Boys Town of Central Florida, Healing Families and Helping the Community

Boys Town is a charity that provides a safe haven for children in unsafe living situations. Started by a priest, they have been caring for children for almost a century. They teach family values and independence to children while nurturing and caring for them in a way that the social services can't. Being a not for profit, nongovernmental organization, Boys Town relies on the support of the nation to keep its doors open. Locally, the Boys Town of Central Florida has been incredibly successful in their endeavors. Along with the support of University of Central Florida students, Boys Town of Central Florida is wildly supported by many community businesses, firms and organizations. Their culture, values and mission make Boys Town an organization worth supporting whole heartedly.

In 1917 Father Edward J Flanagan, tired of working with transients in Omaha, borrowed ninety dollars to pay rent on a boarding house downtown. This boarding house became Father Flanagan's first home for boys. Boys of all races, and religions began showing up at his door. While World War One broke out and money funding his charity was scarce the home for boys still beat down the doors and Father Flanagan was able to keep it going. That spring, Father Flanagan was mentoring and caring for nearly one hundred needy boys (Boys Town Yesterday).

Because of the success of the charity, and restricted capacity of the boarding house in downtown, Father Flanagan bought "Overlook Farm," outside of Omaha. This farm became the permanent location for Boys Town. It eventually was named "The Village of Boys Town." Even though the charity was not always financially stable, he was always able to rally support from the masses to raise funds needed to keep Boys Town thriving (Boys Town Yesterday).

By 1932, hundreds of boys were living at the village. Father Flanagan introduced a school, dormitories and administration buildings and all buildings were built solely by the boys. The boys also held elections for their own government positions; there was a mayor, a council and even commissioners. This system is still put into practice today at all of the Boys Town locations. By 1936 the village was instated an official city of the State of Nebraska (Boys Town Yesterday). It now houses multiple schools, a hospital, city hall, parks and a fire department.

In 1938, because of the success of the charity, Warner Brothers produced a movie starring Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracy. Tracy won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Father Flanagan, and then donated his award to the priest (Boys Town the Movie- Warner Brothers). This movie created awareness for the charity for years to come which helped with the funding of the program immensely.

Through the years Boys Town has gone through many changes, in 1973, Monsignor Robert P. Hupp changed the Boys Town dormitory style to an innovative family care program. This family care program was what Father Flanagan was trying to accomplish before he passed. Children will live in homes and be cared for with the help of married couples, called family teachers. This has now become a staple in the Boys Town motto and practice. The second change that occurred was the admittance of girls, in 1979, the first group of girls was admitted into Boys Town, and graduated in 1983 (Boys Town Yesterday).

By 1985, Boys Town began to expand nationally to nearly twenty sites around the country. The number of children under care and supporters of the Boys Town cause skyrocketed causing the quality of care, and amount of monies collected annually to increase as well. Boys Town also opened up a National Hotline for children and parents who need assistance. The hotline has handled more than eight million calls since its opening, and remains open twenty-four hours a day, year round (Boys Town Yesterday).

Today Boys Town annually provides direct care to more than 51,000 children. In 2008 alone, Boys Town touched the lives of 404,000 children and adults around the world. The Village of Boys Town in Nebraska continues to be the national headquarters of Boys Town. It currently holds 550 boys and girls ranging in ages of three months to eighteen years old. All of the children come from diverse backgrounds and religions and live within the seventy Family Homes with their married family teachers (Boys Town Today).

In 2007, Boys Town revealed their new logo for their ninetieth anniversary. The picture was an image of an older boy, carrying a younger girl with the words, "Saving Children, Healing Families." Those simple words speak volumes about Boys Town's philosophy and beliefs. It connects them to where they have been and focuses on the mission as Boys Town successfully moves forward into the future (Boys Town Today).

In 1986 Boys Town Central Florida opened its doors in beautiful Oviedo Florida. Not only is Boys Town Central Florida campus the second oldest Boys Town location, it is also the second largest outside of Boys Town Nebraska. Their mission coincides with the rest of the national Boys Town Network and is, to ensure "that troubled children and families across the country receive the right care, at the right time, in the right way."

