Residents from the Hope House, a Marsing, Idaho, facility that provides a home to children from failed adoptions, sang Christmas carols during the Baker Rotary Club meeting Monday morning, Dec. 6, at the Baker Tower.

The Baker City Rotary Club welcomed guests from Idaho’s Hope House Home for Children at the club’s meeting Monday afternoon, Dec. 6 at the Baker Tower.

The Hope House choir sang Christmas carols as well as the facility’s theme song, “Every Child (Deserves a Home).

Hope House founder Donnalee Velvick told Rotary Club members that the home, in Marsing, is designed to give children a place where they feel safe, are healthy, and know they are valued.

“For me, 49 years ago, I was one of the kids,” Velvick said.

She said she grew up in an orphanage for a while and then lived with many different foster families.

“They were all very kind to me and so there was an in-born desire for kids to have an actual address,” Velvick said. “So when I was 31, I was finally able to get that started.”

According to the Hope House’s mission statement, it provides “a home for children who are emotionally impaired, developmentally disabled, and/or come from disrupted adoptions or dysfunctional families.”

There is no charge for children to live at the Hope House, which is licensed by the Idaho Department of Education.

Hope House is a nonprofit, faith-based organization that accepts no local, state or federal money, except what is paid as benefits to its resident children.

Velvick said the facility is Christian-based, but emphasizes what it offers to children.

“We’ve always felt that sharing our faith in the simplest way, by our lives, was going to be the best way to let people know about us,” she said.

Jay Multanen, a member of the Boise Sunrise Rotary Club, said the Hope House is his favorite charity.

“It is a group home in Marsing, Idaho, and it’s a home for children to come to,” said Multanen, who attended the Baker Rotary Club’s meeting. “So these are children who have fallen through the cracks of the federal foster care program. Many of them have come from multiple failed adoptions and they end up at the Hope House.”

Hope House is home to about 80 residents, including 25 of high school age, as well as some adults who are not able to live on their own.

Residents are from across the U.S. Many were born outside the country and were involved in failed adoptions.

“They can come having been born in Russia, Mexico, India, China, Africa, all over,” Velvick said. “51% of our kids were born somewhere else and brought by their adoptive families to us eventually.”

Hope House also provides a home for children from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Arizona.

“And they come and they grow up with us and we try to give them the best we can,” Velvick said.

According to the Hope House website — www.ahome2come2.com — “Hope House will strive to ensure that the emotional and social needs of all children and youths are met. To this end, Hope House contracts with appropriate Psychiatric, Psychological, Social Work, and Counseling professionals for all children and youths needing these services. Hope House also provides activities and outings designed to provide for the development of appropriate social skills.”

Velvick said Hope House staff try to get in touch with adoptive parents at least once a year to give them a chance to visit with their child. Most say no and even refuse the phone calls the Hope House places, she said.

Velvick said three children who lived at Hope House later moved to Baker City.

The Baker City Rotary Club learned about the Hope House when club members attended a Lobster Fest fundraiser to support activities across the region.

“My club solicited their club for help to go out to the Hope House’s campus in Marsing to plant trees, and Baker City wanted to know more about them and be involved,” said Multanen, from the Boise Sunrise Rotary Club.

Anthony Bailey, president of the Baker City Rotary Club, said local Rotarians plan to become more involved in other projects benefiting the Hope House.

“You just see the kids and you see there’s hope and that’s what it’s all about,” Bailey said.

The Hope House is in need of staff for different positions, including people to work with the kids, kitchen staff, those who can organize recreation and sports, a handyman/woodworker, and night duty person for the girls’ home.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Hope House can visit their website, www.ahome2come2.com.

Their website has different options for how people can help through donations or employment.

The Baker City Rotary is also looking for members. Anyone who is interested in the Rotary Club can attend their meetings generally held at the Baker Tower on Mondays at noon.

“We are engaged in a lot of projects if they want to be involved,” Bailey said.