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Growing Teens for Life

Vocational Training

Prepared for the future

Every year, students leave Josiah White’s residential programs and begin life on their own with little to no support. They enter the next chapter of their life, adulthood, needing foundational work skills that prepare them for their future. The program’s goal is to prepare teens for life, so they may become contributing citizens through employment.

Areas of focus

Growing Teens for Life

Growing Teens For Life is a specialized vocational and workforce development program that directly meets the needs of students in residential treatment. This experiential learning program uses a hands-on learning approach through practicing work and customer service skills, while staff provide direct skills training, coaching, and behavior modeling.

White’s Employability Skills Training (W.E.S.T.) is the foundation of the Growing Teens For Life program, built upon Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development. It consists of five segments broken down into eighteen personal skills needed for employment today. The five segments are: Mindset, Work Ethic, Learning Strategies, and Social & Emotional Skills. Job readiness is the goal for each teen who participates in the program.

Student Success Store In an effort to provide graduates of our residential program with the best chance at success, Josiah White’s recently established the Student Success Store as a result of a grant from the Don Wood Foundation. This is the second grant the Foundation has provided to the organization to support their efforts in getting underserved youths an opportunity for gainful employment, primarily in the manufacturing sector. To learn more about the Student Success Store click here!

Leadership

Kristina Johnson Nussbaum

Vice President of Advancement

In addition to her passion for serving youth and families, Kristina brings more than 20+ years of development and marketing experience to Josiah White’s.

Prior to joining Josiah White’s, she most recently served as the Chief Revenue Officer with YWCA Northeast Indiana, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is a high-performing executive with expertise in designing and implementing comprehensive marketing, revenue-generation, communication, and media relation strategies. She has proven fundraising success which includes a recent $16.7 million capital campaign for the YWCA’s newly acquired facility.

In addition to her success in revenue generation and marketing, she has experience in working at a $220 million+ asset faith-based Foundation. In her role, she led community initiatives to promote mental health and wellness. Initiatives included developing and launching LookUpIndiana.org, a website providing mental and behavioral health education, and launching and chairing the Regional Mental Health Coalition of Northeast Indiana, a coalition focused on advocating for systemic changes to improve mental health and wellness. She loves working with people and enjoys rallying a group of people to get behind a meaningful cause.

Kristina has also taught business and communications classes for over ten years at Trine University. While she taught over 11 various bachelor-level courses, her core classes were marketing, international business, and organizational behavior. She also taught Supply Chain Management and Logistics at the graduate level. Her favorite part of teaching was witnessing the Aha moments when a student was successful in overcoming a struggle when learning a new concept.

Kristina earned her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan, and her bachelor’s in management and communication from Concordia University. Additionally, she earned a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

As mentioned, she has a passion for serving families, especially children. She served on the Governor’s Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force) and has worked as a part-time contracted executive director of Boomerang Backpacks, focusing on food insecurities for youth throughout Northeast Indiana.

Kristina and her husband, Tim, have a grown daughter who is a nurse at Parkview Regional Hospital, along with 11 feather babies (chickens) and two fur babies. Their fur babies are two German Shorthaired Pointers named GTO (pronounced Gee-toe) and Gemini. Kristina and Tim attend North Webster Church of God.

Leadership

Matthew Purkey

President & Chief Executive Officer

Matthew Purkey, comes to us with years of service experience – from his time in the United States Marine Corps, leadership at multiple United Way organizations, and most recently from a veterans service organization where he led 59 operations across 48 locations nationwide.

In 2007, Matthew enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and simultaneously began pursuing higher education. While deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, he continued to work toward his goal -earning both a Bachelor of Science degree in 2009 and a Master’s degree in Human Services by 2011. Purkey was awarded multiple meritorious service promotions, accommodations, as well as national recognition for his volunteer efforts.

In 2010, while deployed to Haiti post-earthquake, Purkey discovered his true passion – the health & human service industry. It was in Haiti he and his Marine Corps brothers served alongside civilian volunteers. The Lord used the presence of these volunteers to show Matthew what opportunities awaited him outside of the United States military. Purkey was awarded an honorable discharge in 2011 and began his work in the non-profit, human service sector.

