In the News
Tom McBride, Executive Director of Epworth Village, accepts the award on the agency's behalf. From left, McBride; Charlie Hoffman, Chamber President and Monroe Golliday, President of the Epworth Board of Directors.
Epworth Village Recipient of Business "Legends" Award
By Melanie Wilkinson, York News-Times www.yorknewstimes.com
YORK — This year’s Business Hall of Fame “Legends Award” was presented to a longtime institution in the York community — Epworth Village.
This award is given to a business or organization that has long-term roots in the community and has been an asset for its citizens. This award began in 2002 and several prominent businesses have received this award.
Epworth Village was founded as Mother's Jewels Home in 1889 by the Women's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Women's Society determined that opening this home would be an effective way to address the need to care for orphaned and abandoned children in the central United States.
Locating the orphanage in York made it particularly helpful to the thousands of orphaned and homeless children brought to the central United States by the orphan trains in the 1880s, 1890s and early 1900s.
The City of York was so interested in having the home located in York that it offered a cash gift towards the effort. Dr. W. L. Armstrong and Methodist churches throughout Nebraska and the nation focused on locating the home in York. With the encouragement and leadership of Burwell and Isabella Davis Spurlock of York, the old Munson dairy farm was purchased.
On May 2, 1890, the first children arrived from a failed orphanage in Platte Center. The former owner of the Platte Center orphanage, Dr. Armstrong, joined forces with the Spurlocks to provide housing, food, and education (both academic and vocational) to hundreds of children. Over the years, buildings were added to accommodate more children, house a hospital and a school and to facilitate a full farming, dairy and hog operation.
By 1900, the school and vocational training program were fully operational at the orphanage. Mothers' Jewels Home served children from across the United States and other countries. By 1959, the ministry became more focused on children and youth experiencing family problems. Orphanage style of care was no longer appropriate for the population most in need of services. The agency was renamed Epworth Village to signify the program transformation to services for families and their children who were identified with emotional and behavioral difficulties.
In 1979, Epworth Village implemented an incentive style program. Family reunification became an even more prevalent goal of treatment. Throughout 1981 and 1982, Epworth Village responded to a growing need for services by expanding their scope to include utilizing two homes in the York community which were owned by the village. Slife Group Home and Coleman Group Home were remodeled to accommodate the youth. Additionally, the two cottages on the main campus were home to youth needing our services.
The Epworth Village Learning Center was established in 1983 on the main Epworth Village campus to address the individual learning needs of children placed at Epworth Village for care as many of our youth did not easily fit into the public school programs. This state approved Level 3 Special Education Service provides individualized learning experiences for learning disabled and behavior disordered clients. The Learning Center is currently housed at the former Edison Elementary School building. Epworth Village purchased this building in 1995 from York Public Schools.
Epworth began holding classes at the site in February 1996. The increased space and ability to have all classrooms in one building has helped students and teachers approximate a more traditional school setting.
In 1996, Epworth Village opened the first treatment group home in Nebraska. The treatment group home level of care is located in the Slife Home, located within the community of York. In 1997, program expansion necessitated utilizing the Coleman Home, located within the community of York, as a traditional group home. Many of the youth require these intermediate steps prior to being discharged to their home, foster home or other placement.
Late in 1998, Epworth Village was awarded two State of Nebraska contracts. One was to open an emergency shelter with space for 10 youth and the other a traditional group home in the Grand Island area with space for 10 males.
The emergency shelter was opened in May 1999 in York. This facility is for both males and females ages ranging from infant to 18 who are in crisis. The traditional Group Home in the Grand Island area accepted its first youth in November 1999. This facility is for males ages 12-18 who need out of home placement.
In 1999 Epworth Village responded to the treatment needs of youth by making several changes and additions to its comprehensive treatment program. Coleman Group Home was transformed to a treatment group home. Between both Slife and Coleman Treatment Group Homes, Epworth Village can now offer 16 beds at this level of care.
Today, Epworth Village has truly developed its own "system of care" through the multilevel treatment program offered at Epworth Village. It offers the residential treatment center (24 beds), a treatment group home (26 beds), a traditional group home (10 beds), day treatment, outpatient, independent living and day student services.
Construction is currently underway on a new home on the Epworth campus, that will allow for even more children to be served.
“Under the leadership of Executive Director Tom McBride, Epworth gained accreditation by the Joint Commission in 1994,” said Mark Jensen, who presented the awards. “Epworth continues to meet and exceed the standards of the accreditation body. McBride serves on numerous state and national boards to advance children's issues.
“The caring people who work each day at Epworth are truly a family helping other families in crisis,” Jensen continued. “They are truly making a ‘change for the better’ across Nebraska and York is very fortunate to have them as part of this community.”