Daily life for teens at Project Patch is filled with many things, including school, counseling, chores, worship, sports, and recreation. The primary focus of all these activities is structure and healing relationships – things that many of our teens did not have pre-Patch.
Study upon study, conducted by the US Department of Education to the National Institute on Health to the Center for Disease Control, talk about the need for a “consistent,” “secure,” and “predictable” environment for the well-being of all children, but especially those in crisis. This, in the form of structure and routines, is exactly what the staff aims to provide at Patch and what Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), which we are currently implementing into our youth program, refers to as part of the empowering principle. By creating this safe, secure, and predictable environment, our teens are able to focus on the issues that brought them to Patch in the first place.
Take a look at what a typical week might look like for the teens at Patch:
Monday through Thursday follow a very structured schedule (see above).
Friday and Sunday are a little more relaxed. This allows for extra study time, longer work projects, community service, or recreation.
Saturday tends to be the favorite day of the week. Consequences are lifted to honor the Sabbath and to provide a day of grace. Everyone gets to sleep a little later and enjoy a later breakfast, only do essential work like meal prep and clean-up, attend teen-oriented church services focused on spiritual growth, spend the afternoon relaxing with games and other activities, and have a special dinner.
So, while the weekends are not structured like the weekdays, they are still predictable and consistent, helping create the safe and secure environment necessary for our teens to heal.
CAMPUS CHORES might include projects such as shoveling snow, stacking firewood, pulling weeds,raking, mowing, watering plants, sweeping sidewalks.
ROOM CHORES include duties such as making beds, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, dusting.
EVENING ROUTINE: * Worship is an important part of our evening routine. It has been said that ending your day with prayer is powerful. It is a way to relax, let go of anxiety, and find peace before falling asleep.
** DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Cards are a time for each client to individually reflect on how the day went. They score how their emotions (ie. joy, fear, anger, sadness) were for the day. They also record any of the DBT skills they used, which might include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, or interpersonal effectiveness. This information allows the therapists and staff to address issues as they arise.
*** Lights Out times range from 8:30 to 10:00, depending on if the teen is new to the program and if they have earned the privilege of staying up later. Studies have shown the importance of getting enough sleep and for teens 13-18, 8 to 10 hours a night is recommended. The NIH states that “sleep plays a vital role in good health” and that not getting enough can affect “how well they think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.” While the CDC adds that “Students who get enough sleep have fewer attention and behavior problems.” Therefore, while at Patch, we ensure our teens consistently get enough rest at night in order to heal during the day.
Counseling GroupsSchoolLunch Clean UpLunchPEFree Time
Arguing, lying, disrespect – these are typical complaints when parents at their wits’ end bring their teens to Project Patch. This was no different when Tyson Adams brought his 13-year-old son, Isaac. He had tried the physical discipline, uncompromising rules, and parental dominance he was raised with, but none worked with Isaac. Things had gotten so bad – no trust, no respect, no communication. They were both miserable.
When Tyson dropped Isaac off at Patch, he experienced mixed emotions of guilt and relief. He felt guilty that he had failed as a parent, yet relieved that Isaac was now Patch’s problem. And while he was wrong to think that he could just drop Isaac off and pick him up when he was fixed, which he likened to taking his car to the mechanic, he was correct in recognizing what a “very great investment in time, money, and emotions” it would be.
A person always has to be bad at something before they can be good. . . if you let losing over and over again make you quit, then you can never be good at something. – Isaac
During Isaac’s year at Patch, he was not the only one learning, growing, and changing. For Isaac, besides learning a variety of healthy hobbies (chess, sports, and fishing) that he enjoys to this day, he learned “to accept that I’m the only person that can change me.” He was done looking for “validation from his so-called friends” and was focused on personal growth. Meanwhile, Tyson spent the time learning a better way to parent and recognizing that “it takes two to have a healthy relationship, and I was equally at fault.”
