Save Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's home!!!!
The Honorable Mitch Daniels
4750 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: 317-931-3076
Fax: 317-283-1201
Re: Closing Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home
I copied this letter from another site. Please help.Dear Governor Daniels:
As a law abiding tax payer I was saddened and surprised at your decision to close down this facility, which has meant so much to so many people since its founding during the days of Abraham Lincoln. I was saddened because of the connection that I, along with thousands of other Hoosiers have with ISSCH. I was surprised because during your campaign for reelection you liked to talk about what a friend you were to the kids in the state of Indiana . You talked about how laws you passed have helped to keep children in a safe environment and safe from harm. If this is the case then why now would you want to close an institution which prides itself on helping at risk children?
I'm sure we have all heard the stories on the news how the ISTEP scores at Morton Memorial have been in steady decline for the past eight years, or how there is no clear vision, or no clear admission standards. I ask you this, Is this a failure of the students or is it a failure of the state government, which has essentially sat back for 9 years and watched this school fail? I don't think you can fault the teachers of the school either if the state failed to step in and stop this decline.
Governor Daniels, if you truly care about the students of this state and their wellbeing I ask you to carefully reconsider this decision. ISSCH isn't a line item on the state budget that can be vetoed at will. If you truly care for the kids in this state and the environment they are raised in, I ask you to meet with us and discuss other ways to bring the budget under control without putting hundreds of kids out on the streets or back into an unstable home. Not to mention the countless faculty and staff who will lose their jobs.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Mitch Daniels
4750 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: 317-931-3076
Fax: 317-283-1201
Re: Closing Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home
I copied this letter from another site. Please help.Dear Governor Daniels:
As a law abiding tax payer I was saddened and surprised at your decision to close down this facility, which has meant so much to so many people since its founding during the days of Abraham Lincoln. I was saddened because of the connection that I, along with thousands of other Hoosiers have with ISSCH. I was surprised because during your campaign for reelection you liked to talk about what a friend you were to the kids in the state of Indiana . You talked about how laws you passed have helped to keep children in a safe environment and safe from harm. If this is the case then why now would you want to close an institution which prides itself on helping at risk children?
I'm sure we have all heard the stories on the news how the ISTEP scores at Morton Memorial have been in steady decline for the past eight years, or how there is no clear vision, or no clear admission standards. I ask you this, Is this a failure of the students or is it a failure of the state government, which has essentially sat back for 9 years and watched this school fail? I don't think you can fault the teachers of the school either if the state failed to step in and stop this decline.
Governor Daniels, if you truly care about the students of this state and their wellbeing I ask you to carefully reconsider this decision. ISSCH isn't a line item on the state budget that can be vetoed at will. If you truly care for the kids in this state and the environment they are raised in, I ask you to meet with us and discuss other ways to bring the budget under control without putting hundreds of kids out on the streets or back into an unstable home. Not to mention the countless faculty and staff who will lose their jobs.
Sincerely,
To: Governor of the State of IndianaThe Honorable Mitch Daniels
4750 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Phone: 317-931-3076
Fax: 317-283-1201
Re: Closing Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Children's Home
Dear Governor Daniels:
As a law abiding tax payer and former student of this institution, I was saddened and surprised at your decision to close down this facility, which has meant so much to so many people since its founding during the days of Abraham Lincoln. I was saddened because of the connection that I, along with thousands of other Hoosiers have with ISSCH. I was surprised because during your campaign for reelection you liked to talk about what a friend you were to the kids in the state of Indiana . You talked about how laws you passed have helped to keep children in a safe environment and safe from harm. If this is the case then why now would you want to close an institution which prides itself on helping at risk children?
I'm sure we have all heard the stories on the news how the ISTEP scores at Morton Memorial have been in steady decline for the past eight years, or how there is no clear vision, or no clear admission standards. I ask you this, Is this a failure of the students or is it a failure of the state government, which has essentially sat back for 9 years and watched this school fail? I don't think you can fault the teachers of the school either if the state failed to step in and stop this decline.