Purkey has led multiple United Ways – in Ohio, Georgia, and most recently, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has earned professional certificates from Harvard Business School, Deloitte University, and the Center for Creative Leadership. Purkey is a PhD candidate in Strategic Leadership, a featured TedX speaker, and has received multiple 40 Under 40 awards. In addition, Matthew has served on numerous volunteer boards including The Fisher House, The Victory Project, and is a Team Rubicon Grey Shirt.

Purkey is originally from Dayton, Ohio where he and his three sisters were raised by wonderful parents. In 2012, Matthew met his wife, Amanda, and they have three amazing children – Micah (10), Ezekiel (8), and Gabriel (6) – and a rambunctious Golden Retriever named Arlo. The family proudly calls Indiana their home and are members of Pathway Community Church in Fort Wayne.

When asked what excites him most about taking on the President and CEO role at Josiah White’s, Purkey responded “I am nothing more than a product of the redeeming love and power of God. Now, I have the honor of serving on an established and accomplished team that extends that same opportunity to others.”

Employee Code of Conduct

As a distinctly Christian ministry, for over 165 years our mission has been to enrich the lives of children and families through emotional healing, personal development and spiritual growth. We are best able to achieve this through Christian staff who constantly strive to demonstrate the love of Christ through their actions, words and overall lifestyle.

It then follows that all employees who serve as members of Josiah White’s community agree to uphold certain foundational standards through their behaviors, attitudes and lifestyle choices at work and in their personal lives. Living in accordance with these standards shall serve to unify us as a “community of believers.” As a member of Josiah White’s “community,” we believe employees should strive to live in harmony with the following foundational standards as evidence of their life committed to growth in Christ and sound judgment based on Christian principles:

We believe as followers of Jesus Christ, we are responsible for our faith journey and strive to pursue a life of service to Jesus Christ in our personal life and while at work. We believe the investment in our spiritual life is critical and we strive to make time regularly for prayer and communion with God. Opportunities for Christian fellowship, worship, learning, and celebration while at work are opportunities not to be overlooked, but to be sought out as ways in which we can demonstrate our commitment to growing in our faith as part of the Josiah White’s Community.

We believe every human life is of inestimable worth and significance in all its dimensions. Therefore, we must seek ways to act out of love and respect for each other, encouraging and building up one another, not causing one another to stumble. We believe that to achieve this, employees must practice a lifestyle that demonstrates purity to those around them (Romans 13-14 & I Corinthians 10:31-11:1).

We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture.

We believe there is great power in the spoken word and therefore all lying, profanity, gossip, obscenity, and other negative uses of language diminishes our work with the children, families and our coworkers.

We believe employees must demonstrate a teachable spirit, an ability to share love for others, a willingness to live contentedly under authority, and a commitment to follow the Matthew 18 principal when an issue arises with fellow employees or management.

We believe in the power of our example and that our minds and bodies should be used in God-honoring ways, living our lives as Christian role models and conducting ourselves in a way that will not raise questions regarding our Christian testimonies. Because our example is powerful and because most of our service population is impacted by some form of substance abuse, we especially recognize the dangers and negative implications of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse among staff. Therefore, we seek to minimize or refrain from the use of alcohol and tobacco and we agree to completely abstain from the illicit or non-medical use of drugs, narcotics and other harmful substances. When an employee is representing Josiah White’s or is in the course of representing Josiah White’s business, he or she is expected to refrain from the use of alcohol and tobacco.

We believe our life serves as a Christian Witness to the children and families we serve and our commitment to expressing Christian values is critical even when making entertainment and recreational choices outside of work. Therefore, we actively avoid forms of leisure, entertainment and recreation that are incompatible with holy living and seek activities that are consistent with our pursuit of Christ- like living.

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrew 13:4).

We further believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and that activities that give the appearance of sexual immorality should be avoided by staff.

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Josiah White’s as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Josiah White’s clients, fellow staff members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Josiah White’s in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement (Mathew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; I Thessalonians 5:22).

