Krochmalna Street OrphanageI was recently at work and received an out-of-the-blue call from a guy who wanted to give money (a seven-digit figure) to an orphanage in southwest Florida.
Of course, there are no "orphanages" in southwest Florida, so instead we wrote a proposal to use the funds for the benefit of orphaned or abandoned children by providing services like housing and education.
But it got me thinking...
There are plenty of orphans in the U.S., but just no orphan homes. Ever since I left Haiti, the domestic orphan care situation has been drawing nearer and dearer to my heart. Recently, the California legislature had some open debates about extending state-run foster care services to age 21, as opposed to 18, as it now stands.
The debate is interesting, because its basic premise is this:
Kids raised in the foster care system (permanently without a permanent home) don't do as well in young adulthood as children raised in a home environment. This is shock to the family reunification crowd who fought for the end of orphanages in the U.S. some 50 years ago. But, when you look at the situation rationally, what did you expect?
Again and again, it has been statistically proven that children raised in institutional facilities (provided that those facilities are warm and loving) grow to be more successful adults in almost every way. They are 39 percent more likely to go to college and they have a 97 percent positive outlook on life and their childhood - as opposed to 60 percent of those raised in foster care. They make 35 percent more money as adults and they are more likely to stay in monogamous marriages, creating stability for their children.
Unfortunately, though, according to author Kathy Harrison, the images brought to the modern American mind when the word orphanage is mentioned usually entail a small boy with a slightly British accent saying, More, please. I'm hungry. But Oliver Twist's story was not that of the vast population of orphanage-raised children in this country.
While there certainly are tales to be told of the abuse of children in orphan homes, there are far more stories of peace, tranquility and - albeit a difficult existence - a happy one.
In her book, Alone in the World - Orphans and Orphanages in America, Catherine Reef recalls that back in 1729, the first North American orphanage was opened by Catholic religious sisters in New Orleans as a hospital and school for girls orphaned in Native American attacks. By 1860, there were 124 asylums for children in the U.S., and by 1888, the number grew to 613. The vast majority of the operation and administration of these homes was conducted by women, including many Catholics.
Over time, homes for children opened and closed with the tides of war and peace, poverty and plenty, money and lack. Charles Loring Brace's Children's Aid Society placed thousands of inner-city orphans with families in the country, as was believed to be better for their development. There were successes and failures, but the aid society lives on today as an example of children's advocacy.
So, if orphanages are so great for kids, why don't we have them anymore?
Dr. Richard McKenzie notes in his book, 'Home Way from Home' The Forgotten History of Orphanages, that orphan homes began to disappear toward the middle of the 20th century, and by the 1960s, there were virtually nonexistent. McKenzie argues that we, as a culture, decided that it was inhumane to place children in a group home setting. Briefly, in 1994, then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tried to revitalize the issue, but was shot down with a political arrow of brute force.
No one asked actual orphanage alumni for their views of the pros and cons of group living. If they had, they may have been surprised at the positive results.
Topics: Culture , Current Events , Education , Family , Parenting , Travel , Young Women
Amy Porter is a writer, fundraiser, orphan care advocate, and new Catholic living in Ave Maria, FL. She enjoys playing her guitar and piano, singing, reading, martinis, and going back to Haiti to see her babies the children she worked with for two years at an orphanage. Amy can be reached by email at amymporter@gmail.com or at briefmomentsofclarityap.blogspot.com. You can listen to and purchase her music at www.amyportermusic.com. A portion of proceeds benefit Haitian children's charities.
Interesting article! We have a number of "orphans" in my family including my Mom, may she rest in peace. A few of them spent years looking for their biological mother, and when they found her, there usually did not have a happy ending. I don't know if mom or any of the others spent time in an orphanage but I do know that they were placed in foster homes and bounced around a lot! There was a few sad stories to go with that bouncing but I won't get too personal here for their privacy. I believe adoption is the best for these children. Then they can have loving parents and a home life.
Deacon John