Governor Daniels, if you truly care about the students of this state and their wellbeing I ask you to carefully reconsider this decision. ISSCH isn't a line item on the state budget that can be vetoed at will. If you truly care for the kids in this state and the environment they are raised in, I ask you to meet with us and discuss other ways to bring the budget under control without putting hundreds of kids out on the streets or back into an unstable home. Not to mention the countless faculty and staff who will lose their jobs.
Sincerely,
My grandmother lived there untill 16 years of age. I visited there and was able to see the place she had left in 1915. I was able to see the original book where her mother signed her in and out. She was Viola Mae Huston.
hi my name is amber i have been at the home for 2 1/2 years. i love being at the home i can always have fun laugh wheni am down and know i have someone there for me when i need help. with out the home i am nothing i went from all f's to all passing. and i just need the home because i want to graduate and have a life and not life on the streets because without the home that is where i will be and that is no lie so PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN AND THINK IF YOUR KID WENT TO THE HOME AND THEY LOVED IT AS MUCH AS WE DID YOU WOULD KEEP IT OPEN. AND IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE PARENTS THAT HAVE TO GO THOUGH WITH THIS. FINDING A NEW SCHOOL AND SO MUCH MORE. JUST PLEASE THINK OF US AND NOT YOURSELF!!!!!!! THANK YOU
YES I AM A STUDENT FROM THE CLASS OF 2004 MANY REMEMBER ME AS THE ONE WHO WOULD NEVER MAKE IT IN LIFE... I THINK IT IS A HORRIBLE IDEA TO SHUT ISSCH DOWN IT TEACHES SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS BELEIEVE IN THEMSELVES... WOW I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN AND TELLING RICK COTTMAN WHAT I WANTED OUT OF LIFE IN 2000 AND HER I AM A COMPANY SALES REP.. AND ITS ALL BECAUSE SOMEONE BELEIVED IN ME..... DONT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM THOSE WHO REALLY NEED A PLACE TO STAY.... WITH OUT ISSCH THERE IS NO TELLING WHERE I WOULD BE IN LIFE OR IF I WOULD OF EVER MADE IT WHERE I AM TODAY............. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING
It is a shame to take away a childs chance to make it in life. Gov. Daniels has done just that! Your taking away that chance by closing the one thing that was actually making a difference in their lives. By closing the home you are also taking away the chance for many other children to not get a second chance to succeed! The home made a difference. At the home people actually care. Unlike you who doesn't!
Keep the Soldiers and Sailors Home open. Listen to the people.
For more impact, add a personal comment here
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This has to stay open. I have seen many kids go through and succeed. This is why this stays open so that there is one more oppurtunity for children to survive and make it through the "real world." Shutting it down doesn't make sense. What's next schools?
I am in education, there are no other placements for some children, the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Home has been a great place for some of our children. Please keep this facility open!
I am appalled at your decision to go ahead with the closing of Knightstown Home. In a time when we are faced with more Veterans families in need of help and you turn your back to them. My American Legion Auxiliary Unit Juniors have visited and also sponsor a student at the Home. These are wonderful kids who just need a chance to flourish and being in a setting like the one at Knightstown allows that to happen. Please reconsider your decision.
My mother, who is 82 years young, grew up in the home back in the 30's and 40's and credits her success in life to the time she spent there. She continues to be involved with the children currently living in the home through her work with the Alumni Association. To close this home is a travesty to needy families throughout the state of Indiana. You campaigned to take care of the children of this state, it would be a wonderful thing for you to stand behind your word. I have always been a supporter of you and your policies. but this issue is hits too close to home, so to speak. Please reconsider you stance. Thank you.
