Elon Homes for Children and the Second Century Countdown Campaign

What is the history of Elon Homes for Children?

Elon Homes for Children was founded as an orphanage by the Southern Convention of the Christian Church (a forerunner of the United Church of Christ) in Elon College, North Carolina in 1907. Boys Town of North Carolina was founded in 1970 in Charlotte five miles south of Pineville. In 1985 Boys Town merged with Elon Homes for Children, soon thereafter began serving girls, and in 1987 was renamed the Kennedy Campus of Elon Homes for Children.

How is Elon Homes for Children making a difference?

We provide a safe haven, life skills training and a strong charter public high school education for the boys and girls entrusted to our care.

How is Elon Homes for Children unique among child-caring agencies in North Carolina?

No other child-caring organization in North Carolina provides the services and benefits for our state’s neglected, abused, abandoned and academically or behavioral-challenged young people. Elon Homes for Children has the singular distinction in the state for offering children ages 0-21 complete wrap-around services at one location.

We are a place where:

(1) home and safe haven, Charter Public School, vocational learning, life skills development, individual and group therapy and spiritual activities are commingled; and

(2) administration, teachers, staff and volunteers are personally involved and invested in the lives, growth and education of each child. Elon Homes for Children is uniquely positioned, with demonstrated success, in providing the full range of services and benefits to best equip a child who is “at-risk” for failure with tools for success. Most notably, we are “results-based,” with goals that demand firm, measurable outcomes.

Why do we need additional funding?

Our focus on results has revealed gaps in our services that must be filled if we are to ensure safe haven, life skills and education for each child in our care. It became urgently apparent that we must have a new multipurpose educational facility in Charlotte that includes a gym and classrooms, educational upgrades, a strong independent living program, and adequate information technology to support our operations. As we approach 2007 and our second century of service to young people and families, the Second Century Countdown Campaign addresses these critical identified gaps.