A not so brief history of The Life Center. It reads best from bottom to top, so scroll down.
**************************Fall 2015
House Manager, Ruth Mendez, got married 8/7/15. Many new volunteers joined TLC over the summer. TLC is seeking new House Manager, grant writer and PR representative. Also looking for experienced Board Members.
Ed Finertie and his all female crew hard at work
TLC dedicated the property on Corliss “To the glory of God and the memory of Ed Finertie“. A dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Aug 18 honored Ed.
**************************Summer 2015
Patti Stepbach and Robin Cook
Patti Stepbach was awarded the Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hero Award for her backpack project, Operation Heartfelt. Patti was awarded $50,000 to share with her favorite charities. She chose The Arc Nature Coast and TLC.
***************************Spring 2015
Vineyard Church send over volunteers to minister to the residents, repair the floors and check the A/C heating unit. http://vineyardchristianchurch.info/
Vineyard Church Sent Volunteers
***************************Winter 2014
Christmas blessings come to TLC
Chick in the Wind provided a second annual Christmas party for the children at TLC.
TLC collected shoes to help the less fortunate.
TLC collected, paired, banded, and bagged over 2500 pairs of old shoes for a fund raiser. First United Methodist Church lent their awesome support.
Leave a legacy for the next generation
TLC began it new Legacy Society while continuing to accept monthly pledges and one time gifts.
***************************Fall 2014
Ruth Mendez Housemother
Ruth Mendez became TLC’s newest housemother.
Money!
The Hernando County Board of Commissioners recommended TLC for a $5,000 reimbursement grant for educational materials for both adult and toddler residents. A good samaritan fronted the money so TLC could utilize the grant money.
People Helping people eat better
People Helping People began working with TLC to help meet the nutritional needs for our residents.
TLC did some remodeling to create three individual bedrooms in our newly acquired building.
Board member Robin Cook and his wife Mary
Jerry Boutot Web Consulting Services
Jerry Boutot of AppDataWorks supports TLC with an invitation to speak during the WWJB AM radio 1450 show he hosts. Jerry also rescued TLC’s website and helped us learn WordPress.
Cupcakes donated by The Butterfly Bakery
Juggling babies!
From Left: TLC members Kit Raymond & Barbara Lemoine enjoying the festivities with Brianna and Ashley – former TLC residents and their children.
Belk’s supports TLC through their Charity Sale. They say, “Shop, Save, and Support Education, Woman’s Health and Community.”
Suntrust Bank picked TLC for a day of volunteering. They came and repaired a soft spot in our ramp and did some much needed painting.
At Glen Lakes Garden Club Annual Luncheon & Fashion Show, April 4, TLC was honored to be their “Charity of the Year for 2014.”
TLC logo
Now people live there!
At noon on 12/20/12 we held our official Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting ceremony. It was extremely well attended and very successful.
![540208_10151079412063835_521643834_13141067_1734035651_n[1] (1)](http://lifecenterofhernando.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/540208_10151079412063835_521643834_13141067_1734035651_n1-1.jpg)
Pastor Joey Heidler is add to the board.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King! The sounds of music were in the air. Or as one man put it, “You have brought music into my home.” The occasion was The Life Center’s annual Christmas caroling event. Started as a means of sharing Christmas cheer with house bound individuals, it has grown each year. This year there were approximately 18 carolers ranging from preschool age to retirement age. We car pooled from home to home bringing cheer to those folks who needed a little special seasonal joy. We brought music, cookies, and handmade cards. The cards were made especially for the event by a local first grade class. At one home, all the neighbors came over and joined in the fun. The group of carolers was made up of participants of both our cooking class and our divorce care for kids class. There were also board members, single moms with their children, friends, family and neighbors. After the caroling, this very diverse group traveled to our party location where we all filled up on Christmas treats and got better aquatinted. Mary Kay schenk expressed an interest in helping TLC and was told she would be considered for the volunteer position of future housemother.