PLEASE HELP US
It was a sad day in Knightstown when the announcement was made to close The Childrens Home. As a lifelong resident of Knightstown I don't know what it will be like for 'The Home' to no longer be here. My heart breaks for the Alumni, the kids that were 'kicked' out and the future kids who would have benifited from what the Home has to offer. I doubt that Mitch Daniels has lost 1 minute of sleep over the havoc he has caused thousands of people. I also doubt that after his last term as governor in our state that he will further his political career. There will be no votes for him. "No child left behind" HA, They are now eating his dust as he cruises along on his Harley that was bought with out tax dollars.
i am one of the last students to graduate from the. i was there for five years. when i found out that the home was closing i felt my whole world come crashing down. all my friends that didn't get to graduate most of them i believe are out of luck or they are going to try hardest to make it. the home really was and will always be my second home and i hoped for the longest that they would reconsider. but we all tried as hard as we could and i just want to thank everyone for trying and who are still trying. thanks so much. CLASS OF 2009!
I grew up at the Indiana School for the Blind in the 1960's and 1970's. I tried public school for a year, but education was not geared to meet my needs. I have gone on to be a college graduate, and a three times Who's Who. I received one of my college top awards. All of this would not have been possible without the excellent education I received at the Indiana School for the Blind. The Soldiers and Sailors Home can boast the same success with many of its alumni. Many have gone on to do great things--without the home, they probably would not have succeeded. There are groups of people who cannot succeed in a public school and living setting. While these people can go on to be successful, they need a unique intervention when they are young. I have taught in public schools, residential settings, and at the college level. I can tell you that in a public school setting, with all the supports in place, some children cannot or do not thrive. Full immersion, around the clock, can make a great difference in many of these youngsters lives. You cannot measure in dollars the value of a child/children who succeed because extrodinary steps were taken when they were young. I will always deeply appreciate the full immersion and education I received in a state school--I have traveled the world, am a father and a grandfather, and a proud citizen of our great state and country. My prayers and wishes are with all those children, alumni, staff, and supporters of the Knightstown, Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Home, and to all other state schools.
This home has become a home to many children in their time of need. The people who work at the Soldiers and Sailors home dedicate thier lives to changing and impacting the lives of the battered youth of indiana. Please allow them to keep dong what they love. Allow the youth living there to have a chance at a better life, at a life they would never have without this home. Because to them it is a home.
The home works. It has touched the lives of so many youths. We should be replicating it elsewhere, not destroying something that is proven.
Don't let them close Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Home, I am a registered voter and I will remember what you have done to the children of Indiana. It will cost more in the future if we don't take care of the Children NOW. For once think about the Children and not your agenda. Be a man and do what is right for the children. Evidently you don't have a heart
I am a former orphan from I.S.S.C.H even though I did not finish out my senior year of high school I still left there a well educated young adult. With out Knightstown children’s home I would have had no chance in life at all. I did make a few mistakes in my young adult years, but never forgetting where I came from and the chance I had is what gave me the hope that there is good things out there. To take a place like this out of the world would be a terrible mistake. To take an opportunity away to just save one child like me from a horrible life would ultimately be disastrous.
I am a mother of 2 sons and i work full time. unfortunately on my income I cannot afford to send my boys to a boot camp simply because it is too expensive for my budget. This would be the only opportunity to save at least one of their lives! I am at my wits ends on trying to turn my boys into men. I know that 1 opportunity is better than NOne. Thank you
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9:51 am PDT, Apr 27,
Paola Castillo, Mexico
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This is the last hope for my daughter to become a productive member of society.
What price can one apply to safety? The foster care system fails children miserably and costs millions to administer. What measure is being utilized to determine this home is not cost effective, a home that has provided a safe haven, an educational environment and an opportunity to succeed in society when nuclear families can no longer provide for the needs of their child or children. I implore the governor of Indiana to please reconsider closing this powerful institution. My father, Raymond LeRoy Moon, was a basketball coach there upon his discharge from the Army serving in the Korean Conflict in 1956. We lived above one of the homes and I attended pre-school along with the residents of the school. Though I was young, I remember feeling safe in my surroundings, and that dear governor, is an extremely valuable commodity for any child. My dad always spoke of his first teaching job experience with great pride, and recalled student's names and events as if it were just yesterday. I'm sure many other former employees, teachers and houseparents carry the memories of a George or Arthur or Anita. And those young residents who have gone forward to lead productive lives have given testimony to the impact this home provided for them. Please keep this fine school and residence campus open.