The programs offered by Boys Town Central Florida include treatment family homes, intervention and assessment services, child and family support services, the Common Sense Parenting program, and project safe place, which is a program aimed at assisting at-risk youth in bad living situations. Since its opening in 1986, Boys Town Central Florida has lent a hand to well over 12,000 at risk youths. In 2008 alone, Boys Town Central Florida was proud to announce, that almost 4,000 children received help through Boys Town Central Florida's integrated continuum of youth care programs.

The services provided by Boys Town Central Florida help the organization to reach its goals and maintain the vision Father Flanagan put forth over 90 years ago. However those services don't completely describe all that the Central Florida campus has to offer. The young people getting help from Boys Town have the opportunity to benefit from much more than just these primary services. For example, the founder of an organization called Stepping Onward, Dr. Claire Grove has teamed up with Boys Town to speak to the children at the Central Florida location every Sunday. She educates them about the importance of staying healthy while giving the kids tips about eating right and exercising (Boys Town of Central Florda).

The great people of Boys Town Central Florida know what is important to the families that rely on them for help. The things that are important to the kids and families of Boys Town are also important to the people in charge of helping them. Holidays such as Christmas are celebrated just as they would in any healthy family environment. Holiday activities are planned not only for the youth in Boys Town Central Florida but also for the rest of the families and guardians. Christmas festivities at Central Florida for example, go on for the whole month of December. Many different activities take place during the month and these events are sponsored by different people and organizations in the community (Zbylut, 2009). The most popular celebration however is the lighting of the tree, in this case though, it is a bright red plastic palm tree that has become a Central Florida icon.

Ninety-six employees and volunteers work for Boys Town Central Florida on the Oviedo campus but this number does not include the family-teachers that open their homes for up to six boys or girls that are in need of a good family environment. This family environment helps children in need of guidance learn important life skills. One such pair of family-teachers, Michael and Quintell Allen recently saw one of their Boys Town kids graduate from a local high school (Boys Town Central Florida Youth Sees Healthy Future). The Allens have been family-teachers since 2007 and are perfect examples of what Boys Town Central Florida looks for when seeking family-teachers to help the youth; a stable, married couple with high values and high standards for the children they are trying to help (Boys Town Central Florida).

Of course, Boys Town Central Florida would be much less effective if it wasn't for those big contributors that help fund the services and programs that Boys Town has to offer. The Central Florida location has some key contributors that donate to the charity such as the Moran foundation. In 2009, for the second year in a row, the Jim Moran foundation served a grant to Boys Town Central Florida which helped the organization provide more families with important services. More specifically the grant helped fund more in-home family counseling, free of charge to the families that take advantage of the service (Moran Foundation Comes Through Again for Local Families). In January of 2009 Mary Demetree, another philanthropist and a boys Town Central Florida trustee, began a fund-raising challenge when she promised that the Demetree foundation would match every dollar donated to the location, up to a total of $400,000 (Demetree Challenge Fund Grows).

Awareness and support are very big concerns for not only the Central Florida location but Boys Town all over the nation. Without these, the funds required to run the organization would simply not be met. Each location holds many events that motivate their community to be as passionate about the lives of struggling children as the organization is.

Sporting events are a common way for any organization to create awareness and support, and central Florida takes advantage of the outdoor lifestyle. Boys Town holds an annual golf tournament called the Demetree Golf Classic and puts community members on par to help the children. Last year, seventy golfers played to raise more than $9,000 to help Boys Town Central Florida and continue to spread hope and healing to their children. Treated to lunch by Firehouse Subs, dinner at the Timacuan Golf Course's Club House, the golfers had a great time while learning about the Boys Town mission. "Year after year, this tournament has proven to be a fun way to gather Boys Town Central Florida supporters," said Greg Zbylut, Boys Town Central Florida Executive Director. "The golfers may enjoy the competition, but the real winners are the additional children and families who will benefit from our programs" ("Golf Classic Helps...).

Another annual event has also been added to the Boys Town Central Florida agenda. With the help of UCF students Tim O'Reilly and Andrea Wright, every year the community gathers for the Annual Boys Town Basketball Classic. Based around a UCF cornerstone project, these students started this event with the support of WESH2 news and xL106.7 fm radio. These media stars battle it out on the basketball court yearly to benefit Boys Town. In just the past two years, this event has raised over five-thousand dollars. This is not only an event for the community, but for the kids themselves. They get to come out, have fun, get treated to pizza, games, basketball drills and ice cream; and this year got their faces painted.

