ALUMNI TO BE WELCOMED HOME - Thevillagesinc.org

Spring 2010
The newsletter of The Villages, Inc.
ALUMNI TO BE WELCOMED HOME
ALL ALUMNI—youth, house parents, staff & board
members- are invited to return to The Villages for a
reunion on June 11th and 12th. On the 11th, youth,
previous house parents and staff will be hosted by the
current residents in each of the current homes for
dessert and tours from 7-9 pm. PLEASE RSVP for this
activity (mbradley@thevillagesinc.org or 785-267-5900 ex 104)
On Saturday morning from 10 am to 1 pm, the W.
Clement Stone Nature Center will be hosting an open
house for alumni and their families and the climbing
wall and pamper pole on the ropes course will be
available. Saturday afternoon the main event will take
place on the Topeka hill from 1 to 4 pm. There will be
tours of the homes, food, games, hayrack rides on the
prairie, a photo booth and lots of conversation.
Please bring your spouse and children and let any
other alumni know about this event. For more info.
see The Villages web site (www.thevillagesinc.org) or
The Villages facebook page (www.facebook.com/
TheVillagesKS) Bring old photos and your stories.

Preserving Nature - Dr. Karl’s Vision
“The whole world — not only a few frantic individuals
— seems bent on committing suicide. We have been
warned repeatedly of this. Yet we go right on living as
we always have. We deplore the bad news, the bad air,
the dirty water, the dying fish. We pick up a few beer
cans and sign some petitions for smoke abatement. But
in general, ruthless self-interest and greed relentlessly
pursue their goals with impunity. They have cut down
our forests, killed off our wildlife, polluted our lakes
and rivers, gouged ugly holes in beautiful hillsides,
wasted our precious fertile soil and poisoned the atmosphere
we all have to breathe. They murder our rivers
with needless dams, our lakes with filth and chemicals,
and befoul even the vast oceans.
We read about this great threat to our world in all the
magazines . . . if the doom of our race and our planet is
to be averted, all of us must join in the effort. The Villages
has a great opportunity. Our hope lies in the possible
involvement of the coming generation of youth.
They know something about this; they sense something
of great danger and they are responding.
The worst of all corruption and pollution and waste has
been that of our youth. In the conservation villages I
have been describing, the pervading spirit and atmosphere
will be toward the reversal of this world-wide
propensity for destruction. This is the central idea of
our project. It is as if we said to our boys: ‘You, you
who were exposed to such terrible surroundings can
understand what it means to improve the environment
in which one lives. You saw other boys crippled and
deformed and embittered by the surroundings in which
they lived and the ideas they there acquired. Now you
live in a home with people opposed to all that. They
love one another; they love you. One day you will go
forth from here on your own career. We believe you
will feel a special need to help not only other neglected
children, but our dirtied, damaged earth, our raped and
ravished planet. You will go out with our love and the
assurance of our help. You will go with a commitment
to help save the world.’”
(These words were written by Dr. Karl Menninger on
July 27, 1970 during the first year of The Villages.)
Still Going Green at The Villages:
The Villages has taken several steps over the past few
years to reduce the impact of the programs on the environment.
In 2003 one of the first priorities for the
‘Another 40 Years’ renovation project was the replacement
of inefficient heating and air conditioning systems.
Next came new energy efficient windows, insulated
siding and added attic insulation. These improvements
have yielded lower costs and a reduced ‘carbon
footprint’.
Youth and house parents have renewed a commitment
to recycling which has led to the reduction in landfill
dumpster loads from 3 per week to one per week. The
Villages / Stone Nature Center Green Team has man-
aged the recycling and also recently has begun a hazardous
waste recycling project for The Villages homes
and office. Green Team members have also built and
deployed monofilament fishing line recovery tubes at
popular fishing sites throughout the region. The goal is
to reduce the impact on wildlife of fishing line left in
the environment. The Green Team also participates in
exhibits in the community in support of protection of
wildlife and the environment. Stone Nature Center
staff are working on the monumental task of eliminating
invasive species, including lespedeza sericea and
musk thistle, from The Villages property. Finally a new
goal by the end of the year is to do all printing on
100% pcw (post consumer waste) recycled paper.

