SIDNEY — Chad Gessler was the guest speaker at the Aug. 30 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Sidney.
Gessler is the executive director of Clear Creek Farm. He was born and raised in Sidney and is a 1992 graduate of Sidney High School. He was a member of the U.S. Army from 1992-95. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 2000 with a degree in social work. He worked as a probation officer for the Juvenile Court for 10 years and, after serving on the Board of Directors for Clear Creek, became executive director in 2011.
Clear Creek Farm was founded in 1984 with the financial support of Paul G. Duke, Gessler said. The property currently encompasses 77 acres, with the first house being completed in 1984, and the second house, in 1986. The mission is to provide a loving home for children to develop spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially and morally as part of a caring family.
House 1 is where the Lodge Program resides. This program started in 2011 and is primarily focused on accepting adolescents who are in need of intense group home services with a shorter length of stay. The program is a three-step process of approximately 60 days at each status level. The home is staffed by a rotating pool of house managers. Some of the goals in this program are to teach the children respect, responsibility, work ethics and individual living skills.
House 2 operates as a family-styled unit for eight to 10 kids, cared for by house parents 24 hours a day. Children are expected to participate in the family unit by doing chores and sharing responsibilities, helping with meals, doing their own laundry and grocery shopping. They enjoy spiritual, as well as recreational, activities together as a family and learn to support one another.
Children are placed at the home through children’s services agencies, Juvenile Court probation and private families. The children are typically socially or physically orphaned, neglected or abused, lack proper parental care and are ages 6 to 17.
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