The Life Center kicked off its Financial Planning series on Oct. 14, 2010 at the Palmwood Builders model center in Spring Hill. Several young women attended and brought their moms to participate in the life skills workshop. Suncoast Federal Credit Union provided workbooks to guide the session, covering a range of relevant topics including goal-setting, credit, budgeting, and investing. Participants practiced identifying wants and needs while crafting “S.M.A.R.T” financial goals. Facilitator Phil Marina encourages interested young adults to decide what they want to gain from the series so that they may benefit to the maximum from each lesson. Christina, a single mom who attended with her mother, shared enthusiastically that the workshop and the high-quality home in which it was hosted inspired her with renewed motivation to succeed at her career goals for nursing. Many participants left armed with a better plan of how to reach their financial objectives to make a wise and solid path for themselves. Board member Teresa Glover remarked that even though she knew a good deal about basic financial principles, “I still gained some new insights and clarity for achieving success in my finances.” Further workshops will continue the discussion of life skills for independence and financial responsibility. Our thanks to board member Teresa Glover for arranging for TLC to use these beautiful facilities.
Life Center board members and volunteers gathered with young women from the community to enjoy a night of Latin cooking and strategize. Board member Silvia Vadell taught the group how to cook authentic Venezuelan “arepas”- corn meal patties stuffed with meat and vegetables. Savory aroma filled the kitchen as participants practiced basic cooking techniques and learned budget-savvy ways to prepare wholesome meals. Mandy, a local young single mom, worked side by side both learning and teaching other women to prepare “arroz con gandules,” Spanish rice with pigeon peas. Participants built cross-generational relationships while laughing and savoring the fun of new skills and tastes. The cooking workshop created an atmosphere that fostered supportive mentoring relationships. When the corn patties were golden and the cooks were satisfied with their creations, everyone surrounded the dining table and shared mutual delight in the results of their culinary experience.
Board members Barbara Lemoine and Chantelle Kelly visited the Alpha House in Tampa. Their goal was to learn more about the Alpha House and take a tour of that residential facility for pregnant women. They know pregnant homeless women from Hernando County are often referred there since Hernando County does not have a residential facility of its own for these moms and infants.
TLC worked with the students of Springfield College on a power point presentation/fund raiser for TLC.
Joe Musser pries rotted wood under Little House
Long before The Life Center and Turning Point Church of The Nazarene knew about each other, there was an article in Hernando Today By Tony Holt. Excerpts follow. “Here, we have a core group of people who are passionate about helping people,” Heidler said Saturday over the loud sounds of a hammer pounding against plywood. “We are able to plan it from the beginning.” Technically, the volunteers are not starting from scratch. A house was built five years ago next to Turning Point Nazarene on Ingram Street in Brooksville. The builders never finished. The drywall was exposed. The plumbing and electrical wiring were installed, but not running. The wood rotted and the center of the house appeared as if it would collapse at any moment. The only stable section was the roof. “We’ve still got a ways to go on it,” Heidler said. The house, once finished, will be used as a transitional residence for those homeless or semi-homeless families in the community, church members said. It will have three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. A washer and dryer will be located in the front porch. Heidler took a deep breath before he mentioned the deadline. “We’re running a little slow, but we’re hoping for October.” Joe Musser, who is in his early 30s, has been at the church since he was barely able to walk. He has one of the longest memberships at the church, but ironically he remains one of the youngest at Turning Point. He has done a lot of the renovations alongside Heidler. “October of 2009?” he asked the pastor with a deliberate, puzzled look. “Yes, this October,” answered Heidler. There are less than 60 members at Turning Point and most of them are seniors. Heidler is actively recruiting more for his congregation and he is hoping to lure more families and young adults. “We have some ladies at this church and if they were 20 years younger, they would be here swinging a hammer,” the pastor said. To help with the renovations, congregation members at other local Protestant churches have offered assistance. Heidler refuses to let religious feuds fester among those Christians who volunteer. If he sees them during the week and not on days of worship, he doesn’t mind. “If someone wants to help us and then go back to their churches on Sundays, that’s fine with me,” he said. There is more to Turning Point than a small church and a future transitional home. On the premises is a new computer lab. Those who are out of work and who need to search for jobs can use one of the dozen or so computers with Internet access, Heidler said. Turning Point Nazarene, which is not its original name, was started more than 50 years ago by the late Asa Groves, who held services under his carport. It never grew substantially, but it did enough so that an actual church could be built less than 100 yards from U.S. 41. Dave Herbertson is a member at Turning Point. He has attended several Nazarene churches throughout his life – some large, some small. He said he was particularly inspired with the one in Brooksville. He was one of the volunteers working on the house Saturday morning. “We don’t have much money,” Herbertson said. “We’re not all that big, but I know good things are going to happen for us. Something’s definitely happening.” ************************** Nov. 2008 Several activities discussed, but not carried out including a celebrity dinner and short film. Logo is still under consideration. ****************************************** August 2008 
New vision and mission statements accepted by the TLC board. ****************************************** July 2008 Teresa Glover was installed as a board member. Kids Central advised TLC it did not need a new residential group home. ****************************************** May 2008 Bank balance is now $1,466. All board members read and signed the required Conflict of Interest policy. 
