Message From the Boysville Board

A Statement from the President of the Board of Directors

Boysville has been a home to over 10,000 boys and girls in our 66 years of operation, and has provided quality care and education to children in need so that they could achieve success in adulthood. We are proud that we have been able to grow and evolve to meet the demands of an ever-changing society. Over the years, a simple home for a few underprivileged children has grown to include an emergency shelter, residential homes for children aged birth to 17, a transitional living program, foster care, therapeutic services, mentoring, tutoring, and a parenting program. And through our rigorous fundraising efforts, we are able to provide these services even to those who cannot pay or are not placed by the state.

Seventy percent of our budget is met through donations, and eighty-one percent of the budget goes directly to services for the children, statistics that are unique in the community. Both of these figures reflect the hard work and dedication of the administration to control costs, the staff who give more than is required of them, and the board of directors who contribute significantly.

One example of success over the years is reflected in our Board of Directors. We currently have three very active board members who spent a part of their youth at Boysville. Their dedication is an inspiration. The whole board is deeply committed to seeing our mission continue strong, even in the face of our most recent severe economic downturn. Our board is committee driven, and to meet these challenges, our advisory and development committees are working hard on strategic planning and on new avenues of raising revenue.

A downturn in revenues has meant that each board member has had to step up their contributions, giving more in time, talent and/or treasure to the cause. Our reward is interacting with the kids at a board-sponsored ice cream social or pizza party and observing that the children feel safe and are enjoying some well-deserved attention. That is enough to keep the board striving to ensure Boysville’s continued successful operation.