My name is Mike. I grew up in Crystal Lake, IL, and graduated college at SIU. I am the finance coordinator for Rock House Kids, but my most important job is being a father to my three sons and a devoted husband to my beautiful wife, Laura.

As you step up each month to provide the basic essentials for our kids, you are not just giving items, but instilling a sense of confidence and dignity.

Last month, Rock House Kids joyfully accepted a check for a $25,000 grant from the Derry Family Foundation.

These are just a few exciting things happening lately. But the biggest news happened when someone from Rockford Ridge (formerly known as Concord Commons), a housing development on the west side of Rockford, reached out to us. They asked if we would be interested in having an RHK site on their property. I have learned - when God opens a door, we need to walk through it.

As you step up each month to provide the basic essentials for our kids, you are not just giving items, but instilling a sense of confidence and dignity.

Thank you to all of our RHK volunteers for how you continue to show up on the hard days and love our kids well. They catch a glimpse of Jesus by being seen and known and cared for in one way or another, by each and every one of you.

It took Michelangelo three years to chisel away at that one piece of marble to make the remarkable statue of David. He didn’t give up. He was persistent. He saw the angel waiting to be released inside. We at RHK don’t give up either. We have our ups and downs with the kids. No different than when we raise our own kids. But, we see the “angels” waiting to be released inside. We don’t give up - BUT it does take time. It takes patience. It takes prayer. It takes the Lord’s guida

What stood out the most for the group though, was how they saw God at work. They were challenged by their chapel speaker to "take of their masks" - remove the guard they put up to keep people from seeing them for who they are and just be real with each other.

Hi, my name is Hope Sandine. I grew up in Davis Junction and was homeschooled. I have a twin sister who also volunteers with me on Mondays.

If you know someone with a new (or like new) portable sewing machine they don’t use, we would love to have it for our kids who are learning how to sew.

I have a question for you. Do you let your past define you and keep you stuck? I have met many people who are stuck in their past. When I speak to people about RHK I often hear people say, “Well, the kids are stuck in their circumstances.”

Last December, at our Annual Wrapping Party, the Kiwanis Club of Rockford presented RHK with a special gift - a new cotton candy machine!

You can create lasting change with your giving. When you become a monthly donor to Rock House Kids, you provide steady, reliable support our kids can count on. Every dollar, every month, adds up to real change.

To better equip our Solid Ground evening program volunteers, we hold quarterly training meetings. After surveying our volunteers, one request stood out clearly: more training focused on trauma and how to work with children who have experienced it—especially within a ministry setting.

We each received much satisfaction from serving and loving these children. It was exhausting and led to some sleepless nights, but there was joy knowing we were exactly where we were supposed to be!

Many kids who come to RHK just want to be seen. They want to know someone at RHK cares about them. They light up when you call them by their name. It matters to them.

Several of our RHK teens were invited by the Burpee Museum to serve as members of a Burpee Youth Board.