Wesley Center, Inc.

WESLEY CENTER, INC.

406 PHILLIP ~ Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone (402) 379-0133

Contact Information

Executive Director:	Lois Nerem .
Phone:	402.379.0133 .
Fax:	402.644.4749 .
Email:	lochthor@yahoo.com .
Web Site:	.
Address:	406 Phillip Avenue Norfolk NE 68701 .
Business Hours:	Monday — Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. .
Special Program Hours:	Please refer to Programs and Services. .
Other:	The center is available to community groups for meetings.

Agency Description

Mission Statement

The Wesley Center's primary mission is to determine unmet family-related needs in the community and implement a program to meet those needs.

History/Background

The Wesley Center main office is currently located in the First United Methodist Church, 406 Phillip Avenue, Norfolk, NE. Responding to a community need for quality childcare, Wesley Center began its childcare operation in August of 1992. Given the great demand for specialized childcare by families with irregular working hours, the center soon extended its hours to 5:30 a.m. to midnight. The need changed again in 1997 and hours were adjusted to the current 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

In June of 1993 an arson-related fire destroyed the Wesley Center office and did major damage to the church. The childcare program was temporarily relocated to an area school for the summer, and moved back into the First United Methodist Church in August of that year.

Wesley Center and its programs are available to the entire northeast Nebraska area, with referrals and placements mainly focusing on a six-county area. The Center is licensed by the State of Nebraska and the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services, providing care to low-income families as well as private-pay individuals.

Funding

Wesley Center anticipates its funding to be primarily generated from the work of the Wesley Center Foundation. Grants have been and are being applied for on a continuous basis, as well as solicitation of support from corporations and private contributors.

Staff and Volunteers

Trained volunteers from the area colleges as well as the general northeast Nebraska area population are actively involved in the programs providing respite care, supervision on outings, and financial support. Students enrolled in the childcare program at the local college spend a semester of internship time with the children at the childcare facility, giving them the hands-on training required for their course of study. A training agenda appropriate to each specific program (including workshops, videos, shadowing, and CPR training) is required for each volunteer before becoming actively involved with Wesley Center. After employment, each employee is required to have an annual physical and complete 12 hours of updating workshops annually.

Affiliations

Family Resource Center Coalition of Nebraska
Family Support America (formerly Family Resource Coalition of America)

Special Recognition

Nebraska Good Beginnings Community and Program

Nebraska SPRING

Through Nebraska SPRING, the Wesley Center can access the Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC). The PIRC includes the Family Resource Line and access to the Early Childhood Training Center Media Center. The Media Center's numerous and varied materials are available on a free-loan basis. Additional information on these resources is available at Programs and Services.

On-Site Partners

The Wesley Center programs are currently co-located as follows:

Childcare Facility: at the First United Methodist Church, 406 Phillip Avenue
Crisis Nursery: 409 1/2 Phillip Avenue
Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers: 409 1/2 Phillip Avenue
Youth Link +: 409 1/2 Phillip Avenue

Programs & Services

CHILDCARE. Current childcare enrollment includes 150 families averaging 65-70 children per day with a staff of 17 employees. Hours are 5:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

CRISIS NURSERY. In 1995, Wesley Center added an emergency childcare facility for children of families in crisis; i.e., a medical emergency, risk of abuse or neglect, and legal problems. This facility is licensed as a Group Home by the State of Nebraska. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, with children placed by authorities or self-referred. Care is provided for up to thirty (30) days for placed children. Self-referrals are charged a sliding-scale fee. Acceptance of self-referrals and fee are subject to the discretion of the Director according to placement circumstances.

INTERFAITH VOLUNTEER CAREGIVERS. In 1996, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant funded an alliance of congregations, organizations and individuals from the northeast Nebraska area. Individuals were recruited and trained to work with the disabled, frail, ill, impaired or isolated, and the people who care for them. Calling themselves the "Have Tools, Will Travel" group, the caregivers continued their work on a volunteer basis after grant funding expired in 1998. Additional RWJ funding supplemented their program in 1999, with the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers still providing a diverse menu of services; i.e., transportation, errands, painting/yardwork, respite care, shopping, and light housekeeping.

YOUTH LINK +. Begun in July 1998, Youth Link is funded by a Title V Incentive Grant for Local Delinquency Prevention from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The grant was written by FACT (Family Action Community Team) and is overseen by the Wesley Center. During the first two years, the program focused on providing affordable and accessible activities to Norfolk area youth.

Starting in 2000, Youth Link became Youth Link +. The director now works one-on-one with 60 youth, focusing on 40 Developmental Assets. Research shows these assets are the essential building blocks of adolescent development. The more assets a youth possesses, the more likely they are to grow up doing the positive things society values. Our goal is to increase their assets through involvement in our program and the community. We do a comprehensive assessment of each youth entering the program, and periodic assessments thereafter. Through the assessments, we identify each youth's strengths and weaknesses, The director works with each youth to involve them in other community resources and community projects. They are involved in a leadership opportunity by serving on the Youth Advisory Council for Youth Link +.

If you are interested in joining Youth Link + or if you know someone who would benefit from our program, please call us at 402.841.5910. We are always open to new youth with new ideas who would like to join our Youth Advisory Council. Give us a call and check it out.