Programs & Services
Local artists and designers come into our Arts & Crafts Center to offer their talent and share their knowledge of creative processes to children who would like to engage in creating their own art.
Named after Betsy Hoobler, a beloved professor who retired from teaching at Kent State University and an honored recipient of Ohio’s Professor of the Year award, The Betsy Hoobler Skill Center provides tutoring and mentorship to area children in need of academic support.
Many children in foster care do not receive any kind of birthday recognition. Worse, many don’t even know when their birthdays are! With help from local private detectives who graciously do pro bono work for our Birthday Club program, we’re able to help children in foster care find this important information. In addition to uncovering their birth dates, children in our Birthday Club also receive a card and gift from FLOC on their birthdays to help them celebrate.
We provide food assistance to over 300 people each month, including students in low-income schools within our area and guests at local charities, House of Bread and St. Vincent De Paul. With help from the teachers and schools, we discreetly fill book bags with food for students on Fridays so that these children and their families are able to have nourishment over the weekend.
We have thousands of donated books to give to any child searching for reading material. For younger children and those unable to read on their own, yet, we also have a team of volunteers available to sit down and read to them within our Book Nook.
Our Boutique houses hundreds of gorgeous, new gowns, shoes, suits, shirts, ties, and all kinds of formal wear for local youth attending formal functions in need of attire but unable to afford it. We have had over 5,000+ young people come to our Boutique who have found something special to wear.
The BSR (Boonshoft, Shriners, and Ronald Macdonald) Program provides support to children coming into our community from developing countries all around the world, facing difficult, life-changing surgeries at our local hospitals. Our bilingual and multilingual BSR mentors provide mentorship, academic tutoring, music lessons, comforting apparel, and an abundance of shared moments of joy and delight to these extraordinary children as they undergo challenging surgical procedures.
In the early 1980’s, a few caseworkers in our area recognized that the children they cared for would not be celebrating Christmas but for their help. That first year, they bought gifts for the thirty five children in their care. In the late 1980’s, FLOC took over that program, eventually serving all 900 children in foster care Christmas magic. We now serve Christmas joy to every child represented by Montgomery County Services. Included in the many gifts that we share with each child are a new winter coat, hat, and mittens, filled stockings and individual presents, chosen by a parent or one of our Christmas Cottage personal shoppers. Through donations and volunteer support, we now serve well over 2,400 children in the Greater Dayton area each Christmas.
Many children brought into foster care are only given a plastic garbage bag to collect their belongings. Through our Comfort a Child program, FLOC is able to provide children transitioning into foster care with a brand new duffel bag to help make their difficult transition less dehumanizing.
Are you interested in renting out space for an upcoming event? We have beautiful office space, located in the Talbott Tower. Any and all funds offered to our offices will go directly to FLOC and the children we serve.
Monthly recipients of our Grant A Wish program are chosen through requests presented either by Children’s Services or through community applications. A letter of recommendation by an adult who can speak to the child’s personal contributions, something we can honor in that child, and a letter of intent from the child must accompany each request.
Money Madness is our financial education program, focused on teaching children 8-18 (three age groups established) information about preparing for financial success. Local bankers come to our offices and teach the basics of balancing a checkbook, establishing credit, and creating a sound financial future for our youth.
Children will be taught cooking basics, as presented by local culinary artists. In honor of ‘Papa’ George Hoobler, the world’s Best.
Our talented team of volunteers provide free music lessons for any instrument a child might be interested in learning.
Our offices have ten new computers, academic resources in all forms of supplies, mentors and tutors available, and all kinds of academic aide. This resource is available to anyone in the community; a letter of reference and intent will be needed. We never give handouts to the people we serve, we always want to honor something in that individual.