The Link

3/13/2013
HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICE

Entertainment by local comedians Jim Kuddes, Don Bowen, Daniel Christensen, and Jeff Castle will make an unforgettable evening at the 2013 Jefferson House Comedy Night, an event full of fun, food and laughter. "Stand Up and Cheer for Kids" is the theme of this fundraiser to support children from Dodge County and surrounding areas who are sheltered at the Jefferson House Children's Emergency Shelter in Fremont. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. on April 6, 2013, at the Midland University Hopkins Arena, 900 North Clarkson in Fremont, NE. Guests will enjoy cocktails, heavy appetizers, a live and silent auction and hilarious entertainment. Individual tickets are $50 per person ($25 tax-deductible) and $600 for tables of eight with sponsor recognition. To make a reservation, call Devon Adams at (402) 552-7418 or purchase online at http://bit.ly/HFSJeffersonHouseComedyNight

Honorary co-chairs for the event are Gary and Michelle Wiese and Eric and Jena Seitz. Michele Missel is president of the Jefferson House Advisory Board. Funds raised for Comedy Night will help support the kids at the Jefferson House, which provides residential safety to children birth to age 18 who are removed from their homes for alleged neglect or abuse. Group Home services are provided to youth ages 12-18 years who require intensive care and supervision to meet their physical, emotional and psychological needs.

Prior to opening the Jefferson House, children in the area who required out-of-home placement were sent an hour or more outside of Fremont for these services. Now the Fremont location allows children from Dodge County and the surrounding area to attend their home school and continue to be near familiar people and surroundings. In addition, the recent renovations to the building have provided additional services to help at-risk families and youth in the surrounding counties.

The Jefferson House was founded, built and is supported by an advisory board of residents in the Fremont/Dodge County area. Heartland Family Service administers the administration, staffing and daily programming. In 2012, the Jefferson House served 95 families in Dodge, Washington and Cuming Counties. 75 children were housed at the shelter, and more were served through the In-home and Tracker programs. Still, the need is urgent. In 2012, staff had to turn away 522 group home and residential safety cases, all due to the limits of the program's capacity.

For more information about Comedy Night, Jefferson House or Heartland Family Service, call Devon Adams at (402) 552-7418.

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(Contact: Devon Adams, Event Coordinator, 402-552-7418 or Chris Sewall, Jefferson House Program Director, (402) 721-5099)