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Fifty-seven years ago, supporters of the Hillcrest Baby Fold received the very first agency newsletter.The four page (7” x 8.5”) publication — The Crib Sheet — was sent by first class mail with a 1 1/2 cent stamp. Times have certainly changed!

Name changed in 1966
In 1966, with the Baby Fold having gone out of existence, the name of the publication was changed to Hillcrest Calling. This name was chosen from an entry submitted by Miss Millie Bently of the Crescent Park Church in Sioux City, who wrote, “Your publication CALLS in my home, telling me of the doings and needs of Hillcrest. It also CALLS for my support through love, prayers and gifts.”

Unlike the changing times and name, the purpose of our publication has remained the same over the years. It is still published and sent to keep you informed about what is happening at our agency. We consider it an important tool in our efforts to do so.

A glance through past issues is like reading an abbreviated history of Hillcrest covering the past 57 years.

A look through the pages
Fifty years ago - in 1955 - Donors collected strips from Butternut Coffee cans and sent them to the agency. The company sent “. . . beautiful sturdy toys for christmas - wagons, a tent, dolls, cuddly toys and variety of playthings chosen especially for our children.” Also during this period of time, much space was given to the donors who participated in the Milk Fund Club to help pay for the enormous amounts of milk used by the more than three dozen infants living at the Babyfold.

Ten years later - in 1965 - the publication told the story of the founding of Things ‘N Things, a resale shop started by a group of ladies to secure additional funds for Hillcrest during a period of financial difficulty. During the two decades this shop was operated, the ladies raised $17,000 in scholarship money, bailed the agency out of a tight budget situation, provided Christmas gifts and household items, and contributed $10,000 toward the construction of Peterson Lodge residential treatment facility.

Highs and lows in 1977
The March, 1977, issue proudly covered the presentation of the Agency of the Year Award to Hillcrest. It was “. . . chosen to receive the coveted award from among more than 300 other United Methodist child care agencies, hospitals and retirement homes from across the United States.”

The next issue of Hillcrest Calling featured an article about a major fire at Hillcrest House, “. . . which caused considerable damage to the roof and the second floor, including a TV lounge, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and the hallway. The entire building sustained water and smoke damage.” The fire had taken place during May of that year.

The exciting ’80’s
The 1980 issues covered an exciting time, with lots of changes taking place at the agency. The publication was updated to tabloid size — and remains that size today. A brief look at some of the information covered during that decade:

Two types of school based mentoring
The grant will provide two types of school based mentoring programs in five school districts located in Clayton, Dubuque and Jackson Counties. BBBS of Dubuque County has formed a mentoring partnership with St. Mark Community Center in Dubuque, and the following schools:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dubuque County is the lead agency and is responsible for the overall management and daily operations of the in-school components for six schools in three rural districts. St. Mark Community Center will provide the daily operation of the after school programs in five elementary schools and one junior high school in the Dubuque School District.

As you know, Hillcrest’s roots go back to 1896 with Dr. Nancy Hill. I was pleased to find handwritten correspondence from Dr. Hill in 1913 as she prepared for her death. There was also a scrap book prepared by her, with more insight into her life and interests outside of the Industrial Training School for Girls. There was a long article about the life of her brother, Dr. Grisham Hill, who at one time was the head of all state hospitals in Iowa. I am looking forward to more research into her adventuresome spirit.

I was inspired by pictures of past Superin-tendents and Executive Directors of Hillcrest. I was even more moved by the pictures of those who adopted children from Hillcrest and the staff who have served over the past 109 years. I discovered the minutes of the first meeting of the board of the Hillcrest Baby Fold in April 1914, when Anna Blanche Cooke summoned her Methodist women friends into resurrecting our services. They were challenged to each contribute $1 a month to support our ministry. The handwritten balance sheets over the years showed the importance of each of those dollars. There are heartwarming pictures of the little children so lovingly served by the Hillcrest Baby Fold.