Barbara Lemoine met with Pastor Frank Prestigiacomo of Grace World Outreach Church to made an effort to connect TLC with a man who had land to donate. He gave TLC his approval to discuss TLC with church attendees. ****************************************** Jan. 2008 The board is still considering working with DCF to provide homes for foster children. ****************************************** November 2007 Bank balance is now $884. TLC now has a CH # which must appear on all written material for fund raising. TLC has its first vehicle donation. We are still looking into ways to obtain real-estate. Volunteers Chet Steele and Chantelle Kelly will begin working on a logo. ****************************************** August 2007 TLC participated in the Macy’s fund raiser and made $55. ****************************************** April 2007 
Linda Sacca and Barbara Lemoine met and successfully completed all the necessary filings including an IRS 990EZ. ****************************************** March 2007 All financial records were inadvertently thrown out. Linda Sacca will attempt to recreate records. Carolyn Timmons organized a second successful fund raising pageant for TLC. Gloria West-Lawson with Fostering Hope Florida as offered to help TLC when possible. 
****************************************** Oct. 2006 501(c)3 Arrived. TLC is effectively a recognized nonprofit retroactive to 2/14/2002. Still chasing shadows and running down blind allies in an attempt to find a home base/receive grant money. The Life Center Vehicle Donations program started. ******************************************July 2006 Pastor Sheldon Wood’s whereabouts remain unknown. It was decided to drop him from the board. ******************************************Feb. 2006 It is decided that Board members should have the option of being involved in the daily operations with accessibility to every aspect of the facility. ****************************************** August 2005 
Volunteer Linda Sacca is now a member of the board and holds the position of treasurer. Linda states, ” I will do my duty with sincere obligations, to see that The Life Center of Hernando will indeed become a reality. It is a much needed facility and with God’s help we will succeed.” ***************************************** July 2005 TLC has a document locator number for their 501(c)3. ****************************************** June 2005 The final entries to the 501(c)3 were made. There are currently 140 people on the e-mailing list. ****************************************** May 2005 
Barbara Lemoine and Chantelle Kelly begin the process of reapplying for the 501(c)3. ****************************************** March 2005 Dr. Woods has vanished without a word. It may be a military decision. No record of our original 501(c)3 filing can be found. That together with other incidences, led the board to believe we should distance ourselves from a former board member. We supplied the IRS with a letter of explanation and were cleared of all wrong doings. We have now identified and eliminated the problem. ******************************* April 2004 
Dr. Ballard resigned from the Board. Ken Lendt resigned as treasurer. Chantelle Kelly and Barbara Lemoine began working on policies and procedures. TLC now has $404 in the checking account. ****************************************** Sept. 2003 Ned Mitenius of Periscope Consulting graciously donated a large amount of his time to create a new website for TLC. ***************************************** July 2003 Members of the TLC board met with representatives from Volunteers of America. They were interested in lending a helping hand to TLC in terms of doing research to locate other similar agencies. There are now 107 people on our email newsletter list. 45 of those are committed prayer partners. Five local professionals contacted TLC to volunteer their services. Now we just need a facility! ****************************************** May 2003 We welcomed Pam Hargraves and Debby Fries as our first official prayer partners. Dr. Ballard was invited to speak to the leadership of the local Ministerial Association on May 27th. on behalf of TLC. Two new board members were added: Chantelle Kelly and Dr. Preston Wood. The entire board is determined to do God’s will. TLC became an affiliate with The United Christian Fellowship of Social Services Church. TLC board visited Joshua House a residential facility for youth in Lutz, FL. 
