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CHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Fans Help Serve Children's Homes Through Player-Waiter Auction

November 26, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN, Miss.—Last week, the RiverKings raised more than $1,500 for the DeSoto Sunrise Homes through a Player-Waiter dinner at Ben's Place restaurant and apron auction. This week, the Sunrise Homes will finish their fundraising drive by selling tickets to the Dec. 6 game against the Indianapolis Ice.

The Player-Waiter dinner, in which the team did double duty as celebrity hosts and waiters, raised more than $850 in food and tips for the children's organization. The players' aprons, which included the RiverKings logo, the player's number and his signature, almost doubled that amount.

This week, the Sunrise Homes are raising money and awareness by selling tickets to the game. Fifty percent of the ticket price will go to the Sunrise Homes, which help children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or lack of adequate coping skills.

"It's operated closely to a foster home environment," Director of Operations Shane Robbins said. "It is home for many of the girls. They come from very dysfunctional families. Many of them come from an environment where they have been neglected or abused. We have counselors in the home who help them develop coping skills to deal with some of the issues in their lives within a safe and structured Christian environment, so they may become emotionally healthy, productive adults."

The DeSoto Sunrise Home for Girls celebrated its 22nd anniversary in March. The facility serves as home to as many as 11 girls at a time who have experienced emotional and/or behavior problems at home, school or in the community as a result of abuse, neglect or lack of adequate coping skills.

"We're an inter-denominational organization," Robbins said. "We provide access to Christian services. We want to see the girls grow to maximize their potential, not only emotionally, intellectually and physically, but also morally. There's a tendency among girls who come from these types of environments to seek out relationships with abusive males, to have unplanned pregnancies and to end up on government welfare. We're trying to break that cycle."

The Girls' home provides a structured and positive living environment, behavioral management, social skills training, anger management and self-esteem building. The program provides physical activities, exposure to cultural places and events, and social work services for the girls.

The program includes collaboration with Communicare in Northern Mississippi for psychiatric evaluations and medication management, and with Christian Counseling Ministries of Southaven for individual, group and family counseling.

OTHER MINISTRIES

Another branch of the Sunrise Homes ministries is the DeSoto Sunrise Emergency Shelter. This children's crisis care center provides 12 beds for children ages birth to 18. Children are placed in the home by Department of Human Services when they are taken out of their homes until a more permanent home can be found for them.

The emergency shelter, located in Horn Lake, serves an average of 100 children per year. Last year the shelter housed 113 children and will exceed that number this year. It is the only center of its kind in Northeast Mississippi and only one of two in the entire state.

The Homes' thrift store ministry recently moved to Stateline Road in Southaven. It helps the Homes with fundraising efforts, as funding from the Department of Human Services and the county only makes up 40 percent of their total budget.

"People aren't just getting a good deal on books or clothes or appliances—we have everything there, and much of it is really nice—they are helping operate these programs," Robbins said. "Only 40 percent of our revenue is provided for. We have to raise the other 60 percent. We really appreciate families and individuals using that as a resource and in turn, helping us."

To buy tickets and help the Sunrise Homes, call Shane Robbins at Christian Counseling Ministries at 662-342-0155.

· Who: DeSoto Sunrise Homes

· What: selling tickets to the Memphis RiverKings home game. Fifty percent of each ticket sale benefits the Sunrise Homes.

· When: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:05 p.m.

· Where: the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven

· How to get more information or tickets: Call Shane Robbins at Christian Counseling Ministries at 662-342-0155.



Central Hockey League Stories from November 26, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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