Seven years ago when I became the Executive Director/CEO I stated that our vision was in our history. I believe even more in that statement today. Hillcrest continues in 2005 to fulfill dreams and bring people the opportunity to choose hope. To continue to do that in the years to come will mean that our small and large benefactors will continue to play a significant role.

Much has changed since 1896 and much has stayed the same. We can now communicate instantly with you via email, but we still need your financial and spiritual support to keep the dreams alive. Whether your gift is $10 at Christmas for the kids, a $10,000 cash gift for our endowment fund, a bequest from your will, or special prayers for our work, thank you for helping to make history every day at Hillcrest.

People have asked how I like working for Hillcrest Family Services since coming on board last fall. Although a common question, my response is probably a little less common in that I have been telling people “it is my dream job.” The field of development work started as choosing me when first offered to me over 5 years ago. I had worked in the field of human services for 30 years overseeing administrative and program development for people with mental disabilities. My mother thought highly of my commitment to improving the lives of people often shunned by society.

To my surprise I found this new endeavor a bit unsettling because my mother, although she thought highly of my administrative and program work before, now referred to my new responsibilities as trying to “talk people out of their money.” As I pondered her reaction, I wondered if this is how many people see the profession of fundraising. She did not know it then, nor did I, but her response actually resulted in my full embrace of the rewarding world of philanthropy.

I now enthusiastically embrace a field of work that is truly touching my inner core values by bringing the opportunity to donors of not being “talked out of their money” but finding the charitable opportunity that touches their heart. The professional development field does not “talk people out of their money,” but rather is privileged to represent a cause or mission that creates within the donor the desire to give of their own free will.

I am very pleased to be a member of the Hillcrest Family Services Development and Executive teams. The cause and mission of this charitable organization has an impact on more than 14,000 lives a year in Iowa. What an opportunity to bring this cause of serving children, young adults, and their families to donors who want to help provide needed services through their philanthropy.

By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have created a new avenue for you to donate online with your credit card on our Hillcrest Family Services website at www.hillcrest-fs.org. This new feature will provide the same level of security as many businesses have for their customers to make purchases on-line using their credit cards. The site will give you step-by-step guidance in providing the necessary information you need to complete your gift using your Visa or MasterCard. We will include choices of where you want your gift to go, as well as a special message box for you to give us any additional information you want to share. You will receive an immediate automated response by return e-mail to confirm that we have received your gift. We will also respond to you in writing after your gift has been processed. You can use this new on-line feature to make donations for memorials and tributes, as well as responding to appeal letters as you may have done in the past.

Sondra Bennett, Development Associate, will be processing your on-line donations on a daily basis. Please contact her if you have any questions or comments regarding your on-line gift. We’ve included her photo here so that you can see her friendly face to put with her friendly voice when you phone regarding gifts or requesting other information. Please help us spread the word to others so that as many people as possible are aware of this new feature to our website. Also let us know how it is working — we want this on-line giving process to be friendly and simple to use.

Although we have created this new website-based on-line giving process, we understand that many people prefer to send their gifts via mail. Please use the method that makes you most comfortable. In the end it is your gift, regardless of how we receive it, that provides the support we need to fulfill the mission of Hillcrest Family Services.

As we increase our use of the marvels of the computer world, we are only able to use it effectively if we have your e-mail address. Because these addresses change more often than a person’s mailing address does, we are asking you to keep us in mind when you change your service provider. It is easy to do by merely sending a message to Sondra (sbennett@hillcrest-fs.org) informing her of your new address. Many of you may already have an e-mail address that you haven’t shared with us yet. Please consider doing so. We do not share donor information with anyone outside of Hillcrest Family Services.

I look forward to meeting you in person during the coming months and years. Kara Leglar, our new Annual Funds Coordinator, will also be in contact with you. I have the privilege of working with a great Hillcrest development team, including Kara, Sondra and the veteran Jack Hanson.