The search for land and funding continues to take us down many slippery slopes all of which ended in disappointment. ***************************************** April 2003 
Still rushing to open each new door that presents itself. But behind each door is a false lead. The desire to “do something” is still very strong. ****************************************** March 2003 Carolyn Timmons arranged a fashion show in Brooksville as a fund raiser. ****************************************** Feb. 2003 We are exploring many new avenues in an effort to “do something”. In the end, each of these ideas will be discarded and we will return to the original vision of helping young single moms. ****************************************** Dec. 2002 Dr. Ballard began offering Biblical counseling services along with a lay counseling course. Some of the money from that course will be donated to The Life Center. ***************************************** October 2002 
We are walking by faith. Nothing we can see yet. 11Samuel 7:27 says, “I will build thee a house.” This is the promise we are holding onto. We are determined to be fiscally accountable with Ken Lendt’s help. We are fine tuning the Mission and Vision statements. We set up our first website with a donation button. ****************************************** September 2002 
We finally have our 501(c)3 papers ready to file and the money to pay filing fees. We had over 15 new responses from a program called Volunteermatch. That is a program that matches people from all over to volunteer opportunities. TLC had requested help raising funds. Each volunteer was given the opportunity to help, but none did. Carolyn Timmons did a TV profile in Crystal River for a local Christian network. In it she asked for funds for The Life Center. ***************************************** May 2002 Dr. Kevin Ballard applied for and was awarded a $250 start-up grant from the O’Brien Enrichment Foundation on behalf of The Life Center. There were now 32 interested people on our email newsletter list. Ken Lendh and Barbara Lemoine met with a member of SCORE to develop a business plan. Barbara’s explanation that the financial plan was based almost entirely on faith was not well received. ****************************************** April 2002 Ken Lendh from Northcliffe Baptist Church donated a computer. He then volunteered to help set up TL’s accounting system. We began looking for a location where we could fulfill the vision God had given us. We printed our first flyer. ****************************************** March 2002 The Life Center held its first fund raiser at Golden Corral in Brooksville. The funds raised ($136) were enough to cover the cost of applying for our non-profit 501(c)3 status. Carolyn Timmons was the speaker that evening and she spoke with deep conviction about how we must help today’s youth. Pastor David Garcia spoke on the youth of today. TLC now has EIN number and Incorporation papers. There was an article in Scene Magazine about The Life Center. ******************************************* Feb. 2002 Second board meeting of TLC. Roberta Cummings resigned for personal reasons. TLC opened its first bank account. ******************************************* Jan . 2002 
Dr. Kevin Ballard, Carolyn Timmons, Roberta Cummings and Barbara Lemoine agreed to start a non-profit faith based agency in Hernando County with the stated purpose being to minister to the community in need, especially youth. The first officers were elected. The first order of business was to visit Green Isle a residential facility in Clermont, FL. ******************************************* October 2001 
Carolyn Timmons and Barbara Lemoine visited the teen parenting class at Hernando High to determine the special needs, wants and desires of young moms. The students cited have a telephone and a homey atmosphere as being very important to them. They stressed the importance of having the sense of a family and stated they would be willing to share a bedroom with another mom, but not a bathroom. They asked questions about the policies regarding boyfriends and going out. ******************************************* Fall of 2001 
The first person to hear about this new vision was Carolyn Timmons who responded with great enthusiasm. In this way The Life Center was born, altho it didn’t yet have a name. ******************************************* Summer and Fall of 2001
Baby Love
Roberta Cummings and Barbara Lemoine were volunteering at Baby Love in Spring Hill, Fl. Baby Love is a pregnancy crisis center. Moms who had received help durning their pregnancy years before were returning with their grown daughters who were then pregnant. This was a disturbing pattern. They prayerfully considered the best approach to ending this sort of cycle. Their conclusion was to reach out to a mom at the time her baby was born and provide a comprehensive program for both her and her child that would be life changing. Thus began the TLC story. *******************************************
