2025-08 BMH Newsletter by BMH4Children

OUR MOUNTAIN WORK

The Quarterly Newsletter of Black Mountain Home for Children

2025 – Issue II

From Surviving To Leading: Maya’s Story

Maya was withdrawn when she came to us. After suffering years of neglect and abuse, she rarely spoke. Nearly two years passed before she felt secure enough to join us for an off-campus trip. So, when she wanted to go to the beach with us during her second summer, we knew something had shifted.

Although Maya loved the warm sand, she kept mostly to herself. Midweek, she quietly joined two staff members enjoying the porch rockers before breakfast. After a while, one of the counselors spoke to her gently. “Maya, last night when the speaker talked about choosing to live as victors instead of victims, it really hit home for me. I grew up in an abusive home—so I know how hard that choice is.” He shared how intentionally focusing on the future had helped him begin to heal.

Maya listened attentively. Then, she opened up for the first time. She shared her fear of being hurt again. Her shame. The dread of people finding out what she’d been through. How she wished she could be invisible. “Thank you for sharing that,” he said.

“Maya, may I ask—what hopes do you have for your future?” For the first time, Maya shared her dream of becoming a hairdresser.

Maya, used to people laughing at her dreams, seemed surprised when he said, “I think you’d be an amazing hairdresser.” He added, “Setting goals, working hard—that’s what victors do.” She was silent. “Will you let us help you make it happen?”

With tears in her eyes, she nodded.

That day, Maya helped build a sandcastle. The next morning, she braided her roommate’s hair. Back on campus, she slowly started saying yes to more activities. There were still hard moments—but over time, she grew more confident, more connected. That fall, she was chosen by the other youth as the President of the BMH Youth Leadership Team.

Activities, recreation, and trips keep our kids active—but more importantly, they create space for staff to build trust, connect, and develop healing relationships with youth.

It took two years for Maya to open up. But because of your generosity, she had a safe, nurturing home where she could heal and grow—becoming a young woman who’s learning to lead, dream, and build a brighter future.

First the Trust . .

For many of our kids, play isn’t natural. It is something they must relearn, one trusting moment at a time. Because of your support, they can. Thank you for giving children who have endured abuse, hunger, fear, loss, and other traumas the chance to laugh, splash through sprinklers, ride bikes, and feel safe enough to let down their guards and play.

These moments may look small, but they are the building blocks of healing— reminders that they belong, are worthy of love, and deserve a childhood filled with joy.

Summer Fun! Sleeping In Playing Games Going To The Pool Planting Flowers Riding Dirtbikes Making Ice Cream

Then the Adventures

Weekend retreats and summer trips—hiking national park trails, spending a week at the beach, or vacationing with house parents— are fun. But for children who’ve experienced trauma, they are also deeply healing. Many have never sat around a campfire, paddled a river, or collected seashells by flashlight. Each experience gently reassures them of what they often find hardest to believe: You are safe. You are loved.

Along the way, they learn how to get along with others, find their way in new places, and handle everyday things—like ordering a meal in a restaurant. They spend summer creating memories they’re proud to share. Most importantly, they are simply being kids.

Building Tomorrow Together

Since opening our doors in 1904, Black Mountain Home has cared for thousands of children who needed more than just a roof over their heads. They needed a family. They needed healing. Most of all, they needed hope.

Thanks to you, they have an opportunity to find it.

As government funding continues to shrink—especially under federal laws like the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 and recent state cuts that reduce support for children’s homes — we are faced with an urgent reality: if we want to keep providing excellent, Christ-centered care, we must act now to build a strong financial foundation.

That’s why we’re inviting those who share our heart for vulnerable children to help build something lasting: the Generations of Hope Endowment Fund. This endowment fund will provide the stable financial foundation Black Mountain Home needs to ensure that every child entrusted to our care—now and for generations to come—can grow up surrounded by love, safety, and the unshakable promise of belonging.

As an endowment, the funds will never be spent but rather invested wisely so they will generate income year after year in perpetuity. Our goal is to have one million dollars in the endowment fund for each of the 100+ children in our care.

