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Kleos Children |
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Kleos Children [website] P.O. Box 141 Klamath Falls, OR 97601 US | |
| Phone: | 541-783-2220 |
| Ages: | 7-16 |
| Gender: | Boys and Girls |
| Description: | A residential child care facility dedicated to salvaging children who are at great risk |
| Director Name: | Gordon Hankin |
| Enroll Info: | Children placed at Kleos arrive here by one of two means: they are placed privately or placed by the State of Oregon. If we have an opening, we evaluate whether or not we can be of assistance to the child. We consider: The impact this child will have on the other children here at Kleos Our relationship with our surrounding neighbors Do we have the resources at hand to actually help the child? |
| Academics: | The kids that come to Kleos have, more often than not, experienced great difficulty at school. A chaotic home life has left large gaps in their education, even their attendance. Many have come to resent education as one more burden on their already troubled lives. Several have been convinced that they simply cannot succeed in school. Because of the trauma in their lives, many of the kids at Kleos were struggling in the public schools, even after the kids arrived at Kleos. The Riversbend Academy, the on-site school at Kleos answers these kids' educational challenges. In 1995, Riversbend was accredited by the state of Oregon as an alternative school. Our skilled teachers at Riversbend are challenged to slowly, patiently and deliberately backfill the gaps in the kids' educations. Most of the school work is self-paced to accommodate the kids' individual needs. Kleos' goal is to have each child graduate from high school with a meaningful diploma; that is to say each child truly has the skills to back up the piece of paper. The challenges to this goal are as varied as the kids at Riversbend. Many struggle with anger, and a lack of trust in adults from past hurts. The Riversbend Academy emphasizes consistency and gentleness to gradually win the students' trust. Several have spotty educational backgrounds, especially in reading. has applied remedial educational systems such as PLATO to help students fill in the missing pieces. Reading is heavily emphasized. . Riversbend splits into primary (grades 1-6) and secondary (grades 7-12 under) levels. Within and between these groups, the older kids are often assigned to assist the younger kids. This promotes the notion of serving others, an important ingredient in a loving family. |
| Activities: | "Kleos staff often coordinate on-site and off-site recreation and physical education for the kids. On-site, the ball field, the volleyball court, the basketball hoop, the pool, the river, the playground and whatever else is at hand is utilized to teach the kids team- sports and help them have fun. The kids also have the opportunity to travel into Klamath Falls to go bowling, swimming, to the driving range, the YMCA pool, or to the basketball court at the local elementary school. Kleos Children's Community strives to weave teamwork, self-confidence, love and sportsmanship into the fun. A few years ago, one of our dear supporters left instructions in his will to have a fund established for the construction of a baseball diamond at Kleos. To date, over $1400.00 has been donated to this fund by family and friends. |
| Campus: | School Building Kleos Children's Community sits on 108 acres along the Williamson River near Chiloquin, Oregon, USA. There are many modular homes around the property that house relief staff, as well as the three large custom-designed homes where most the children live. A large aluminum building in the center of the ranch houses the chapel & Elementary school facility. A new modular has been brought to the property. When its remodel is complete, it will serve as the new office. Our Pool A rock quarry on the property has produced some income as Kleos sells the rock to local contractors. The ball field, volleyball court, playground and pool provide recreation for the kids. |
| Philosophy: | Kleos Children's Community, ("Kleos", a Greek word meaning "glory" or "that which is of good report and reputation), is an effort to salvage the most precious possession of human beings - our children. I will attempt to put into words a description of this vital child care agency and its need. That is not easy to do because I can only write my thoughts and my concerns from my perspective from visiting many institutions and treatment centers across our country in the past twenty years, and being involved in child care for the past fifteen. This, no doubt, will seriously limit what needs to be said in totality: however, it is important for people to be made aware of our goals, philosophy, mission, and purpose in assisting children in need. This is important for many reasons: First, that those who are also interested in children may gain from our efforts. Second, that those who desire our services such as judges, state agencies, ministers, social welfare departments, parents, relatives, etc., may understand our methods and facilities. Third, that there are different schools of thought concerning the approach of child care. Fourth, that this work is made possible and financed by individuals, businesses, corporations, churches, state and local social services, people who share the same heart, the same burden, and the same concern for disadvantaged children. Children need to have time to grow away from the bad things that have happened to them and learn that they are valuable, important, and can make good choices regardless of the bad choices that have been made for them. The hope of the world lies in the replacement of patterns of vengeance and hate and violence, with patterns of kindliness, magnanimity, forgiveness, and values... These children need a new environment, new surroundings, new models of living, new friends, and a whole new way of life to respond to. They need to learn what it is to be loved and to love, to cooperate instead of fighting, abuse and destruction. This requires not some unique form of discipline, or short term psychological treatment to change the attitude of a child, but a long term commitment to change his or her perception. Children without love or faith or hope most often grow up to be our vagrants, delinquents, and mentally ill. Rescued children can help save our world. If we are serious about large scale prevention of delinquency and crime, is it not obvious and imperative that we greatly multiply our efforts to rescue these children before they are ruined, or ultimately end up in our prison systems? The idea of child care connotes everything from daycare centers to grandparents, to those entities loosely referred to as child care institutions. The reality is, of course, that far too often child care is not that at all, but rather child custody and maintenance. Caring may or may not have anything to do with the particular locale in which child custody refers. It is the issue of caring in its purest sense that those who have custody of children should constantly address. It is a challenge to care, and it is only people who can provide child care. Anything short of child care is simply child custody. Children in need are everyone's concern. The goal and concern of Kleos Children's Community is to provide care and not simply custody with a fancy and impressive sounding title, for if we do not care, then our custody will not matter. Gordon L. Hankins Executive Director Kleos Children's Community |
| Tuition/Costs: | Private Placement We recieve about 15 calls per month from family, friends, churches, employee referral agencies, etc. to ask for private placement of a child at Kleos. If we take the child, we charge the family based upon the family's ability to pay. We also have five slots for kids who are homeless with no ability to pay. Our generous donors subsidize many of our children that do not have the means to pay the full cost of their upkeep. Placement by the State of Oregon Approximately 30% of our kids are placed by the State of Oregon. Our staff has developed an excellent working relationship with the child care workers in Oregon. |
| Alt Link: | Kleos Children link (Alternate) |
| Teen Help Provider Type: | |
| Programs for 12 and Under | |
| For more information call: | |
541-783-2220 | |
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