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Hillcrest's Gary Gansemer Appears on the TH Online

July 2009 Copy and paste the link below to see the Telegraph Herald's interview with Gary Gansemer as he talks about some organizational transformations. http://www.thonline.com/multimedia/index.cfm?id=2653&srow=1

Hillcrest Undergoes Transformation to Improve Lives of Children and Families

(July 20, 2009)
Inspired by the desire to improve outcomes for the over 20,000 people served by Hillcrest, Mike Donohue, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Gary Gansemer, President/CeO, announced a new course that is transforming how services are provided, measured, and funded at Hillcrest. The intended changes focus on forming Hillcrest into the premier health and educational ministry in the Midwest by “forming promise people”. It will bring about a new service and business model that will build upon Hillcrest’s 113-year history.

Faced with the challenge of changing a traditional not-for-profit social service agency culture, Gansemer sought the advice and counsel of leaders of successful corporate transformation and growth. Enlisted to serve on the Hillcrest Transformational Council were: Mr. John Butler, Cottingham & Butler; Mr. Lynn (Butch) Fuller, Heartland Financial; Mr. Len Hadley, Retired CEO, Maytag Corporation; Mr. Rob McDonald, A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Corporation; Mr. Mike Donohue, U.S. Bank; Mr. Frank Brownell, Brownells Inc of Montezuma Iowa; and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Bullock, University of Dubuque.

Hillcrest is building upon the national America’s Promise initiative of delivering five promises to children. The Dubuque community has embraced this campaign and the city of Dubuque and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque lead the effort. Hillcrest has expanded the original five promises of caring adults; safe places, effective education, healthy starts and opportunities to serve by adding a sixth promise of offering a spiritual connection. As a service ministry of two strong ecumenical churches, the United Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, Hillcrest will measure itself on the provision of these promises to those children, adults, families, who are served, to the staff serving at Hillcrest, and those stakeholders who support Hillcrest’s efforts.

Nancy Van Milligen of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque complimented Hillcrest for efforts to bring the five promises to reality. She also spoke of the important partnership between Hillcrest and the Foundation in growing an endowment for future success. Through this partnership, donors can contribute to Hillcrest's transformation and take advantage of the Endow Iowa tax credit program.

John Bellini, Director of Residential Education at Hillcrest, shared specific outcome achievements of his program. Bellini, noting Hillcrest Residential Education was at more than 90 percent capacity for the past academic year, cited the six promises and said 58% of residential releases were back to their home; 100% of the youth in residential education were free from abuse; school attendance was 100% for all students; 100% were engaged in service opportunities such as flood clean up in Cedar Rapids, Hillcrest garden and work with the Elks Club. Additionally, 91% participated regularly in spiritual growth opportunities including weekly Vespers worship, pastoral care small group and off campus worship opportunities.

Hillcrest envisions improving its campus through plans to build a chapel, a gymnasium and expanded educational facilities. Specific plans for the chapel and gymnasium were released today along with the goal of a perpetual endowment for maintenance and upkeep. These new facilities incorporate Hillcrest’s commitment to sustainability and will make the Asbury Road site of Hillcrest into a Family Life Campus that will not only improve Hillcrest’s ability to meet the promises, but attract people from all over the Midwest.

The transformation effort also intends to rebalance the reliance on government funding. Hillcrest will strengthen and expand our services and resource base and continue to partner with government but limit that partnership to no more than 75% of our operational budget. Hillcrest leaders were inspired even before the economic downturn’s impact on government funding to find ways to bring in additional funding streams other than the process oriented government funds. This means attracting new investors and significantly growing the agency endowment.

The new business model also will focus on operational efficiencies through program expansion into other states, increased emphasis on a positive bottom line, and seeking enterprise opportunities that match the desire of social entrepreneurs to create positive social change. Hillcrest is striving to become the premier health and educational ministry in the Midwest by Forming Promise People. Programs and services are coordinated through offices in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Iowa City and Ottumwa.

Hillcrest is a ministry of The Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Hillcrest Family Services is a member of the Dubuque County United Way.

Hillcrest Family Services Receives Two National Awards

February 6, 2009 Dubuque, IA – Hillcrest Family Services has been notified that it is the recipient of two national awards, as well as being highlighted in the prestigious Chronicle of Philanthropy. The awards, one for the health and education ministry organization as a whole, and one for an individual employee, were awarded based on Hillcrest’s commitment to transforming itself into an organization whose mission is to provide children, adults and families with services and support that fulfill the Six Promises: Caring Adults, Safe Places, Healthy Starts, Effective Education, Opportunities to Help Others and Opportunities for a Spiritual Connection. The article highlighted Hillcrest’s drive to transform itself and its dependence on state and federal funding streams.

