful work, and the pride experienced by those who worked last year’s garden was apparent.

We are blessed to have Mr. Wolfe and Second Presbyterian renew their commitment to such a beneficial program.

(A)lways (S)eek (K)nowledge

On Oct. 28, Valley Mission began the first of what we hope will be a series of programs connecting residents with community professionals offering information and guidance. Our first program, "ASK a Nurse," provided one-on-one educational and informational sessions with Jeff Eavey, R.N. Residents referred to Mr. Eavey discussed general health issues, dietary concerns and cold prevention. Mr. Eavey then met with the Valley Mission Case Manager, requesting referrals to appropriate resources for follow-up.

We plan to develop additional ASK programs, which will utilize the expertise of community professionals who are interested in working directly with our residents.

A.S.K. Program  - continued...

Since October of 2009, Valley Mission staff have been working with area professionals to further develop our education/information program that began with "ASK a Nurse."

As previously mentioned, our aim is to link shelter residents with community professionals who can offer information and guidance to remedy and/or prevent problems. The four areas of focus are Health, Financial, Legal, and Nutrition. It is our goal to educate and empower our residents so they are confident in handling their responsibilities as they move out of shelter to independent living.

As part of the Nutrition component Valley Mission will partner with Virginia Cooperative Extension who administers the Smart Choices Nutrition Education Program overseen by Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. This program is geared to teach low-income Virginians how to make healthy and cost-effective food choices.

With the help of Kaye Stiltner, VCE Program Assistant, Valley Mission volunteers will be trained and given resources to teach weekly cooking classes to our residents. Shopping tips, healthy recipes, and food safety will also be taught, as well as monthly educational programs on related topics.

We are very excited by this partnership, and continue to seek other professionals interested in educating and empowering those who come to us for help.

Life Skills Program

Valley Mission Case Manager, Heather Hanlon has recently added a Life Skills Program to the services we provide to our residents. Focused primarily on employment success, this program teaches skills necessary to move toward independent living. The design allows for people of varying strengths. Those with mental disabilities, substance abuse, or life experiences that interfered with the development of these skills will benefit most.

The five topics covered in this course include: Social Skills, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Employment Development, and Budgeting. Taught by Heather twice a week for five weeks, this program is mandatory for all residents not currently employed. Volunteers are being utilized to assist with certain components such as mock interviews and resume writing. A plan is also being developed that will incorporate some volunteers to assist with follow-up education for "graduates" of the initial course.

To date, we’ve had 22 residents complete this program. We will keep you posted on future developments as we are guided by the needs of our residents, always with the goal of assisting them toward long-term self-sufficiency.

G.E.D. Program

This program is offered on-site at Valley Mission, but all Teachers and resources are provided by The Adult Learning Center. This program meets in the dining hall at Valley Mission Tues., Weds., and Thurs. from 8:30a.m. to 11:30a.m.  Any changes to program dates and times can be viewed on our web sites Community Activity Calendar.  Community members as well as residents may attend this program.

Programs in the development stage:

• Coach's Corner
• Nutrition Education
• ASK a Lawyer
• ASK a Banker
• ESL & Remedial Reading