Isaac his dad NOW
Be better so that they will do better. Respect given means respect returned. – Tyson
When Isaac graduated from Patch, the work didn’t end for him or his dad. Tyson recognized that putting Isaac back in the home environment that damaged him would be “like putting a drunk back in a bar.” As such, Isaac moved to a Christian Academy, he and his dad continued their counseling together, and ultimately “built a very open and loving friendship,” according to Tyson. Today, Isaac is willing to share who he used to be and offers guidance to younger kids, saying that “the key is to not let your younger self hold you back from who you want to be.”
Fortunately, life is not miserable for them anymore. Isaac wants to work at Patch, still believes the chess life lesson that “one move can mess everything up,” and would advise struggling teens to “be willing to change for yourself.” Tyson is no longer at his wits’ end and would remind parents that “your child imitates you. If you want them to be an honorable, decent person, you must be the example.” Clearly, they both have followed their own advice!
YOUTH PROGRAM HAPPENINGS
Skiing with the BoysWildlife with the BoysSnowboarding with the GirlsSleigh Ride with the Girls
DENIM & DIAMONDS FOR PROJECT PATCH
Layne her dad Jason
Project Patch is the fortunate recipient of many donations – from longtime church supporters, thankful family members of past clients, or individuals with big hearts that just see the enormous need. But an extra special donation was recently received from Layne VanDyk, a local Garden Valley High School student. Layne chose Project Patch as the beneficiary of the funds she raised from her Senior Project – a father-daughter dance with a “Denim & Diamonds” theme. Here is what Layne had to say about the event:
For my senior project, I chose to put together an Elementary Father-Daughter Dance. I chose this as my project because it is an event that created some of my fondest memories as a kid. I wanted to do something that could bring the community together for a night. By doing this dance I was able to start up a tradition that had been lost for far too long. Most importantly, I was able to donate to a local cause that I hold near and dear to my heart, Project Patch. I was raised in the walls of its foundation as generations of my family and close family friends were brought together by working there. All 430 dollars I raised from the dance and dinner were donated to Patch for girls’ dorm activities. This surpassed my goals and expectations. The community’s support was amazing, and we all hope that the torch is passed along and that this dance becomes an annual event.
Thank You, Layne, for supporting Project Patch in such a special way!
Giving Day is a 24-hour online event designed to empower every person to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about.
This year we are designating funds raised to Sports & Recreation for our teens!
Help us beat the $6,835 raised last year during the 24-hour event thanks to 23 donors and a generous $2,500 match!
Please consider donating and sharing • • MAY 3RD to MAY 4TH starting at 9am PT/10am MT • •
I like cookies and learned how to make them when I was young. It always amazes me that ingredients that don’t taste that good on their own (except chocolate chips) can be combined to create an amazing cookie.
This issue of our newsletter is a bit like a recipe. We give you a chance to peak behind the curtain at some of the things we do at Patch. Yet the ingredients are nothing compared to when you combine them and allow the baking process to do its magic.
What are the key ingredients at Patch? We are purposeful in using our time, combining individual and group therapy, school, worship, work projects, play, community service, and rest. We strive for a positive environment that focuses on relationship-building and mentoring. Meanwhile, parents do their own work preparing for their child’s return by attending family counseling and parent weekends.
At Patch, there is another ingredient. The faithful support of donors across the country is what makes this work possible. With it, we can provide transforming care for teens whose families could never afford the full cost. The prayers of desperate parents who need help reaching their teens are answered thanks to you.
Project Patch exists because of the love and generosity of others. Knowing others care and are working alongside us encourages our staff and reminds our teens that their lives matter and are valued.
If you aren’t financially supporting this critical work, consider the difference you can make with a small recurring gift. Get started at www.projectpatch.org/donate
PROJECT PATCH WISH LIST
For those who prefer to give toward a specific project, the following list contains items that are needed, yet are not a part of the operating budget. Please make sure to note on your gift if you would like it designated for a specific Wish List item or the highest need Wish List item. If the item has already been purchased, we will contact you for further instructions.
To donate via credit card: please call our office at 360-690-8495 or use the button below To donate via check: please mail to Project Patch, PO Box 820209, Vancouver WA 98682
PatchWorks Spring 2023
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Daily life for teens at Project Patch is filled with many things, including school, counseling, chores, worship, sports, and recreation. The primary focus of all these activities is structure and healing relationships – things that many of our teens did not have pre-Patch.