First, Hillcrest was named one of 15 national winners for the “Best Nonprofit to Work For Award” by the Opportunity Knocks Organization. Winners were selected from nominations based on employee essay submissions. Award recipients were judged on factors such as quality of work/life balance, their organizations’ adherence to its mission, camaraderie of employees, unique benefits, training programs and career paths.

Opportunity Knocks provides nonprofit professionals with a platform to give recognition and appreciation to the organizations providing quality work environments for people in jobs that can change the world. For nonprofit professionals, Opportunity Knocks is the premier online source for nonprofit jobs and access to valuable resources for developing successful careers in the nonprofit community.

Julie Heiderscheit, Hillcrest’s vice president of human development, noted that the agency award recognizes the philosophical shift that has taken place at Hillcrest in the last year. “Our employees are truly committed to making the Six Promises a way of life, and they see it in each other, their departments, their workdays and in the measurable outcomes they are able to achieve for clients,” she said.

Second, the Coalition on Residential Education (CORE) notified Hillcrest Family Services that John Bellini, director of residential education, is being recognized as the Program Supervisor of the Year at CORE’s national convention in Jacksonville, Florida. John was a unanimous choice by the committee. He was nominated by his peers and is being recognized for his exemplary leadership and innovation in creating, strengthening, and implementing residential life policies and programs for the betterment of both staff and students.

According to Dr. Tom Ottavi, Hillcrest’s director of clinical services, who nominated Bellini, “John truly works to bring Hillcrest’s transformational vision to life. Staff across the agency feels John embodies the Six Promises in all aspects of our Residential Education program. He has a vision for leading others to make those Six Promises real and tangible,” he said.

Third, Gary Gansemer, president/CEO for Hillcrest was recently cited in the premier publication of nonprofits and philanthropic giving in the nation. In the January 15 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Gansemer’s insights into the numerous cutbacks in funding across the country that are affecting the nonprofit world were noted in the article titled A Precarious State. Hillcrest was one of two organizations nationwide to be mentioned in the article, because of the Dubuque-based group’s unconventional approach to funding in the wake of the economic downturn.

“The recognition of Hillcrest’s current efforts as a transformational group is a credit to our Board of Trustees and our mission partners across the Midwest,” said Gansemer about the article. “This is good recognition for our efforts to be the premier health and education ministry in the Midwest. We realize the need to reduce our reliance on state and federal funds in order to remain viable and to be able to deliver the services our clients need most. And we are doing something about it.”

Hillcrest Pitches In with Help from United Way

In the wake of what some are calling Iowa’s greatest catastrophe, the floods of 2008, Hillcrest Family Services and United Way has committed to assisting wherever we can. “Hillcrest has a long tradition of standing with the people of Iowa in crisis. This event will be no different, with the exception perhaps being the size of the devastation and depth of the need so many will face,” says Gary Gansemer, President and CEO of Hillcrest Family Services. Hillcrest has teamed up with our Church partners across Iowa to provide clean-up teams consisting of staff Hillcrest kids from our residential homes and senior leadership. These teams will assist with cleanup in either Cedar Rapids or Iowa City on every Wednesday beginning June 25 and ending August 20. The Dubuque Area United Way is providing assistance with the cost of transporting the Hillcrest kids and volunteers each week to clean-up sites. “Together we will be a part of the solution as we realize that it will take all of us to begin to put a sense of normalcy back into so many lives,” says Gansemer. “Again I say – we are all about this type of work, it is who we are. Furthermore, it allows us to fulfill in a special way, Promise #5 in allowing all the Opportunity to Serve Others. We believe in the Five Promises of the American Promise movement. With our United Way partnership, we will together bring a little help to those in great need!

Hillcrest Receives Dubuque Chamber of Commerce Award

July 2008

“It is often said that to truly judge a society, one must judge how said culture cares for the less fortunate among them.” So began the nomination of Hillcrest Family Services for the Chamber of Commerce’s Award of Distinction.

On Thursday, June 5, Hillcrest Executive team members were pleased to receive the Chamber’s Non-Profit Award of Distinction.

For over a hundred years, Dubuque has collaborated with Hillcrest Family Services to faithfully tend to the “least of them” in their midst. From Dr. Nancy Hill’s original mission of serving young mothers to our current mission of Forming Promise People, Hillcrest is committed to changing lives in Dubuque and all of Eastern Iowa.

Hillcrest receives grant

Hillcrest Family Services has been selected to be one of the recipients of a $15,000 Dubuque Racing Association Grant award. Hillcrest has many ongoing capital improvement needs to support our twenty-five programs in nineteen different communities throughout Iowa. This DRA grant will most directly impact the clients we serve in our Dubuque and Maquoketa programs.