We are humbled and grateful to share that the very first one-million-dollar gift toward this vision has been given by a former member of our board of directors, Joe Parks, and his wife Shari, in memory of her grandmother and father. We are grateful to Joe and Shari for investing in our children’s futures and for allowing us to share their inspiring story.

Children in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina deserve security, love, and hope rooted in opportunity. And we believe that God will move through His people to provide for their needs.

Please prayerfully consider being part of the Generations of Hope Endowment, whether through an outright gift or a future bequest. Your gift will change lives today—and for generations to come.

With heartfelt gratitude,

James O. Harmon, President

Give Now. Help Kids in Western North Carolina for Generations.

For more than a century, Black Mountain Home has cared for children who’ve been hurt, abandoned, or forgotten—offering a Christ-centered home where they can heal, be loved, and discover the future God planned for them.

With government funding on the decline, we’re taking steps now to protect the future so we can keep providing the same high level of care for every child who needs us for generations to come.

That’s why we created the Generations of Hope Endowment Fund. Like a savings account for the ministry, the principal is never spent. Instead, your pledge is invested, and the interest it earns provides steady, dependable support for our children—year after year, generation after generation.

You can make a donation of any amount to the Generations of Hope Endowment Fund or create a named endowment within its umbrella with a pledge of $50,000 or more—similar to creating a scholarship—to honor someone you love and support children in their name.

Endowment pledges can be made through cash, stock or other appreciated property, or by leaving a pledge in your will.

However you choose to give, your generosity becomes part of something lasting—offering love, safety, and hope to children for years to come.

A Still Small Voice: The Legacy of Miss Wheeler’s Children’s Cottage

In 1923, Miss Wheeler stepped off a train in El Paso, Texas—not because it was her planned destination, but because a still small voice was guiding her. That moment would change countless lives in both the small border town of El Paso, and later in Western North Carolina.

Leaving Alabama for the drier desert air to ease her health, Miss Wheeler realized many people in the town needed help caring for their children. Trained as a nurse, she established Wheeler’s Children’s Cottage in her home. She provided both daycare and long term care. Many of the children had one living parent who must work to provide for the family. Other children were sick. She helped whomever needed her.

Miss Wheeler’s granddaughter, Shari Parks shared, “In 1945, a story in the El Paso Times about the children at Miss Wheeler’s cottage stated that she had spent only one night away from the cottage since it opened two decades earlier—a testament of her devotion to the children.”

One of those children was Shari’s father, Henry “Hank” Wheeler, who was born in 1928. His birth mother wrote to him for a time, but eventually a letter arrived explaining she could no longer send support—or even letters. So, Miss Wheeler adopted Hank and raised him as her own.

“She was very kind to the children and made sure they had opportunities,” Shari said. “My dad became an educator and continued her legacy of helping and encouraging children.”

After forty years as business owners, Shari and husband, Joe, retired to Western North Carolina in 2015. Now, they are continuing that legacy of compassion and generosity for children in our region. In memory of Miss Wheeler and Hank, they have made a leading gift of one million dollars to establish the Wheeler and Parks Family Endowment Fund at Black Mountain Home. Their gift is an

After graduating from Austin High School, Henry Wheeler entered the Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged in 1948 and enrolled at Southern Methodist University. Hank began his career as a teacher and coach at Ysleta High School in El Paso. He moved to Anahuac, Texas, where he was promoted to principal and later served as superintendent. Hank retired as superintendent of the Longview and Houston Spring Branch school districts in 1985.

expression of gratitude for the love that shaped their family and the faith that calls them to invest in the futures of children who, like Hank, need someone to care for them.

After serving on the board of Black Mountain Home for six years, Joe shared his confidence in both the heart and stewardship of the ministry. “The level of care and opportunity these kids receive is exceptional,” he said. “And the fiscal management of the Home gives us peace that our gift will be used wisely—for generations to come.”

Their story reminds us that the quiet, faithful choices we make today will echo in the lives of children for generations — like that still small voice in 1923 that led one kind woman to step off a train and change the lives of children forever. Shari and Joe invite you to join them on this journey of Hope.