I affirm that I am a Christian, I have read and agree with Josiah White’s Code of Conduct, and I agree to make lifestyle choices that are consistent with Josiah White’s Code of Conduct. I understand that my employment at Josiah White’s is contingent upon me living a lifestyle that is consistent with this Code of Conduct.

Statement of Faith

Hello prospective employee! Josiah White’s exists to offer hope and transformation through Christ to children and families. As members of a Christian organization, each employee must recognize that living a life in accordance with the standards presented in the Statement of Faith found below is necessary as it serves to unify us as a Community of Believers set out on the same path. Therefore, all individuals who are interested in applying to work at Josiah White’s must first agree with and abide by Josiah White’s Statement of Faith.

The Statement of Faith is as Follows…

Remaining true to our Quaker heritage and Josiah White’s vision, Josiah White’s primary reason for existence is to offer hope and transformation to children and families through Christ. As such, we have firm beliefs about the Christian faith and how we must act in accordance with our beliefs.

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. Josiah White’s board of directors serves as Josiah White’s highest, human interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application for the purposes of our agency’s faith and beliefs, practice, policy and discipline at work.

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God (II Timothy 3:15).

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 10:30).

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:33), in His virgin birth (Luke 1:35), in His sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), in His miracles (John 2:11), in His atoning death through His shed blood (Ephesians 1:7), in His bodily resurrection (John 11:25), in His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19), and in His personal return in power and glory (Revelation 19:11).

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential (John 3:16-19).

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christ-follower is enabled to live a Godly life (Romans 8:13-14).

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, that they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

We believe that children are a heritage from God and a blessing from His hand. We are therefore accountable to Him for raising, shaping and preparing them for a life of service to His Kingdom and to humanity. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Ps 139).

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:24).

We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25).

As Christians living out our faith, it is unsurprising that our beliefs influence our behavior, attitudes and lifestyle choices. As Christian professionals, we will not compromise our commitment to our professional code of ethics while providing superior care to our clients who possess differing values or beliefs.

I affirm that I am a Christian, I have read and agree with Josiah White’s Statement of Faith, and I agree to make lifestyle choices that are consistent with Josiah White’s Statement of Faith. I understand that my employment at Josiah White’s is contingent upon me living a lifestyle that is consistent with this Statement of Faith.

Leadership

Mike Haarer

Vice President & Executive Director, Compass Rose Academy

Mike Haarer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Indiana. He has worked in the field of adolescent residential treatment since 2004 when he began working with youth in court-ordered residential treatment. In 2012, he and a team launched Compass Rose Academy as a new private division of Josiah White’s, an organization with a rich history dating back to its founding in 1850.

Mike earned a BA and MA in Counseling from Grace College in Winona Lake, IN as well as a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision from Regent University. A focus of his doctoral studies included research in the area of gender studies as well as in the intersection of faith and sexuality.

Mike studied under Psychologist and Author Dr. John Townsend, completing three years of his Counselor Training Program, concentrated on emotion-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy. Mike currently serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University Irvine’s Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling. He has enjoyed teaching Ethics, Foundations of Mental Health Counseling, Research and Internship Supervision as well as leading process groups for incoming Masters in Counseling students.

Mike chaired the Best Practices Committee for NATSAP from January 2019 – January 2023. Mike enjoys facilitating panel presentations at NATSAP Annual Conferences, attending and supporting the NATSAP Leadership Summit, and also presents on a variety of topics at local, regional, and national conferences. He trains residential staff on topics such as trauma informed care, attachment, and the Teaching Family Model.

Mike has experience serving on boards including his current role on the board of the local United Fund in Wabash, IN. In that role, he enjoys helping to bring light to other non-profit and mission-oriented agencies serving those in his local community.

Mike has served as the Executive Director of Compass Rose Academy since its founding in 2012 and lives on the Wabash, Indiana campus along with his wife, Emily, and three daughters, Corabelle, Olivia, and Regina. Beginning in 2020, Compass Rose Academy built a new campus which allowed them to update their facilities and also expand their enrollment capacity. Their beautiful new campus surrounded by Indiana farmland earned statewide recognition for its architecture and design, receiving the AIA Citation Award for New Construction in projects over $5 million.