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	Children's Home Marks 75 Years By Denise Heilbrun Star-Tribune [Torrington WY] August 30, 2005 TORRINGTON -- What began in 1930 as an orphanage, and is now operated as a treatment center for severely emotionally disturbed children, is celebrating 75 years of service to Wyoming youth. St. Joseph's Children's Home will hold an open house and tour on Thursday to enable the public to see what is "behind those walls." "I think there's a mystery of the institution when people drive by," said Bob Mayor, executive director of St. Joseph's. "There's a curiosity of people of 'What are these new buildings like, what are the old buildings like? What do they really do back there?'" The tour will show what is new at the children's home and where the staff members do their jobs. Thousands of young people have passed through the doors of St. Joseph's and have received supervision, guidance, ministry, therapy and educational services necessary to help them become productive citizens, Mayor said. Most of the children are court-ordered to attend St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's employs a full-time staff of 126 people to provide comprehensive treatment and educational services to an average population of 55 young people ranging in age from 6 to 17. The program is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. The year-round K-12 school is certified by the state of Wyoming and fully accredited. Students can graduate from the school on the premises and receive diplomas. Children at the home receive 24-hour supervision by 22 teachers and educational assistants, and receive individual, group and family therapy from a staff that includes nine licensed therapists and two licensed Ph.D. clinical psychologists. Funding for the facility mostly comes from the Wyoming Department of Family Services and the Wyoming Department of Health, with the remainder of the funding coming from Catholic parishes across the state, and private donations from businesses and private citizens. St. Joseph's annual budget runs about $6.8 million, according to Mayor. The youth home was in the headlines last week after a victims' advocacy group called for the name of retired Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Hart to be removed from a residence hall, the Hart Children's Center. Three lawsuits have been filed against the bishop alleging sexual abuse in the 1970s in Kansas when he was a priest. That request was rejected by Bishop David Ricken, who noted that Hart was president of the youth home's board of directors for 25 years and that the accusations against him have not resulted in criminal charges. Housing The children at St. Joseph's live in six residential units -- three each for boys and girls, divided by age. The Newell Center is used as the secure and intensive treatment unit. It is intended to be short-term until a child is stabilized enough to move to the more open units, and it houses both boys and girls. The average stay in St. Joseph's for treatment is about 11 months, according to Mayor. "The real heroes here are staff, those dealing with the children on a day-to-day basis and helping to keep it going," he said. St. Joseph's also offers classes to teach parents and children to deal with their problems. The facility uses the "Teaching Family Model," which is also known as the "Boys Town Model." "It says you're going to change the children's behavior by positive reinforcement, to reinforce what they are doing right," Mayor said. "You don't ignore what they are doing wrong, but you praise on what they are doing right. The classes help the parent get on the same track the child is." The treatment program also includes 4-H. If you're in St. Joseph's, you're in 4-H, Mayor said. "It helps children learn to do chores and teaches them responsibility," he said. The facility also has an equine program. Once a week a portion of the students go to a nearby ranch and work with Bob and Pat Adams, who are staff members, and learn all about horses, how to take care of and ride them. That program is used as a reward. "They have to earn it," Mayor said. Celebrating 75 years * Festivities at St. Joseph's Children's Home in Torrington on Thursday will include a Mass led by Bishop David Ricken, followed by a dedication of the original building to be named McGovern Hall, after St. Joseph's founder, Bishop Patrick McGovern. The youth home's museum will be named the John Henry Museum, after the first superintendent of the facility, the Rev. John Henry. * The museum houses artifacts from T. Joe Cahill, a major benefactor of the home, who donated more than 900 badges he had collected and items such as Indian clothing and photos of celebrities. The museum also holds two original works of T.S. Eliot, a 1794 Greek New Testament, items worn by Tom Horn and a section of the rope with which he was hanged. Several brightly colored robes worn by past bishops are also on exhibit. * Due to space constraints, attendance at the Mass and dedications on Thursday is by invitation only. The open house and tours are open to the public and will be held from 3 to 6 p.m.
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