From Despair to Hope: Conner’s Story

Children in foster care are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disorder in the early years compared to their peers. But research shows this isn’t because they’re less intelligent or capable. It’s because they’ve been neglected, exposed to abuse and violence, and had disrupted school attendance.

Conner didn’t say much during his first meeting in the library with with the Black Mountain Home Education Coordinator. Eyes down, he waited for the usual lecture—how school mattered, how he needed to try harder.

No one understood, and Conner didn’t have the words to explain, how impossible that felt.

He started first grade already behind. There were no books at home, no one to teach him letters and numbers. His mom couldn’t read and didn’t pay much attention to him. Most nights, he went to bed hungry. His favorite part of school was breakfast.

By the third grade, he spent most evenings alone, hoping there was some peanut butter and a piece of bread. After being placed in foster care, Conner bounced from one home (and school) to another. Making good grades seemed as impossible as making friends. He’d already decided to quit school as soon as he was old enough.

To his surprise, the Education Coordinator didn’t mention his failing grades. She asked what kind of music he liked. If he liked sports, motorcycles, or fishing. Her casual tone caught him off guard. He left feeling a bit disconcerted. It wasn’t what he expected.

Over time, Conner began to look forward to his library visits. She seemed to understand his situation and didn’t lecture him. When she finally broached the subject of his schoolwork, he shared his feelings of defeat.

“Conner,” she said, looking at him intently, “you’re smarter than you think—and I’ll help you.” He didn’t know what to say. No one had ever told him he was smart. But her belief in him gave him hope. And that was what he needed most.

Thanks to your support, Conner is spending this summer building rockets, learning robotics, riding dirt bikes, and gaining confidence. He still dreads school starting, but instead of quitting, he’s begun thinking about what he might want to be someday. And that’s a start.

Celebrating Our Graduates

This spring, we celebrated three high school graduations. To say we are proud of these youth would be a tremendous understatement. We love them. And we admire the courage, resilience, and determination they demonstrate every day. Each one has faced disappointments, hardships, and pain that no child should have to experience. Yet, they have made the choice to be victors instead of victims of their pasts.

We don’t know what their future holds, if or how long it will take them to reach their goals or what setbacks or detours they’ll have. But we know they walked across the stage with an audience filled with BMH staff cheering them on. And they don’t have to worry about aging out of care. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, they can continue to have stable housing and support in our Independent Living Program.

House Parents Do More Than Earn a Living A

Ministry of Hope and Healing

At Black Mountain Home, House Parents do more than earn a paycheck—they create a Christ-centered home environment where children feel secure, nurtured, and loved. As role models and mentors, they help kids learn to trust again, begin to heal, and find hope for a brighter future.

While on shift, house parent couples live in comfortable homes on our campus and have the full support of our social workers, counselors, and staff so they can focus on what matters most: caring for children. We provide vehicles, household budgets, training, and a one-week-on, one-week-off schedule to give you time to recharge.

If you and your spouse feel led to be part of our mission of glorifying God by caring for children, youth, and families, please reach out today. You don’t need to be perfect people or have perfect relationships. You may have children of your own or even live out of state—what matters most is your faith in Christ, that you care about children, and that you have a heart to serve.

A Calling That Changes Lives

As House Parents, you’ll offer more than structure and guidance—you’ll create a family environment where kids are safe, encouraged to learn and grow, and can fulfill their God-given promise. If you’ve been praying for a meaningful way to serve together, this could be the opportunity God has prepared for you.

2025 Fall Festival and Open House

October

11, 10 AM -

3 PM | Free fun for the entire family!

Because Hurricane Helene’s devastation led to the cancellation of our Fall Festival last year, we want to make this year’s event extra special. Please join us for this free, family-friendly event to celebrate community and resilience and support the children entrusted to our care.

How You Can Help:

If you would like to sponsor this special event, have a car you are eager to show off, fall decorations (straw bales, corn stalks, pumpkins, mums) you can spare, or would like to donate items for our silent auction, please email: info@blackmountainhome.org