CELEBRATING GRADUATIONS
Two graduation dinners have been held since the last
newsletter in December. A mid-year celebration honored
five youth who graduated or completed their GED
during the fall semester and this spring, three graduates
were celebrated. With young people coming to The
Villages for shorter and shorter periods of time, completing
high school is both a big challenge and worthy
of a big celebration!
Asia graduated from Lawrence High School in May. She
will be attending Cloud Community College in Concordia
next Spring where she will study nursing.
Marissa passed her GED exam on 5/12/10. (the word came just 1
day too late for her to attend the regular ‘graduates dinner’ so a special dinner was
arranged.) She is continuing her studies by attending B
Street Cosmetology School.
Nathaniel graduated this May from WRHS and also completed
the first year of a two year program in Electrical
and Heating and Air Conditioning repair at Washburn
Tech. He would like to continue his studies in science at
Washburn University and eventually do something in
Technical Engineering.
Chris earned his GED in September ’09. Chris completed
The Villages program in February with plans to
attend Job Corps.
Heather graduated from WRHS in December. She is
currently enrolled in B Street Cosmetology school. She
plans to move to Manhattan after she graduates in
August.
Jessica graduated from WRHS in December and is currently
at Bridges Independent Living program in
Wichita.
Ryan graduated from Lawrence High School in December
and started at Johnson County Community
College in January.
Edgar attended Freedom Choice credit recovery and
GED preparation program and earned his GED. He
moved home but came back with his parents to participate
in the Freedom Choice graduation ceremony.
Below left Nathaniel with house parents Jodi and Rob Bolivar; Center: Sylvia Crawford (executive director),
house mom Amy Houk, Asia, Social worker Sheila Tinsley; Right: December Graduates
Graduate Dinners
Volunteers
The Villages VOLUNTEERS & IN-KIND DONORS SHINE!
Contributors who give of their time and possessions fill
a vital need at The Villages. Volunteer groups this spring
have included Callahan Creek Advertising which painted
the Bartle Cottage exterior trim. National Service Corporation
regional conference volunteers helped at the
Nature Center sealing picnic tables and the front stairs
and creating new perches for the birds of prey. BNSF
employees trimmed trees away from the road in Topeka
and laid flooring in the garage at the Jones Cottage to
create a ‘pool room’. Groups from AVIVA have sanded
and applied polyurethane to bedroom furniture—
which truly needed it after 30 years of use by teenagers.
Also this spring two very significant in-kind donations
came from Zack Taylor, Inc. and Payless. Both are a
result of Zack’s retirement after “making payroll every
month for 41 years and 4 months”. His company was
the warehouse/supplier for materials for building and
remodeling Payless Shoe Source stores across the country.
With the closing of Zack’s warehouse, Payless/ collective
brands found thousands of square ft. of flooring,
etc. that was no longer needed. It has been donated to
many community organizations including The Villages.
In the center bottom picture above you can see BNSF
employees sitting on the floor they installed using
some of this donation. In the center above is Zack
flanked by his warehouse people, Steve Meggison and
Deloris Kennedy who not only helped load the payless
donations, but Zack subsequently also donated several
large rolls of carpet. The result will be new floors in garages,
the Nature Center and throughout the office.

Rosemary Menninger Recalls The Genesis
Dr, Karl and Jean Menninger’s daughter, Rosemary,
(who was a teenager at the time) recalls that long before
the first home was built, The Villages “. .was always
present in the house; there were lots of meetings.”
“Our family was involved in things in an almost natural,
unavoidable way. Our home was very much a staging
location for endeavors.” There were books being
written, speakers and visiting professors at the Menninger
Institute being entertained. Also local community
efforts and national efforts like the Chautauqua
and advocacy on behalf of Native American Tribes.
Rosemary recalls of her father that, “Once he had
turned his attention to something he was avidly reading
and talking with people about it. And he met and communicated
with lots of people.” Rosemary describes Dr.
