Connection. Partners in Transformation. Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Inside

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1 Connection SPRING 2017 Partners in Transformation Walking together in common unity. It s what makes real transformation in teens lives possible. As we ve now grown to nine core locations across the Twin Cities, TreeHouse has sought out ways to bring our program to more communities, persisting in our mission to reach more teens, more deeply. To achieve this in a truly scalable and sustainable way, the TreeHouse Partner Network was formed in 201. Through this model, a partner location can be established through an existing mission-driven church or nonprofit. Designated TreeHouse staff provide training resources and curriculum, while partners provide physical space, financial resources and volunteers. CONTINUED ON PAGE Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 THESSALONIANS :11 Inside WINTER BLAST UPDATE TREEHOUSE PARTNERS SPOTLIGHT

2 Winter Blast is a perfect combination of fun and depth. Teens have an opportunity to get out of their comfort zones, meet new people, try different things and experience God in a new way. Friends of TreeHouse, When I ask the TreeHouse teens what their favorite season is, you would expect most would be quick with saying, summer! Actually, many of our teens like winter the best because of our weekend retreat called Winter Blast. Over 20 teens, from all 9 core locations and our Partner Network communities, joined in the fun and fulfilling weekend. The theme of Winter Blast was Lost and Found. The stories of great messages, scavenger hunts, singing, art projects and plenty of time relating to each other and to God allowed the TreeHouse teens to understand that while they may feel lost, in reality they have been found. By a loving God. By TreeHouse staff and volunteers. And yes, by you, our supporters. Everyone came away from the weekend with a renewed and lofty understanding of their worth. It was a very blessed time. HEIDI HALL, Mahtomedi TreeHouse Area Director TreeHouse teens have multiple opportunities to get away with their friends and mentors during the year, including weeklong mission trips, adventure outings and leadership weekends. But one weekend every year is always near the top of a teen s list: Winter Blast! This year, over 20 teens (our largest weekend ever) enjoyed hours of snowy, controlled chaos with their TreeHouse peers from all over Minnesota. While snow-tubing and the scavenger hunt are typical favorites, our teens always come away with their biggest highlight: discovering more about God, and more about themselves. From guest speakers and worship/music leaders to deep conversations in the cabins, the weekend s focus is sharing the Living Hope found in relationship with Jesus. In 2017, TreeHouse has set lofty goals. We have a big mission in front of us with the growth of our programming and partnerships, but have laid the groundwork for success and look forward to creating a positive reality for thousands more at-risk teens in Minnesota and beyond, and to serve them all more deeply. What keeps us sticking to and achieving our goals at TreeHouse is the theme you ll hear over and over this year: Common Unity. Together, we are the body of Christ. It is the thread that runs throughout everything we do. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can transform the lives of more teens. To demonstrate our ability to serve more kids more deeply, we need to invest in our communities. Over the coming year, you will hear our progress furthering the TreeHouse Partner Network (TPN), our initiative that is accelerating the footprint of TreeHouse. As you ll read here, common unity is being created every day as churches and non-profits are continuing to find creative ways to bring their resources together with ours so more teens can shout, I Am Found! Youth are exposed to winter activities they otherwise might not experience as well as in depth time with Jesus! Many youth encounter Christ for the first time on Winter Blast! Glimpsing into the near future of TreeHouse, there is an endless stream of possibilities that are becoming a reality through common unity with our partners and one another. We look forward to sharing this progress with you throughout the year, and finding even more ways to come together to achieve our collective mission. Together, we are building something fantastic! With gratitude, HEATHER CARUFEL, Plymouth TreeHouse Area Director Timothy Clark President & CEO TREEHOUSE VISION To reach every at-risk teen so they are loved, feel hope and realize life transformation. Winter Blast is a chance for TreeHouse teens to gather for a family reunion of sorts. We re all a bunch of broken people who are drawn together by the love of our Heavenly Father! GREG HILDEBRANDT, St. Louis Park TreeHouse Area Director

3 Partners in Transformation STEVE ANDERSON is the Associate Pastor Who is God calling us to reach? at Excelsior Covenant Church, the host location for the Minnetonka TreeHouse a decades-old core location. For 1 years, we couldn t reach the same group of kids that TreeHouse connects with, no matter how trendy or welcoming we were, Steve said. When the church built a new addition in 2009, he immediately thought of using it as a place for TreeHouse programs and started conversations with the congregation and leadership to explore that option. They asked and prayed about the question, Who is God calling us to reach? and concluded that partnering with TreeHouse fit their vision for outreach in their own community. The Minnetonka TreeHouse has been thriving within Excelsior Covenant Church ever since Those Kids Are Our Kids Steve recalls tough conversations among church members and leadership when considering a partnership with TreeHouse. Some had questions about how to merge the congregation with at-risk teens, and how it would work having those kids as a permanent part of their community. What we realized is, those kids are our kids, said Steve. He reflects on Excelsior Covenant s TreeHouse partnership as a growing and stretching moment. We now have an expanded view of who is in our community. It has pulled us out of our comfort zone. It s no longer about how we can love our neighbor. It is, How can we love them more? TAMI MOBERG is the Executive Director of the Quincy TreeHouse partner in Mounds View. Tami began working with at-risk youth in 2011, and quickly realized those kids had distinct needs from her own namely, a supportive family setting. So, she set off to find a house and begin a program where teens could get support, feel safe and share meals as a family. But, she didn t want to start from scratch. Being familiar with TreeHouse, she reached out to see how a community might be formed together. TreeHouse has been doing it right for so long, said Tami. We didn t have to reinvent the wheel. I m Not Alone With TreeHouse providing training, support and curriculum, the benefit of partnerships is that the mission can expand anywhere that can provide a physical space and even a moderate amount of financial resources. In Tami s own words: The ability to lean into the expertise of TreeHouse and what they have done well for 33 years I love what that brings. People know and believe in TreeHouse. She also values the strong relationships. TreeHouse has my back. They are there in a heartbeat when I need them. They make me feel like I m not alone. TreeHouse currently has 1 partner locations, including nine new partners in the past year. Our goal is to grow the TreeHouse Partner Network by 0 partners by 2020, primarily in the Upper Midwest, with each partner serving 30 or more at-risk teens in their local community. We didn t have to reinvent the wheel. This initiative is one of our most exciting undertakings. We look forward to sharing even more stories of life transformation in teens, happening through the ongoing work of both new and existing partners, as we walk alongside them in their ministry. As Tami says of the Quincy TreeHouse partnership: We re coming together with what we have. God keeps showing up, and says keep going. He s proved faithful every single time. If you are interested in learning more about the program or becoming a partner location, we d love to hear from you. Please contact Tim Cryer at tcryer@treehouseyouth.org or call