Study upon study, conducted by the US Department of Education to the National Institute on Health to the Center for Disease Control, talk about the need for a “consistent,” “secure,” and “predictable” environment for the well-being of all children, but especially those in crisis. This, in the form of structure and routines, is exactly what the staff aims to provide at Patch and what Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), which we are currently implementing into our youth program, refers to as part of the empowering principle. By creating this safe, secure, and predictable environment, our teens are able to focus on the issues that brought them to Patch in the first place.
Take a look at what a typical week might look like for the teens at Patch:
Monday through Thursday follow a very structured schedule (see above).
Friday and Sunday are a little more relaxed. This allows for extra study time, longer work projects, community service, or recreation.
Saturday tends to be the favorite day of the week. Consequences are lifted to honor the Sabbath and to provide a day of grace. Everyone gets to sleep a little later and enjoy a later breakfast, only do essential work like meal prep and clean-up, attend teen-oriented church services focused on spiritual growth, spend the afternoon relaxing with games and other activities, and have a special dinner.
So, while the weekends are not structured like the weekdays, they are still predictable and consistent, helping create the safe and secure environment necessary for our teens to heal.
CAMPUS CHORES might include projects such as shoveling snow, stacking firewood, pulling weeds, raking, mowing, watering plants, sweeping sidewalks.
ROOM CHORES include duties such as making beds, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, dusting.
EVENING ROUTINE:
* Worship is an important part of our evening routine. It has been said that ending your day with prayer is powerful. It is a way to relax, let go of anxiety, and find peace before falling asleep.
** DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) Cards are a time for each client to individually reflect on how the day went. They score how their emotions (ie. joy, fear, anger, sadness) were for the day. They also record any of the DBT skills they used, which might include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, or interpersonal effectiveness. This information allows the therapists and staff to address issues as they arise.
*** Lights Out times range from 8:30 to 10:00, depending on if the teen is new to the program and if they have earned the privilege of staying up later. Studies have shown the importance of getting enough sleep and for teens 13-18, 8 to 10 hours a night is recommended. The NIH states that “sleep plays a vital role in good health” and that not getting enough can affect “how well they think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.” While the CDC adds that “Students who get enough sleep have fewer attention and behavior problems.” Therefore, while at Patch, we ensure our teens consistently get enough rest at night in order to heal during the day.
WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? – Alumni Spotlight
Arguing, lying, disrespect – these are typical complaints when parents at their wits’ end bring their teens to Project Patch. This was no different when Tyson Adams brought his 13-year-old son, Isaac. He had tried the physical discipline, uncompromising rules, and parental dominance he was raised with, but none worked with Isaac. Things had gotten so bad – no trust, no respect, no communication. They were both miserable.
When Tyson dropped Isaac off at Patch, he experienced mixed emotions of guilt and relief. He felt guilty that he had failed as a parent, yet relieved that Isaac was now Patch’s problem. And while he was wrong to think that he could just drop Isaac off and pick him up when he was fixed, which he likened to taking his car to the mechanic, he was correct in recognizing what a “very great investment in time, money, and emotions” it would be.
During Isaac’s year at Patch, he was not the only one learning, growing, and changing. For Isaac, besides learning a variety of healthy hobbies (chess, sports, and fishing) that he enjoys to this day, he learned “to accept that I’m the only person that can change me.” He was done looking for “validation from his so-called friends” and was focused on personal growth. Meanwhile, Tyson spent the time learning a better way to parent and recognizing that “it takes two to have a healthy relationship, and I was equally at fault.”
When Isaac graduated from Patch, the work didn’t end for him or his dad. Tyson recognized that putting Isaac back in the home environment that damaged him would be “like putting a drunk back in a bar.” As such, Isaac moved to a Christian Academy, he and his dad continued their counseling together, and ultimately “built a very open and loving friendship,” according to Tyson. Today, Isaac is willing to share who he used to be and offers guidance to younger kids, saying that “the key is to not let your younger self hold you back from who you want to be.”