Boys Town has gotten so much recognition in their communities that the Better Business Bureau- Wise Giving Alliance has named them as a 2009 BBB- Wise Giving Alliance Accredited Charity. They voluntarily underwent a rigorous evaluation process of their governance, effectiveness, finances and solicitations, and informational materials. Boys Town passed the evaluation and met all of the Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability that goes beyond what government regulators require. "National charities that display the BBB Wise Giving Alliance seal can do so with pride," said Art Taylor, President and CEO of the Alliance. "Not only are they attesting to their organization's adherence to sound standards, they are helping to increase donor confidence and strengthen public trust in giving" (Boys Town Recieves...).

Many other companies and organizations are recognizing the importance of Boys Town and wanting to show their support. Most recently, Yahoo! made a donation of $25,000 for the inspiration they have created and to show their willingness to help further the Boys Town mission (Boys Town Says Yahoo!).

More than money sometimes though, is the time dedicated by the people of the community to show love and attention for the kids. Ultimate Fighters Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson, Rashad 'Sugar' Evans, Don House, MMA Trainer Marc Laimon, Phil Baroni, and Jay Heiron all show their desire to make a difference. The fighters have a soft spot for the youth and families at Boys Town in Nevada where they make yearly visits to the children. The athletes bring holiday gift cards, autographed shirts, hats, and pizza, but most importantly the hope they bring for the children. "Meeting Rashad Evans was the most amazing experience I've ever had," said Dave, a 14-year-old Boys Town youth. "I couldn't have asked for a better holiday surprise" (UFC Fighters bring Hope).

Whether a local charity event, or a national recognition by supporting organizations, Boys Town deserves every drop of enthusiasm and support for their organization. Hopefully they can continue to expand and their mission, "saving children, healing families," and further the awareness throughout the nation and the world.

The Boys Town organization does not only help children and young adults who may have troubled lives, but it also benefit those who would like to help people in need. For instance, the University of Central Florida makes several efforts yearly to aid the organization while mutually benefiting from each other in different ways.

One example of Boys Town and UCF benefiting from one another can be seen through the Leadership Program (or LEAD Scholars) offered by UCF to students in the College of Business administration. In this program UCF students strive to make a business plan, group paper and group presentation for a grade. Throughout the course students will also fulfill community needs by demonstrating their interest and ability to be socially responsible and produce papers and materials that will be used by the Executive Director of Boys Town of Central Florida to assist in future fundraising efforts (Lead Competencies). One of the LEAD students at UCF had a very rewarding experience while volunteering in one of these events:

"I went to Boys Town hoping to give something to them; never did I realize that they would be the ones to teach me a life lesson. The children taught me that anyone can be a person of need, and that no matter what you think you have to offer someone they have something bigger to give back to you. Our LEAD Scholars Creed is to Learn, to Lead, to Serve. A component of the "to Serve" part of our creed is that we must give more to others than we receive ourselves. I could spend the rest of my life giving to Boys Town of Central Florida and never live up to the oath that I took to give more than I received from this organization. I had a wonderful time at the super hero's party, but it wasn't until this picnic that I opened my eyes to see the splendor of these miraculous children" (University of Central Florida Coop).

Another effort to help the Boys Town organization is the Cornerstone program at UCF, which is a program designed to teach leadership and management skills through community service. Students work in teams and pair up with a nonprofit organization in order to raise funds or complete projects that these organizations are in need of. This Program's mission is not only to help provide funds for the children in need, but also to show theses children a good time by creating fun experiences through different venues, such as trips to the beach or other special events (Team Lucky 7).

As you read above, the cornerstone class, for business students is another way that UCF reaches out to Boys Town. Every cornerstone section at UCF offers at least one group to raise money for Boys Town of Central Florida. The cornerstone classes at UCF have raised $24,572.00 for Boys Town to date (Knox, Terry).

Much of everything that is Boys Town and is related to UCF is thanks to Terry Knox, who is the Development Director of the Boys Town in Central Florida. It is thanks to him that the University of Central Florida has managed to join many partnerships and open a variety of programs through different colleges in the University. For instance, a partnership program through the College of Health and Public Affairs, or even a Literacy Arts Partnership program that is available through the English department at UCF, as well as a variety of internship programs that the Boys Club offer (Boys Town Out Reach).

