"Volunteers Show True Meaning of Community Support"
Wendy Culverwell, Klamath Falls Herald & News

CHILOQUIN, OR - C.A. Clifton wouldn't have minded spending Saturday - opening day of fishing season in some places - with a fishing rod and reel in his hand. Instead, he picked up a hammer and joined dozens of fellow volunteers working on a building that will allow the Kleos Children's Community to eventually take in 10 or so extra youth. "I'd love to be fishing," admitted Clifton, a Modoc Point resident and one-time steel worker. But he didn't mind spending his day affixing siding to exterior walls. "It's a good cause...I'm happy to do it," he said, glancing toward the Williamson River, which flows briskly past the site where the 5800 square foot residence is sprouting. The Williamson doesn't open for a few weeks yet, but other area rivers opened to anglers.

As recently as Thursday, the construction site was a bare patch of land. Volunteers, under the direction of developer Mel Stewart, stormed the property Thursday; by Saturday the entire first floor had been framed and work had begun on the second. Stewart said the exterior shell will be finished in a matter of days. The interior is another matter. Attempting to avoid debt, Gordon Hankins, Kleos' executive director and founder, said the project will proceed as the non-profit organization can pay for it. A major fund-raising campaign is in the offing, he promised. "This will probably be a nine month project", he predicted.

When it opens, the Trish Sullivan Home will allow Kleos to bring 10 more children to the community. The come will also contain three apartments for single staff members, as well as for parents who come to participate in training sessions.

"The hardest part of my job is the children we can't take," he said. Trish Sullivan, for whom the home is named, is a good example. A troubled girl from a good family in Klamath Falls, Trish had expressed a desire to live at Kleos, but Kleos had to turn her down. Trish later ran away to San Francisco, where she died almost a year ago under mysterious circumstances. She was 15.

Hankins worked closely with the girl's family, which approved a brochure detailing her life that Kleos intends to send to supporters. He said there are literally hundreds of girls like Trish Sullivan who need a place like Kleos, a long-term residence where children and youth learn to change how they think about themselves.

Saturday, however was not a day for brooding. It was a day for celebrating as volunteers from area churches flocked to lend their support. Hankins said he was thrilled so many people would give up a glorious day to pound nails. Waving at the crowded upper floor, where volunteers tapped down subflooring, he was all smiles. "All those guys donating their time, it's sacred and awesome," he marveled.

Ernie Myers, a resource teacher at Altamont School, not only volunteered his time, he crammed his schedule at work so he could get Friday off. "I love doing this," he said, calling it a form of self-therapy. He said he often spends time in the summer working with Mel Stewart, who leads volunteer construction efforts for charitable organizations.

Kleos, located north of Upper Klamath Lake with a view of Mt. McLaughlin, currently serves 24 children and a staff of 14 Houseparents, teachers and so forth. Hankins said he has to turn away about 15 children a month.

The minimum stay at Kleos is 18 months. The longest a child has stayed in the facility's eight year history is five years. One of Hankins' favorite success stories is of a girl who arrived at the age of 14, already the veteran of several pregnancies and seemingly destined to become a prostitute. The Kleos staff learned that she once had dreamed of being a pediatrician and honed in on it. Now the girl is a top notch student with a shot at attending the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The floor beams used in the Sullivan Home were donated eight years ago and have been in storage, awaiting this auspicious occasion. Supply One provided the remainder of the materials below-cost. Hankins and his wife designed the building. An architect and engineer in Seattle provided services for free.

Return to

Home Page

Welcome  |  Kids  |  Campus  |  Mission  |  Community

Ways to Help!  |  Fundraising  |  Employment  |  Kleos Store  |  What's New