watershed: a community church in Stoughton, Wisconsin

The March 5 edition of the Stoughton Hub has a great article about Eyes of Hope. Eyes of Hope serves young people in Stoughton, and was was born from the dreams of Amy & Jay Warner, who are part of the watershed family. It’s great to see the dreams of God coming to life through his people as they follow him.

New group focuses on teen involvement, connections
Girl-2-Girl program

by Autumn Drussell
Courier Hub Associate Editor

Creating a safe space for young people to discover their own voice and learn how to share it with the world: That’s the philosophy behind Eyes of Hope, a new organization created by Stoughton resident Amy Warner and her husband, Jay.

Warner has always worked with youth, whether through church, school or non-profit organizations. Most recently, she worked at the Stoughton Youth Center. Upon leaving last summer, Warner decided it was time to fulfill her dream of establishing a non-profit organization to continue helping youth after they no longer qualify for services at the center.

“I left the youth center in June and kept in touch with some of the girls who were in eighth grade,” Warner said. “Some of them showed up on my doorstep saying, ‘We’re bored!’” That was the catalyst she needed to get her first program going. Ever since, Warner, along with a few volunteers, has been meeting with a group of girls at her Stoughton home after school once a week.

“The idea is to meet with them once a week and discuss things that are relevant to their lives, whether its boys, relationships with family or friends, employment skills and really any topic they want to further explore,” said Warner. Recently the group has been discussing achievement, goal setting and life after high school.

“We’ve been talking with them about getting jobs, but without having cars, it’s tough,” said Warner. “But they are out there and trying. They are hopeful.”

The group averages between seven and eight, but Warner said they’ve had as many as 15. Because transportation to her home can be problematic for the youth - some walk, some get rides, or Warner’s daughter, Leah, a senior at Stoughton High School, helps out sometimes by providing rides for the girls back to her home.

Meetings typically begin around 4 p.m., and center on discussions, but also involve games, a snack, and homework time (for those who wish to stay later). They have even prepared and enjoyed meals together, said Warner.

The girls who come through her doors are from all walks of life and have diverse backgrounds.

“They are honest, open and they aren’t afraid to speak their minds,” said Warner, smiling. “They say what they think.”

She said the girls who come are typically ones who have not “found their connection,” such as athletics, arts related or otherwise. Some may have other interests, but because they are new to town, are wanting to meet people. Some, Warner added, have trouble fitting in.

“Hopefully Eyes of Hope can help them find and make those connections,” Warner said.

Markle, who, along with her husband, Tim, served as house parents at the Elizabeth House in Madison for several years, said she hopes the group gives the girls an opportunity to see that they can plan and set goals and they can achieve the goals they set.

“That’s where the being together and having those discussions helps,” she said. “It provides positive reinforcement for them.”

Warner said she has opened up her home to the girls because she wanted to provide them with a space where they could hang out and be themselves, talk peer-to-peer in a non-judgmental environment.

“Sometimes we just don’t give kids the chance to make the right choices,” she said. “Most of the time when they have the opportunity to talk it out with their peers, they make the right decisions.”

It also helps to be in a setting other than school, Warner noted.

“We hope here they can learn that its OK to walk away from something unresolved, without it being fixed,” said Markle. “We want to show them its good to stop and mull it over.”

Diamond Tribble, one of the Girls-2-Girls members, said she comes because “it’s an experience of life.” She said she only wishes the girls wouldn’t hold back. “I want more people to be honest. That’s why we’re here.”

Anna McGee, who was relatively new to Stoughton when she joined, said she came to have fun and meet more people.

“I wanted the chance to learn new things and (the girls) kept telling me I should join.”

 

McGee said she enjoys the kindness and caring she feels from Warner, Markle and her peers.

Leah said she has enjoyed getting to know the girls in her mother’s group, and participates as often as she can.

“I like that I can connect with them in a way I wouldn’t if I hadn’t met them - I didn’t know half of them until I (met them through my mom). It’s a deeper way to get to know someone,” said Leah.

“I like when we talk because I feel comfortable here,” added McGee. “I can be myself.”

Tribble said she enjoys the fact she can “be unique” with everyone in the group.

“I also like it when Amy cooks for us,” she said, smiling. “And I like learning new things.”

Girl-2-Girl has taken at least one trip and members participated in Victorian Holiday weekend.

“We went last fall to a horse farm by Janesville - we are hoping to be able to go back and ride the horses next time,” said Warner. “We also recently went to the Pops concert together as a group.”

This May Warner said she is hoping to take the girls on a retreat to Bethel Horizon - a peer mediation and retreat center near Dodgeville. There the girls can learn leadership and teamwork, participate in a ropes course, canoeing and other team-building activities.

Warner said they would soon begin fundraising for the trip, but hope a grant the girls wrote - with the help of Warner - will help fund the majority of the expenses for the retreat. Warner said the group is looking to explore monthly “themes” or having one topic to discuss each month. They’ve also talked about connecting with another group of girls, hoping to be a positive influence.

One step in that direction is a movie event the girls are planning in conjunction with the Stoughton Public Library, set for March 9 at 7 p.m. The event is free. According to Tracy Markle, one of the volunteers with Girl-2-Girl, said they showed the girls a movie that carried a message of thinking of others before themselves.

“We showed them this movie, called A Walk to Beautiful,” and some of the girls started crying,” Markle said. The documentary tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and are rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities. Left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame, they make the choice to take the long journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life.

“Instantly the girls were hyped up and wanted to do something,” Markle said. “They wanted to try to raise funds for the group in Ethiopia, but we encouraged them to start local.

Other programs planned for this year, according to Warner, include HopeLeaders, a community service-based program where teens serve the community in a variety of settings. Part of the program will have teens receiving tutoring, job skill training, and encouragement towards graduation and steps to avoid negative activities.

Sponsor-a-Masterpiece will provide young people with a chance to explore the arts through private lessons in music, dance, drama, art or another medium. “Sometimes it’s harder for people to have those chances,” said Warner.

In creating Eyes of Hope, Warner said she is ultimately hoping to fill a void and continue services for teens once they no longer qualify for services at the Stoughton Youth Center.

That means offering youth (girls and boys) with after school and summer programs focusing on academic and social development, as well as encourage them to contribute to their community and the world. The girls hope to open their group up to even more of their peers and find new ways to serve the community and learn.

Both Markle and Warner said it would be nice for the organization to grow to a point they can’t meet in Warner’s home anymore.

“It’s been awesome meeting here - but it would be equally as nice to be too big to meet here,” said Markle, laughing.

Warner is just thrilled at the accomplishment of getting her group off the ground - and is waiting for her 501C3 (non-profit status) paperwork to come back to her.

Now she is hoping more people will participate - whether through membership, financial contributions or volunteering.

“When they learn about the group and what we are doing, I’ve had some people just hand me money,” said Warner, laughing. “And that, of course, has been great.”

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Eyes of Hope organization, please visit or send a check to Home Savings Bank in Stoughton with Eyes of Hope in the memo line. To volunteer or learn more about the group, contact Warner at 630-7684. 

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