BY EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
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IF YOU GO |
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The anniversary event starts at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 27 with a prayer service at 5:30 p.m.This will be followed by a prime rib and chicken dinner. The dinner program will feature past and present directors, alumni of the Lodge and friends. The cost is $35 per person. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 781-1214. Sept. 23 is the deadline to purchase tickets.
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COLD SPRING -- More than 1,500 boys have passed through the Campbell Lodge Boys' Home since its inception 40 years ago. Many of those are expected to return Sept. 27 for an anniversary event.
The home's founder in 1958, the Rev. Ray Nieman, now of Florida, will return to discuss the history of the residence, which is designed to provide a place for neglected or dependent teen-age males who are without homes or who could not successfully function in their normal settings. "We really identify and encourage their strengths," said Michael Schroth, the new executive director of the lodge.
Mr. Schroth is the fifth person to serve as the executive director of the lodge, affiliated with the Diocese of Covington. "I really felt like it was a time in my career where I could take Campbell Lodge into the new millennium and do some neat things," said Mr. Schroth, who previously spent eight years at the Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky.
Today, about 22 boys, many considered at risk, live at the lodge five days a week and go home on the weekends. The lodge can house up to 36 boys and the average length of stay is 12 to 18 months. The youth at the lodge, located near Cold Spring, come from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. "It's open to everybody," said Dino DiStasi, chair of the anniversary program and a board member of the lodge. "Today, it's (mostly) recommendations through the court system." He added, "trying to develop the boys to develop their own skills to get back on their feet" and help them be self-sufficient are two priorities of the lodge.
One of Mr. Schroth's goals is to mold stronger families. "Most of the boys we have here have families that are supportive of them," but he wants the family to be more involved in on-site counseling.