Karl’s regular communication with dozens and dozens
of people, about ideas and common interests - not just
business - as at almost an ’internet’ level. “With an office
staff of 5 he used to bring home a big pile of drafts
Some of these contacts had personal experiences of foster
care and the concept of The Villages represented for
many their first opportunity to give back. Sometimes
these people were celebrities, or people with means or
power who became great friends of The Villages.
But it was not just about money. “A lot of people (my
parents) ‘gathered in’ were there to join the discussion
of ‘how are we going to do this.’” “My mother was a
part of this from the start and dad told me, ‘If anyone
ever asks you who was the leading force behind The Villages,
It was your mother.’”
“One of the enrichments to the idea of The Villages—
one of the symbiotic relationships—was with Native
American tribes.” Since her father was involved with
several tribes he could see a need for a Villages type
program to prevent the culture shock of being sent
away from home for the children who needed help.
First with the Navaho then the Hopi, Zuni and Apache,
Dr. Karl met and helped formulate Villages programs.
“We belong to The Villages”
Stories from 40 years of family style
group home care for children & youth:
Rosemary Menninger
of letters every night for my mother to proofread and
another pile to sign.”
“Dad was working on ‘The Crime of Punishment’ and so
he was involved with people in corrections.” And there
were people that they had met on vacations (often
taken at Native American reservations because of her
parents interest in Native American culture). There
were conversations with Judge Barbera. And with the
builder of their personal home, Joe Pashman, who
would discuss with her dad what a house might look
like, how much it might cost.
As soon as The Crime of Punishment came out Dr. Karl
was giving lots of lectures and he had begun coupling
his discussion of prison reform with this new concept of
‘prevention’ that was to become The Villages. People
would talk and correspond with him after these lectures.
Rosemary attended some of these meetings in Phoenix
since she was working for the Navaho tribe at the time.
Through his negotiating with the federal government
on behalf of the tribes for a Villages type program there
evolved a model of relationship between government
(not just the Bureau of Indian Affairs but several departments)
and the tribes around children's issues. This
ultimately led to authority returning to the tribes.
Rosemary recalls with pride her father’s decision to send
a family member to Jimmy Carter’s White House to
accept the Medal of Freedom on his behalf. Her father
had wrestled with the decision to attend a previously
arranged and very important meeting between government
officials and tribes of the Northwest or the White
House ceremony, finally deciding “You do not break
promises to the Native American People.”

Thanks to These Contributors!
Adoption Concerns Triangle
R.E. Atha, Jr.
Curtis R Anderson
Aramark Employees
Robin Atwood
Bank of America
Jana Barry
Bartlett & West Employees
Paula Beal
Deana Beardmore
Rozana Beatty
Jenny Beavers
Karen Beckley
Matt Benaka
Regine Benalcazar-Schmid
David & Hope Bishop
Bishop Family
Black Student Union—Shawnee Heights HS
Blanche Bryden Foundation
BNSF Employees Matching
BNSF Railroad Employees
Board of Healing Arts
Brewster Service Fund
Patricia M Brooks
Carrie & Ryan Broxterman
Cindi Buck
Steve & Cathy Burnett
William & Mary Lou Burke
Joni Burkett
Steve & Cathy Burnett in memory of Lora
Moison
Shelly Callison
Maggie Carey
Dean & Sandra Carlson
John Carlson
Maggie Carey
Lisa Carney
Cerf-Dunbar Fund
Vernon Chamberlin
Kris Chanay
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Bible Class
Jackie Claassen
Cheri Clatterbuck
Kathe Clark
Concrete Supply of Topeka Inc
Jennifer Connell
Conrade Insurance
Kenneth & Margaret Conrow
Paula Craig
Dreher & Stacie Creech
Gary Crocker
Marshall and Sandra Crowther
Cub Scout Pack #52
Thomas Cunningham
M. Lowell & Dorothy Curry
William Dann
Greg J Davison
Debacker's Inc
Delta Upsilon Fraternity
Lucile Demonchaux
Robert Derstein
Martin & Sallie Dickinson
Brenda Dicus
Larry Dixon
Douglas County Community Foundation
Joanne Dow
J.W. Drury
Edward Dulworth
Ethel S Dyatt Trust
Educational Credit Union
Hilda Enoch
Jerry & Barbara Estes
Lori Ewards
Michele Falley
FHLBank
Lynelle Fieker
First Congregational Church
First Presbyterian Church
Susan Fitz
Mary Fletcher
Jennifer Flory
Marion Fowler
Katy Franklin
SuEllen Fried
Jamie Fritz
Louis Funk
Mona Gambone
Bill Gast
Sharon Geist
Karen Gideon
Mindy Gillgannon
Angie Gleason
Rachel Gossen
D’Ambra Gray
Thomas & Susan Gregory
Grissom Family Charitable Trust
Richard & Gitta Gronewaller
Guy & Ruby Casebourn Murphy Char, Tr.