Fortunately, life is not miserable for them anymore. Isaac wants to work at Patch, still believes the chess life lesson that “one move can mess everything up,” and would advise struggling teens to “be willing to change for yourself.” Tyson is no longer at his wits’ end and would remind parents that “your child imitates you. If you want them to be an honorable, decent person, you must be the example.” Clearly, they both have followed their own advice!
YOUTH PROGRAM HAPPENINGS
DENIM & DIAMONDS FOR PROJECT PATCH
Project Patch is the fortunate recipient of many donations – from longtime church supporters, thankful family members of past clients, or individuals with big hearts that just see the enormous need. But an extra special donation was recently received from Layne VanDyk, a local Garden Valley High School student. Layne chose Project Patch as the beneficiary of the funds she raised from her Senior Project – a father-daughter dance with a “Denim & Diamonds” theme. Here is what Layne had to say about the event:
For my senior project, I chose to put together an Elementary Father-Daughter Dance. I chose this as my project because it is an event that created some of my fondest memories as a kid. I wanted to do something that could bring the community together for a night. By doing this dance I was able to start up a tradition that had been lost for far too long. Most importantly, I was able to donate to a local cause that I hold near and dear to my heart, Project Patch. I was raised in the walls of its foundation as generations of my family and close family friends were brought together by working there. All 430 dollars I raised from the dance and dinner were donated to Patch for girls’ dorm activities. This surpassed my goals and expectations. The community’s support was amazing, and we all hope that the torch is passed along and that this dance becomes an annual event.
Thank You, Layne, for supporting Project Patch in such a special way!
Pictures by Linda Ruppel, DDS
MARANATHA & PROJECT PATCH – TOGETHER AGAIN
May 17th – June 2nd, 2023
Get the details about this years project and register at:
www.projectpatch.org/maranatha
GIVING DAY 2023
Giving Day is a 24-hour online event designed to empower every person to give back to their community by supporting local nonprofits and causes they care about.
This year we are designating funds raised to Sports & Recreation for our teens!
Help us beat the $6,835 raised last year during the 24-hour event thanks to 23 donors and a generous $2,500 match!
Please consider donating and sharing • • MAY 3RD to MAY 4TH starting at 9am PT/10am MT • •
www.GivingDay2023.com
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
/projectpatch
@project_patch
PIECING IT TOGETHER by Chuck Hagele, CEO
I like cookies and learned how to make them when I was young. It always amazes me that ingredients that don’t taste that good on their own (except chocolate chips) can be combined to create an amazing cookie.
This issue of our newsletter is a bit like a recipe. We give you a chance to peak behind the curtain at some of the things we do at Patch. Yet the ingredients are nothing compared to when you combine them and allow the baking process to do its magic.
What are the key ingredients at Patch? We are purposeful in using our time, combining individual and group therapy, school, worship, work projects, play, community service, and rest. We strive for a positive environment that focuses on relationship-building and mentoring. Meanwhile, parents do their own work preparing for their child’s return by attending family counseling and parent weekends.
At Patch, there is another ingredient. The faithful support of donors across the country is what makes this work possible. With it, we can provide transforming care for teens whose families could never afford the full cost. The prayers of desperate parents who need help reaching their teens are answered thanks to you.
Project Patch exists because of the love and generosity of others. Knowing others care and are working alongside us encourages our staff and reminds our teens that their lives matter and are valued.
If you aren’t financially supporting this critical work, consider the difference you can make with a small recurring gift. Get started at www.projectpatch.org/donate
PROJECT PATCH WISH LIST
For those who prefer to give toward a specific project, the following list contains items that are needed, yet are not a part of the operating budget. Please make sure to note on your gift if you would like it designated for a specific Wish List item or the highest need Wish List item. If the item has already been purchased, we will contact you for further instructions.
YOUTH PROGRAM
Updated March 2023
COST EACH
AMOUNT NEEDED
** These items can also be purchased directly from Amazon at www.projectpatch.org/AmazonWishList
To donate via credit card: please call our office at 360-690-8495 or use the button below
WISH LIST DONATION
To donate via check: please mail to Project Patch, PO Box 820209, Vancouver WA 98682
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