Such internship programs include, but are not limited to corrections internships, through the department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies; Business internships, though the School or Business administration; Public Administration Internships, through the College of Health and Public Affairs; Advertising and Public relations internships, through the Nicholson School of Communications; among others (College of Health & Public Affairs). All of these programs are overseen by Terry Knox, who as mention above is the Development Director of the Boys Town in Central Florida (College of Health & Public Affairs).

Knox also has very close ties to UCF, since he not only oversees all programs related to the Boys Town, but he also offers other kinds of services to UCF that are helpful to all interns. For instance, Knox offers presentations and conferences where he explains how to make one marketable. For example, one of his training sessions at UCF provided an outstanding lecture on how to promote your agency in the time it takes an elevator to move a floor, or what he calls "Elevator Speech" (Elevator Speech PPT). In this particular presentation he gives students and interns advice in promoting themselves or agency they work for in a short amount of time and offers guidance such as always having business cards at hand to send a strong message and hopefully produce interest in what you are advertising (Network News).

Knox has now been working with UCF for five years and the events and partnership programs will not stop anytime soon as Knox himself finds the UCF and Boys Town partnership most fulfilling: "I love the UCF service-learning students to work with our kids. Every time they come out to generate ideas for possible projects I am amazed at the creativity and problem solving skills these young men and women have. The projects are always beneficial to our organization (University of Central Florida Coop)."

The help that Boys Town gives to the community wouldn't be possible without the donations received locally, especially from the University. However, it is rare when we can hear just how exactly we are making a difference. The drastic change in the lives of the children that Boys Town aids is so great that it can't always be exactly measured but the change in each individual is definitely observable.

Two-thirds of America's youth deal with at least one major childhood trauma such as physical or sexual abuse, emotional or physical neglect, or some type of household dysfunction such as domestic violence, substance abuse, separation or divorce, parent in jail or mental illness. From the most recent research done by Boys Town in 2008, 794,000 children were victims and of these victims 1,760 died, seventy-five percent of which were younger than four (The Urgent Need for Effective Child Care). Sadly, the majority of those who neglect and abuse these children are the parents.

Most of the children Boys Town cares for are battling serious emotional, social, academic and behavioral problems. Their difficulties are far more troubling than those of the average American youngster. Fifty-one percent of the youth at Boys Town have aggression problems, forty-two percent of the children who receive help have been physically or sexually abused, and seventeen percent have been completely abandoned by their caregiver (The Urgent Need for Effective Child Care).

At first glance these statistics can be harrowing; however, with the help of Boys Town many of these children can lead better lives. Statistically, of the children that walk through the doors of Boys Town, seventy-eight percent of them graduate from high school or obtain their GED. Of these graduates, thirty-five percent go on to receive their associates degree, ten percent have received their bachelors degree and seven percent have obtained a graduate level diploma (The Urgent Need for Effective Child Care). Although their services are confidential, and for the protection of family and child identity, names may not be released; Boys Town has cared for two professional basketball players and one Olympian. The care that these children have received not only physically helps them by feeding and providing the basic needs, but Boys Town provides emotional support that restores these children's self esteem. It is through their care that these children can live up to their full potential and so much more.

The success of Boys Town does not only statistically speak for itself but through the children who benefit from the program. Boys Town receives many letters from the youth that they help, but one stands out the most and truly embodies the values that Boys Town tries to uphold.

Before I came, I was a mess. No one in my family graduated from high school and I thought it was a waste of time. I was a person with no purpose. When I came, I was furious. I wanted to leave and thought it was unfair. I thought it was going to be like another foster home where they tell you one minute they care and the next minute they don't care. I couldn't believe it.... They cared. They kept hanging in. Even when I rejected them, they kept hanging in. They taught me what it means to be a family. I thought before I came that families only fought, argued and drank together. I know that is not true now. I thank my Family-Teachers for not letting me use that as an excuse. I have grown up. - Reflections on Boys Town

Although Boys Town is not as popular as it once was, it still maintains the values and mission originally set out by Father Flanagan. With the technology of today, and the ever changing society, it has been able to maintain this mission, almost a century old, and adapt it to the world today. Boys Town will continue to touch the lives of children in the future and help as many families as they can. With the support of the nation, and passionate volunteers they can turn the Boys Town charity into something far more than Father Flanagan had ever dreamed it would be.

Works Cited

Knox, Terry. Personal interview. 9 Apr. 2010.

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