Assistant Superintendent
John Biggerstaff, left, and Superintendent W. W. Snyder are shown in front
of the Holt Memorial Chapel. -1961
Elon
Homes History Go
Directly to the Elon Homes Timeline Sixty-five cents and a dream
were the original seeds that were planted to begin the Agency.
In 1892, a young lady deposited the sixty-five cents into
an offering plate at a church meeting and made the statement
that she would like the gift to grow and become an orphanage.
It took several years for the money to grow to the point that
the young lady's dream could become a reality.
The Agency was opened (as the Christian Orphanage) on January
28, 1907 by the Southern Convention of Christian Churches
and was operated by this organization until 1931. At that
time, the Congregational and Christian Churches merged, whereupon
the Agency became an institution of the Southern Convention
of these churches.
In February of 1964, the name was changed from the Congregational
Christian Homes for Children to Elon Homes for Children Inc.,
because the Agency had become an institution of the newly formed
United Church of Christ and one of the denomination's thirteen
children's homes. At one time, the Agency had been the only
childcare institution of the Southern Convention of the Congregational
Christian Churches.
The Agency has had to be aware of
the changing needs of the communities, families, and young
people it serves in order to keep the Agency's programs and
services current and relevant. Since its incorporation in
1907, the Agency's primary purpose has been to serve dependent
children. For many years, the Agency operated as an orphanage.
As demand for services for orphans decreased, the demand for
services for neglected and dependent children increased, and
the Agency's emphasis shifted to meet those needs.
Elon
Homes History
Check
out the Elon Timeline