https://www.natalielanker.com/contact daily 0.75 2022-11-01 https://www.natalielanker.com/the-story-behind-our-logo daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610959b74236de11f48db965/1628631663175-C76ZH0FUU49Y4BULX3QT/TMH+Green+Logo+%281%29.png The Story Behind Our Logo - From the Beginning “I grew up climbing trees, and many times my parents couldn’t find me because I would take a book and climb up high, find a comfortable limb and read and talk to the birds,” said Jerri Schmitz, founder of The Matthews House. Have you ever wondered about the meaning behind our logo? Well, keep reading to find out more. Deeply Rooted The simple answer is that our logo stems from an analogy, no pun intended. A tree provides shade, protection, and grows when firmly rooted while the house represents families. This answer may satisfy some people’s curiosity, but below the surface, there is much more to uncover. Walt Whitman once explained 11 things trees teach us. Jerri, being a lover of poetry from a young age, was introduced to Whitman’s writing early on. Not only has his writing translated into Jerri’s life, but it also translated into the work we do here. Some might say that all the lessons Whitman states could apply to our organization, but here are some of our favorites: -Trees teach us authenticity -Trees teach us what it means to belong to a community -Trees teach us to grow, even if we are alone -Trees teach us that our roots will sustain us -Trees teach us that we can be a source of protection for others These simple statements may seem small, but isn’t that the point? Words have power, but actions create change. If we remind ourselves of these small things and then spend time investing in ourselves and others, we can truly make a difference. To see the rest of the lessons and full descriptions click here. Growing Stronger Together Whether you prefer the analogy or the story behind our logo, we hope it gives you a better look into our mission at The Matthews House. We believe in taking a holistic approach and desire to enter into relationship with our participants and the community at large. Next time you are admiring the beautiful trees we hope you think of us! https://www.natalielanker.com/collaborative-community daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610959b74236de11f48db965/1628632304548-4E5AJS84WZLR92IENQKN/Collaborative+Community.jpeg Collaborative Community - Learn, Adapt, and Overcome If there is anything we have learned from 2020 so far, it is that none of us can do it alone. During this time, The Matthews House has had to learn, adapt, and overcome. 2020 may not have been what we envisioned the year looking like, but we don’t want to forget all of the victories that have come our way! This experience has allowed The Matthews House to lean on the community, while we navigate serving our participants during this time. Breaking Barriers The Matthews House has always believed in the power of community, and the pandemic has only reinforced this belief. Building relationships with our clients and providing them with the resources they need has always been a priority for us. Through the navigation of this year, we have had the opportunity to continue partnering with exceptional organizations to guarantee the wellbeing of our participants! For instance, this pandemic has left some of our families in need of food. We were and still are determined to make sure this does not become a barrier. The Bohemian Foundation has been providing us with meals that we can deliver to our families. This donation not only allows us to minimize food insecurity, but it also allows us to check-in and continue to build relationships with our participants. Another organization that has made a difference in our client’s lives is The Nappie Project. This organization has been providing us with loads of diapers and baby wipes. Again, this helps us to remove barriers and support our participants. A Collaborative Community The Matthews House has seen firsthand that there is strength in numbers. Our mission has remained the same, but our strategies have improved. Community collaboration only makes us stronger! We are so grateful to all the partnerships we have in the community. The organizations mentioned here are just a couple of the many who have stacked hands to fill a need in our community. Click HERE to see more resources. We are all in this fight together because we are always GROWING STRONGER TOGETHER. https://www.natalielanker.com/summer-zone daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610959b74236de11f48db965/1628632788172-QL8ZSRTE1L5PO15RRW43/Summer+Zone.png Summer Zone - Summer what… Have you ever heard us mention Summer Zone and wonder what it’s all about? Well, let us tell you a little more about it. Summer Zone started in the summer of 2016 as a hot lunch program site called Kids Cafe. We provided kiddos with activities before and after lunch. We soon realized kids were coming just as much for the activities as the food. Fast forward and in 2018 Summer Zone was born! With this shift, we created a program that not only allowed kids to have fun, but also provided learning and growth opportunities throughout the summer. Throughout this programs existence we have been striving to create a positive environment where kids have the opportunity to make new friends, practice their relationship skills, get some exercise, explore Larimer County, and learn through a variety of activities. Games, Growing and More Summer Zone provides kids ages 8-16, with the opportunity to participate in games, crafts, activities and fun! There are weekly opportunities to visit different Larimer County parks, field trips every Friday, and crafts and games for some of the chill days! We want our kids to have fun, but we also want to serve them in a greater way. Our activities are aimed to enrich summer learning, grow respect for others and property, build community and relationships, encourage physical activity, and much more! This summer our kids have already been able to get out of their comfort zones. One of the days we were able to take the kids to a bowling alley. Some of our kiddos had never been bowling before, so it was an adventure, to say the least! It put a smile on all our staffs’ faces to see them learning, developing new skills, and having a blast! Right now Summer Zone looks a little bit different than previous years due to changes regarding COVID-19. We can assure you that we have made necessary changes to our program to make sure it meets the rules and regulations of the state. We are offering morning and afternoon sessions, along with limiting the number of kiddos per group. Despite these changes, we are still going to make sure our youth are having fun and learning lots. Questions? Due to limited spaces, all our spots have been filled for summer of 2020. 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