I am a former member of the home. I was not happy when I first got there but it proved to be the best thing that ever happenend to me. Besides my wife, it has been the most positive influence in my life. I often wonder what path would I be walking today. Would I be a tax paying law abiding citizen (and voter Mr. Daniels). I just don't understand why the state thinks that it is so important to save a little money now. I implore you to think of these children. They are going to be taking care of the rest of us someday. EVERY child in this state needs to have the chance at a structured, loving, nourishing enviroment that forces these individuals to make something of themselves. There are so many programs that are avialable to students. I entered the home at the age of 16 and visited the dentist for the first time in my young life. When I went to school, I had teachers that cared. I had a Vocational instructor that was very interested in the way I learned . She taught me attention to detail. I had a teacher in Business Class that taught me how to act professional. I had houseparents that taught me respect and that I had to have my chores done on a timely basis everyday. I had an Art Teacher that beleived in me and gave me confidence. Everyone that I enteracted with taught me something positive during my short stay there. That is not to say that we didn't have bad times too, but we learned from them. So, I ask you Mr. Daniels, why would you deny a child to ability want to be a productive citizen. I would ask you to go and visit the Home and talk to everyone that lives and works there. I would then ask you to attend the Homecoming weekend and then make your decision. I think that you will find that there is a lot of love there. There are values that have been part of the Home's tradition of learning for lots of years now . You know after I met my wife, I found out that her grandmothers sisters were students at the Home and they told me about early morning chores, Sunday Chapel, the dances and other social gatherings. They agreed with me that it was one the most positive influences in their lives and they are glad they went there. I wish that there was something magical that I could say that would make our elected officials change their minds about closing our beloved Home. I would only ask that they look deep into their hearts and look deep into the eyes of those of us that feel that we benfited from the Home tremendously.
Military personal and their families should be supported and not tossed out to fend for themselves. We need to save the Indiana soldires and sailors childern's home, these kids are our future.
I am a single mother of three boys. I am in the military and called to travel to fulfill my next job no matter where the location. I was relying on this school to help assist my twins who have gone through military relocation their entire lives to provide them a sound education and routine therapy as they were diagnosed with ADD and ADHD when young.
My father was brought to the home in 1925 and graduated early in 1937. He never stopped talking about want the home had meant to him and how it had prepared him for his life. My husband and I made the trip to visit the home last fall. The kindness and time shown to us by Mr Kevin Porter,the principal of Morton High was wonderful. More important, however was the insight into the wonderful programs afforded the students who attend. These young people will leave the "home" as my father called it, with life and job skills that few high schools can match. Most impressive were the culinary, radio and print shop classes. It is also my understanding that some of these facilities are available to outside students. The closing of the ISSCH will be a sad day, not only for the students it now serves, but the future young people who are in desperate need of stability, and for the state of Indiana. I urge you to use whatever means possible to keep this fine institution open.
My father-in-law attended the Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home in the 1920's and 1930's. My wife and I just took a trip to Indiana and had a wonderful tour of the home and school. It should be protected as a historic monument. In addition, I am convinced that it is very beneficial for current students.
I'M a former graduate in 2007 at ISSCH. I don't think this is right it sounds like they're being punished for sucess and that is not the way to treat them. If this place shuts down the teachers and houseparents will be without jobs and the students that have nowhere to go will be out on the streets. I love everybody at ISSCH. They helped me succeed in to having a job and a good life. they took care of me like parents. Other students say that they don't like it there but I know deep down in there hearts they are very thankful that they are living life to the fullest. Please don't shut it down. this place means the whole world to everybody in it and to the alumni and american legion we have to fight for the right to keep this place open and to see that these students succeed and start living a good life