NATIONWIDE SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING STUDY ISSUED

August 2007
Over three years of preparation and hard work in evaluating the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring program culminates on August 2, 2007 with the issuing of “Making a Difference in Schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study.”

The results: Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring makes a real difference in the lives of our nation’s at-risk school children.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters has more than 125,000 volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) involved in one-to-one mentoring matches with children (“Littles”) in more than 6,000 schools nationwide—one of the largest in-school volunteer forces in the nation’s history.

• The Study finds that the Littles demonstrate eight positive academic outcomes in the first year as a result of the mentoring match. These include overall academic performance, performance in science, written and oral language, quality and number of assignments turned in, fewer serious school infractions, scholastic efficacy, and reduced skipping of school.

• The key? Big Brothers Big Sisters brings about these academic impacts through quality, professionally supported mentoring relationships with children in need—the fourth “R” for making academic gains.

• Conducted by the independent research firm Public/Private Ventures, the Study is the country’s first largescale, national, random assignment evaluation of school-based mentoring. It followed more than 1,100 children over 15 months at ten diverse Big Brothers Big Sisters locations.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is poised to do even more.
1. There were two positive outcomes evident in the second year of the mentoring match: reduced skipping of school and greater expectation to attend college. The other positive impacts from the first year of the Study were not sustained in the second year mainly because many of the mentoring matches were one-year matches. So, we need to do more. We have set the goal that our mentoring matches need to be longer, extending into at least a second year so we can bring about long-term impacts and academic gains.

2. As a learning organization, we will build on the positive outcomes that were found in the Study and strengthen our model even more. We will apply the learnings of the School Based Mentoring Study to improve, measure and lengthen our positive impacts.

There are an estimated ten million American children in need of a mentor.
We must continue to partner with volunteers, parents, children, schools, corporations, and civic and governmental leaders to bring about positive academic impacts and, long-term, to stem the high school dropout crisis in our nation.

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Dubuque County

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dubuque County operates out of the offices of Hillcrest Family Services, 2005 Asbury Road, Dubuque, Iowa 52001. A program of Hillcrest, it has full affiliation with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Adult volunteers are "matched" with a child. The child must be from a family situation that has limited involvement and support of two parents. Children between the ages of 5 and 15 who have custodial parents/guardians willing to support the relationship of their child with a Big Brother or Big Sister volunteer should contact the Program Director for a full discussion of the eligibility criteria.

Volunteers who wish to become a Big Brother or Big Sister to a youngster should be willing to make a one-year commitment and maintain a consistent relationship by getting together at least twice each month and by having phone contact between visits. Volunteers are interviewed to determine his or her interests, personality and expectations.

For further information, contact the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Coordinator at 563-583-7357; Toll Free 877-437-6333 or e-mail Anne Hedrick at ahedrick@hillcrest-fs.org

Hillcrest Family Services Announces Department Name Change

July 2007
Hillcrest Family Services Board of Directors voted Friday to transform the Development Office with a name change to Office of Mission Advancement. The name change comes along with the addition of two Mission Advancement staff. Reverend Kenneth D. Gibson joins the Hillcrest Family Services family as the new Vice President of Mission Advancement. Mindy Sampson fills the position of Public Relations Coordinator.

Ken comes to Hillcrest with a sincere passion for the mission of the agency. As a child, he was cared for by committed foster parents, and to this day, has a sincere and genuine love for those who cared enough to make a difference in his life. He hopes that his ministry here at Hillcrest will be the fulfillment of that inner calling to serve.

For the past seven and a half years Ken has served as Vice President of Wartburg Theological Seminary Mission Support office and upon his leaving Wartburg it was noted that Ken leaves having completed the most successful fund raising year in Wartburg's History. Prior to that call, Ken served as a parish pastor in Chassell, Michigan in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Prior to that calling, Ken served as a school teacher, a part time farmer and as an insurance agent in northwest Illinois.

Ken has served for five years as a Commissioner on the Iowa Commission for Volunteer Service, serving as chair for the last three years. Ken also serves as the chair of the Mississippi Valley Promise Board of Directors here in Dubuque. Ken is the father of two daughters and is married to Jodi for twenty five years. He enjoys boating and spending time with friends.

Mindy is a familiar face at Hillcrest having been the coordinator of the Tobacco-Free Coalition and local JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) chapters. Mindy also has a passion for the mission of Hillcrest, having family ties to the original Baby Fold. Mindy attended the Clarke College TimeSavers program where she earned a degree in Communications.