Spring 2020

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SPRING 2020 HOMESCHOOL IOWA 25
Educational games
that provide play-
based learning
Our promise to the world:
To share the joy of
learning through play in
everything we do.
Award Winning
Engaging, award winning
games that teach useful, real
world skills.
Time Saving
30-minute game play times
explicitly designed for busy
families.
Thoughtful
Thoughtfully designed to
adapt to a family’s unique
needs.
Personalized
Personalized support to
identify games that are a per-
fect fit.
Replacement
Lost pieces are replaced for
FREE!
Jamie Nosalek
Ind. Consultant
www.facebook. com/Fun-
SchoolingFusion/
jamie.ind.simplyfun
ing together was contagious. Word spread
quickly, and by September of 2007, our
group had doubled in size. Homeschool-
ing parents saw the value in what we were
doing and got their teens involved. As
our group continued to grow, we realized
that God was doing something special
with homeschooled teens, and not just in
Omaha. With 170 teens participating by
the spring of 2012, Homeschool Teen Serve
(HTS) obtained non-profit status in Nebras-
ka, formed an executive board, and began
the process of applying for Federal tax ex-
empt status. That fall, our original group
split into three when two new HTS chapters
opened in the nearby communities of Lou-
isville and Bellevue. In October 2014, HTS
was awarded a 501(c)3 group exemption
by the Internal Revenue Service. Now in
its fourteenth year, there are currently over
190 teens serving in eight active HTS chap-
ters in Nebraska and Iowa, and each has its
own leadership, teens, and clients.
Community service is nothing new
to homeschool families. They’re known
for being servant-minded people who
instinctively know it’s important to give
back, because they are so blessed. They
also know that serving is one of the most
effective ways to spread the love of Jesus.
Homeschoolers aren’t sitting at home with
curtains drawn. They’re out in their com-
munities quietly giving of themselves in
countless ways, being the hands and feet of
Jesus, and making such a difference.
Some may ask, “Our family already
serves. Why do we need Homeschool Teen
Serve?” HTS provides the opportunity for
groups of homeschoolers to pool their ef-
forts, energy, and talents and form local
chapters where teens can serve their com-
munities alongside their peers. HTS enables
homeschool families to divide the time and
work of planning community service proj-
ects, while sharing the joy and multiplying
the impact of those projects. As a 501(c)3
group exempt organization, HTS is free to
welcome new chapters under its tax-ex-
empt umbrella and provide them with the
template for starting and operating their
own chapters, including training, ongoing
support, and liability insurance coverage.
The HTS model is simple. Registered
families receive a monthly reminder and
are asked to R.S.V.P. for the project. Then,
participating teens are divided into parent-
supervised teams and sent out on project
morning to homes, apartments, and vari-
ous locations to complete jobs requested
by clients. It’s inspiring to see groups of
teens in their red t-shirts serving together,
getting their hands dirty, and sowing seeds
for the Kingdom. On the back of their shirts
are the words from Colossians 3:23-24:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for hu-
man masters, since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a
reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
They continually remind us that if we are
faithful and do not give up, He WILL reap
the harvest we all desire.
Homeschool Teen Serve, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt
nonprofit organization created for the purpose of providing
homeschooled teens an opportunity to serve individuals in the
community in various ways and build relationships with one
another based on their common goal of modeling the life of
Jesus Christ. For more information, visit our website at www.
or stop by our booth at the next
Homeschool Iowa Conference.
Tell your story!
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choose one story to share in our next issue! Article length 750-1250 words, include pictures too! Email
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