4 TREEHOUSE 2017 EVENTS UPDATE These past months have been a season of exciting growth and vision-casting at TreeHouse. In looking towards our future aspirations to reach more teens, more deeply, in more communities, our leadership team has taken a closer look at the Annual Gala. TreeHouse is growing, and we are committed to reaching more people in every community where we serve teens. Too many adults, churches, businesses and donors do not know about the growing needs of at-risk teens in their own communities. We are committed to telling that story to a wider audience. As a foremost leader working with at-risk teens, if we don t tell them who will? Therefore, in lieu of the Annual Gala we will offer many more events in varied, intimate settings in addition to the events listed below to help draw people closer to this mission of hope and transformation. We look forward to sending you further updates on these events and hope to see you soon! JOIN US FOR THESE UPCOMING TREEHOUSE EVENTS GOLF FOR HOPE Bloomington TreeHouse Brooklyn Park TreeHouse 3. Chaska TreeHouse. Eagan TreeHouse. Mahtomedi TreeHouse Minnetonka TreeHouse 3W 7. New Hope TreeHouse 3E Plymouth TreeHouse St. Louis Park TreeHouse TREEHOUSE PARTNER LOCATIONS MPLS ST PAUL 1. Antioch Ministries North Minneapolis, MN 2. Cornerstone Church Watertown, SD Get Involved! The TreeHouse Community Volunteer Program focuses on fulfilling the needs of TreeHouse in the communities we serve while providing meaningful engagement opportunities for the volunteers themselves. The TreeHouse Community Volunteer Program seeks to create the best overall experience for the volunteer through adequate preparation, resources, support, and infrastructure that will in return make the greatest impact on the TreeHouse youth, staff, and communities. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 3. Eagle Brook Church Lino Lakes, MN 3. Good in the Hood Minneapolis, MN 7. Memorial Drive Bible Fellowship Sandstone, MN 8. Mobile Hope Corcoran, MN 9. Quincy TreeHouse Mounds View, MN 13. Union Gospel Mission Middle School Program Ober Community Center Event Committee Member 11. St. James Lutheran Church West 1. YouthWay Ministries Blaine, MN Gift Card Drive Coordinator TREEHOUSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Office Administration Becky Lerdal Huff, Chair Executive Vice President, Tana Sales, Inc. Greg Kurowski, Vice Chair Former President & CEO, Periscope Jim Kolar, Treasurer Greater Chicago Market, Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Jeffrey Parell, Secretary Director, National ReMarketing Jeff Carver Director, Strategic Development at Thrivent Financial Tim Clark President & CEO, TreeHouse John DeJong Former Sr. Vice President, Wells Fargo Insurance Services Youth Mentoring Youth Mentoring School Credit Internship TO INQUIRE about becoming a TreeHouse volunteer, please contact us at , volunteer@treehouseyouth.org or apply online at treehouseyouth.org/volunteer Union Gospel Mission Asian Ministries 10. Restoration Church Levittown, PA TH Next Mentoring 3E Donation Drive Coordinator Fleece Blanket Drive 3W. Hope Youth Anoka, MN 6. Light the Way Church Cottage Grove, MN Union Gospel Mission High School Program Ober Community Center Community Development Team Member OCTOBER 2017 TREEHOUSE CORE LOCATIONS Joe Dunsmore Former Chairman, President & CEO, Digi International, Inc. Roy Ferber Business Consultant Janice Korstange Retired Teacher/Community Volunteer Mark Lewis CEO, InfoSource Dave Mortensen President & Co-Founder, Anytime Fitness Julie Nelson Anchor/Reporter, KARE 11 Anne Obermeyer Retired Investment Portfolio Manager/Community Volunteer Lindsay Polyak VP, Non-Profit Practice Group Leader, Chandler Group Executive Search Richard W. Stanek Sheriff, Hennepin County Gregg Steinhafel Former Chairman, President & CEO, Target Corporation Wayne Swenson CEO Emeritus, AdvisorNet Financial Mark Thompson Chief Manager & CIO, Riverbridge Partners LLC

5 MAIN OFFICE 666 Lincoln Dr, Ste 201, Minneapolis, MN treehouseyouth.org ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO Bloomington TreeHouse Brooklyn Park TreeHouse Chaska TreeHouse Eagan TreeHouse Minnetonka TreeHouse New Hope TreeHouse Plymouth TreeHouse St. Louis Park TreeHouse Mahtomedi TreeHouse Reaching more teens Through growth and transformation, TreeHouse teens are changing the neighborhoods in which they live and go to school. They find themselves thriving and growing while also planting roots in their communities