John F Guyot
Marilyn Halsey
Lesley Hansen
Jordan Hatch
Harold Snyder
Joanne Harrison
Harold J Lehane Liv Trust
Linda & Richard Hayse
Perry Henault
BJ Hickert
Elizabeth Higgins
Renee Hinrichsen
Annette Hoch
Michael Hooper
Vickie Howard
Lori Hutchinson
Mary Hutchinson
Jane & Mickey Imber
Amy Ives
RD Johnson
Shawn Johnson
Diana Joliff
Rebecca Joyce
Ronald S Kahmeyer
Mary Ann Kelly
Katherine Kent
Linda Ketter
Lesley T Ketzel
Kiwanis Club of Topeka-SW
Sheryl Kingman
Brenda Kissam
Knollwood Walkers
Bruce Krueger
Leslie & Roberta Krull
Margaret LaRue
Laura Thurston Golden Sheath Council
Laureate Gamma Gamma
Karen Lemon
Ruth Lichtenstern
Carla Linquist
Cindy Linquist
Carolyn E Litwin
Daveen H Litwin
Margaret & David Livingood
Phelica Livingston
Each year The Villages relies on our supporters to provide for the
extras so necessary to the positive achievement of our youth. Those
listed below made donations during 2009:
Lila Lothson
Kris Lucas
William & Linda Lucero
John & Linda Lungstrum
Joanne B Lyon PHD
Ralph & Diana Malott
Charles & Betty Jo Marling
Marsh Family
Brenda Marshall
Kim Martin
Melissa Massey
Monique Mawhew
Maria McCann
Lila McClaflin
Sandra Craig McKenzie
Rosemary J Menninger
Mid-Land Management Employees
Mill Creek Holding LLC
Elaine Miller
Tammy Miller
Colleen Miser
Kim Mohan
Moms Club of Topeka
Andrea Mondoy in Memory-Lora Moison
Jeanne A Morris
Eva Mosiman
Suzanne Mumford
Michael & Dori Murphy
Drew & Ian Mutschelknaus
Darla Myers
Jo Ann Myers
Kathy Myers
Earl Nehring
Douglas & Cappi Nelson
Erika Newell
Gene Niehues
Austin & Marianna Nothern
Ondracek Family
David Ozaki
Kent & Marsha Palmberg
Payless ShoeSource Foundation
Bobby H Pechal Jr
Linda Polly
Amanda Poole
John & Marva Powell
Julie Powell
Mary Powell
Lawrene Rader
Ned A Rahlfs
Kathryn Rainbow-Earhart
Richard Raney
Cathy Reinhardt
Fran Reitz
Deborah Robbs
Karsyn Robertson
Royer Family
Diane Rubenthaler
Karen Russell
Hasna Salam
Georgia Sandlin
Janice Scales
Lora Schile
Marty & Teresa Schnacker
Ronald and Alison Schneider
Schnacker Construction
Tyler Schuckman
Eugene & Margaret Schwartz
Jim Schwartz
Mark Schwartz
Schwartz Family
James H Schwartzburg
Schwerdt Design Group
Dan Scrimsher & Family
Scrimsher & Family in memory of Lora
Moison
Se2 (service.end2end)
Clista Seals
James & Virginia Seaver
John W Seward Jr
Karen & Ronald Shanks
Shawnee Heights MS Red/Blue Teams
Shawnee Regional Prevention & Recovery
Services
Linda Siebenthall
Fred & Lilian Six
James W Sloan
Nancy Smith
Olga Smith
Rene Smith
Ruth Smyth Estate
Harold Snyder
Southwest Optimist Club
Debbie Spees
Anne Stauffer
Stancorp
Connie Sterbenz
Barbara Stevens
St. Francis Pharmacy Employees
Vivian Strahm
Telisa Stringer
Ida Mae Sutton
Robert Taggart
Chaunzey E Tenbrink
Thomas S Thomas
J W Tiehen
Topeka Active 20/30 Grant Fund
Topeka Audubon Society
Wes & Connie Torres
Karen Trobough
Jeff & Mary Ungerer
USWA, Local 307
Stephanie Valley
Linda Vande Garde
Marcie Vander Hart
Kim Voslugh
Crystal Walker
Wanamaker Elementary School
