A hero’s legacy lasts for generations

I  have been thinking a lot about heroes. Their exploits are celebrated in the pages of literature. They are tough acts to follow. That explains their attraction as the stuff of legends.

It also accounts for why so few deserve the title. My classical education trapped me in a time of gods and legends. Heroes were defined by acts that defied the boundaries of human achievement.

My daughter Maggie gave me an updated description of heroes: People who place the needs of others before their own.

As I look around the community, one person stands out when I think of heroes. Jim Ernst started to make a difference in the lives of children and families 36 years ago. Long before I met Ernst, I heard the echoes of his vision.

His transformation of Four Oaks from a small group of children living at Boys Acres in Bertram to an organization serving more than 14,000 children in all 99 Iowa counties defies description.

In 1979, he became executive director of Boys Acres. This fledgling non-profit agency served 10 young boys who had no place to call home. They were there as a result of referrals from the Juvenile Court and the Department of Human Services.

Five years later, he expanded the vision of the program and changed its name to Four Oaks. The oak tree was chosen to symbolize the four pillars: 'the family, the community and the agency standing together with the child to build a future strong as the mighty oak.”

Recognizing prevention is better than the cure, Ernst expanded the services so they were in front of the need. The concept was astute: Preventive services help children overcome obstacles so you can avoid the need for later intervention.

In 2005, the focus shifted to creating a stable healthy family environment around access to basic resources such as food, clothing and housing. This could be achieved only if the community created affordable housing, employment opportunities, education, child care and health care.

This holistic approach came to be known as the 'Whole Child.” It starts with strengthening the family to provide stability as the basis of success.

Cedar Rapids is an excellent example. Four Oaks and the Affordable Housing Network have addressed the need for quality affordable housing opportunities in Wellington Heights. This has strengthened the neighborhood and been a game changer for all the children who call it home.

Ernst has improved the lives of generations across Iowa. Long after the readers of this article have passed, his legacy will live on through the lives of all those who have been touched through Four Oaks.

This is a hero's legacy.

l Tim Terry, founder of Terry, Lockridge & Dunn, an accounting and business consulting firm, Cedar Rapids, has supported the Four Oaks TotalChild housing project in Wellington Heights. Comments: tterry@tld-inc.com