A not so brief history of The Life Center. It reads best from bottom to top, so scroll down.
**********************Summer 2017
TLC survived Irma!
The 4th annual TLC Banquet was a huge success! Grace World Outreach Church provided the facilities. About 140 people enjoyed a buffet dinner.
100+ Women WhoCare Nature Coast awarded TLC this money.
Epsilon Epsilon Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority also blessed TLC financially.
***********************Spring 2017
About 65 volunteers from Keller Williams showed up recently for their Red Day
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On 4/18/17 the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority held their Founder’s Day Banquet. This year they were able to raise $1,000 for The Life Center of Hernando.
Crosspoint Church came to TLC March 25, 2017 to clean up and paint.
++++++++++++++++Winter 2016
Tone U Gym brought Christmas to TLC this year.
Christmas came early to TLC this year when Lowes delivered new appliances.
++++++++++++++++Fall 2016
Cloverleaf presented a whole stage full of hygiene items and a cash donation.
TLC has been open 3 ½ years .
We have housed 29 families which included 28 kids and 12 pregnant women.
> Our preschoolers have a fenced playground.
> We have support staff on site almost daily
> Our well has a new tank
> Our roof is not in danger of being crushed by a falling branch
> Our A/C works
> We participate in community events and do invitational speaking
> All of our moms stay busy in school, working or enrolled
> Four Moms have been reunited with their children following DCF involvement
> Our moms completed a CPR and Infant First Aide as well as hurricane preparedness
> We have a van and a driver
> We offer Life Skill classes several times a week
> We created a boutique where residents can purchase items using TLC dollars they have earned.
> Residents are involved in community service (giving back)THANK YOU HERNANDO COUNTY!
***********************Summer 2016
Did you ever wonder how TLC is funded? Here is one way. Larry from Vanscarsandtrucks tells the story:
I knew we had a good seed of an idea with the July 4 Hot Dog/Drink fundraiser. We needed a worthy organization to be the recipient. TLC fulfilled that role in spades.
********************Spring 2016
This spring the residents at TLC requested a CPR class. On Thursday, March 10TH Dan Santana from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office came to TLC to facilitate that class.
************************Winter 2015
Evangeline Reid as the new TLC Chairman of the Board.
One Sunday in November we were blessed to attend a baby shower hosted by 2 residents for a third resident who is due 12/1/15
Exciting news when Larry Van Fossen announced he would soon be able to deliver a van to TLC. Our residents will have wheels!
About 20 volunteers from Sun Coast Credit Union came to TLC on Saturday to help us expand our efforts in the community.
**************************Fall 2015
Kit Raymond and Ken Santuchi celebrate the completion of the new floor project in our second building.
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 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/
***************************Winter 2014
Chick in the Wind provided a second annual Christmas party for the children at TLC.
TLC collected, paired, banded, and bagged over 2500 pairs of old shoes for a fund raiser. First United Methodist Church lent their awesome support.
TLC began it new Legacy Society while continuing to accept monthly pledges and one time gifts.
***************************Fall 2014
Ruth Mendez became TLC’s newest housemother.
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 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.
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.
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 noon on 12/20/12 we held our official Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting ceremony. It was extremely well attended and very successful.
We have a facility!! The Life Center and Turning Point Church signed a Cooperation Agreement to outline the basic start-up housing program for young mothers with possible daycare options. Turning Point will be responsible for providing space for a dedicated home and use of other church property as it is needed/available. The Life Center will be responsible for the programming as a whole. The Life Center will have financial responsibilities for the program. Turning Point will be involved in the program, especially in the area of spiritual discipleship. This agreement is expected to be for a minimum of 3 years to begin with.






****************************************** July 18, 2009
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 has 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
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
Roberta Cummings and Barbara Lemoine were volunteering at Baby Love in Spring Hill, FL. Baby Love was 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. *******************************************