Wanamaker Elementary Student Council
Washburn University Law Democrats
Waugh Family
Marilyn Waugh
Yu Welch
Westar Energy Customer
Veronica Wicksten
Monte, Kristen, Claire & Ella Widen
Donald & Janet Wilson
Kim Wilson
Max Wilson
Rosemary Williamson
Donna Whitman
Edward & Bridget Wood
Lee F. Young
Contribute to The Villages -
support the Lasting Legacy of
Dr. Karl Menninger
Send your contributions to:
The Villages; 2219 SW 29th; Topeka, KS 66611.
Visit The Villages website: www.thevillagesinc.org
or facebook page:
www.facebook.com/TheVIllagesKS

REUNION
Alumni—Previous Villages house parents, staff, board members
and youth - are invited to join the current house parents,
staff, board members, and youth of The Villages for a
reunion to culminate the year-long celebration of the 40th
anniversary of the opening of the first Villages home.
JUNE 11 & 12
Specific Activities:
Friday June 11th at 7 pm: Dessert and conversation at each of
the current homes in both Topeka and Lawrence for those
who lived or worked in that home. Please RSVP to mbradley@thevillagesinc.org
or 785-267-5900 ex 104.
Saturday Morning, June 12 from 10 am to 1 pm the Nature
Center will host an open house for alumni and their families.
The pamper pole and climbing wall will be open on the ropes
course and there will be hayrack rides on the prairie.
Saturday Afternoon, June 12 from 1 to 4 pm activities on the
Topeka Hill (food, games, photo-booth, tours of the homes,
hayrack rides & more Nature Center activities. Please let us
know you are coming (phone: 785-267-5900 ex 104 or
email: mbradley@thevillagesinc.org)
Parts of three previous logos used since 1970 are shown here above the current logo of The Villages.
Directions:
The homes in Topeka are located at 10-50 Eagle Ridge Ln.
which intersects SW 10th Street 1.6 miles west of Wanamaker.
The two Lawrence homes are at 1149 E 1200 Rd - about 1/2
mile south of County Rd. 458. Go south out of Lawrence on
Iowa St (Highway 59 South) past the terminus of the South
Lawrence Traffic Way and over the Wakarusa River to the
first road to the right (County Rd. 458). Go about 1 mile
and turn left, south, on E 1200 rd. The Villages access road is
the 3rd drive south of County Rd. 458 on the right and it
goes at an angle up the hill. Call for directions.
Please note: The in-town “McPhail Cottage” in Lawrence is
no longer owned by The Villages.
The Villages, Inc
2219 SW 29th St.
Topeka, KS 66611
the voice—
newsletter of The Villages, Inc.
Spring 2010—Issue # 28
info@thevillagesinc.org
Founder:
Dr. Karl Menninger
Executive Director:
Sylvia Crawford
Executive Committee:
Judge Terry Bullock
Mr. Robert Derstein—President
Ms. Brenda Guilfoyle
Mr. John Guyot –Chair
Mr. B.J. Hickert – Treasurer
Mr. Michael Hooper –Vice- President
Ms. Patricia Hyland
Mr. Gerald Letourneau
Ms. Diana Mayer – Secretary
Dr. Charles Millhuff
Dr. Michael Murphy
Mr. Irving Sheffel
Mr. Chris Wright
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TOPEKA, KS.
PERMIT NO. 785