Lynchburg Business

Presbyterian Homes & Family Services: A Heart for Children

Issue: April 2010 by Chris McCune in Inside The Magazine, Non-Profit

“I have never heard of them,” is a common phrase I hear while researching Presbyterian Homes & Family Services (PHFS) in Lynchburg for this story. Indeed, it does seem to be one of the Hill City’s best kept secrets; one that’s worth letting out of the bag. But to understand who PHFS is and what they do, you need to first know a little bit of their history.

PHFS has been around since 1903, starting out as an orphanage. Much of their current campus on Linden Avenue was built in 1912 and, over the years, has become a facility offering services for children and adults. In the 80s, the orphanage took on a new existence, becoming more of a group home and in 1989, Genesis House, a 24-hour emergency shelter for children, was opened. While PHFS’ name may lead you to believe that they are part of the Presbyterian Church, they are not funded by them nor are they governed by the church. Instead, PHFS is a true non-profit that depends on contributions from individuals and corporations just like other non-profits.

PHFS is always working to make sure their mission to take care of people who would have a hard time taking care of themselves is being fulfilled, and in turn, they offer a host of programs, including having 10 group homes across the state for adults with intellectual disabilities. PHFS also offers community-based outreach services. These intensive in-home services help families who are having difficulty due to financial hardships or other issues. Through family therapy, evaluation, behavior management, coaching and stress reduction types of counseling, they help the families in the children’s natural setting. The service is provided on a daily or weekly basis, depending on the situation. The goal is to provide stability for the family so that children don’t have to be removed from the home, forming a more functional family unit.

While they see all of their programs as being important, it can be argued that the most important work they do is with children. Their website says it all: “For generations, Presbyterian Homes & Family Services has been a sanctuary of love for children in need, providing them with a future they never imagined possible.”

As a group home, PHFS’ residential program for at-risk youth provides living situations and around-the-clock care for both boys and girls. This care may be long-term, from a few months to a few years, depending on the situation. The program not only offers a place for children to live and grow but also provides them with transportation to school and all activities. According to Mark Morrison, Vice President of Development, the number of children living on campus fluctuates between 20 to 30 at a time. Children accepted into the program are brought in by state agencies as well as by their families. Many of the children have been through multiple foster homes.

In the group home program, the ages typically range from teenagers between middle school and high school. PHFS also offers a preschool program called Little Wings, which is one of the only 4-star rated preschools in the state. It is a collaboration between Randolph College and Lynchburg City Schools that was started about a year and a half ago. What makes this preschool so special is the fact that it’s an “inclusion preschool.”  This means that a portion of the children who attend are learning challenged in some way, while the rest are not. Meshing all students together this way helps make the transition to grade school easier for the children.

“The proactive approach of early childhood education is our goal, as it helps enhance the children’s chances at normal learning in the future,” Morrison said.

While the almost-full program receives referrals from the city, it is open to all children in the community as long as space is available.

On the other side of the programs for children is the Genesis House Emergency Shelter. Open 24/7 and offering rooms for up to eight children at a time, the shelter fluctuates between full and semi-full. Children in a real crisis can come there on little to no notice and have a safe place to live. Reasons for coming to the Genesis House range from abuse to a single parent having a health emergency with nowhere else to take the child.

One of PHFS’ most well-known events, the Turkey Trot, is a direct fundraiser for Genesis House. With more than 1,060 racers in 2009, this is the largest 5k in Lynchburg. While this event raises a fair amount of funds, it only covers a small fraction of the cost of operations to provide this safe outlet to children who need it.

PHFS also holds other events during the year to help offset operation and general program costs. There is the annual 5k in June, the ever popular Mad Hatters Ball and the Lynchburg Toy Run.

“All of our events are fund and friend raisers,” Morrison stated.

This month also brings a new event to the PHFS benefit roster. A twist of fate led Cole Brothers circus to be on the hunt for a new location to land, and decided the PHFS campus is just the spot. With a 50-year history, the circus coming to town on April 26-27 gives PHFS a chance to showcase their 150-acre campus and programs to an even broader range of the local population. Morrison sees this as a cool treat for the community, but especially for the kids at PHFS. While most of the proceeds will go to PHFS, they will benefit more from advance ticket sales, so plan to get tickets early.

From a heart for children to a passion for family, PHFS is a place where everyone is seen as having the ability to succeed and potential to prosper. In the past century, they have taken this vision and turned it into an epic mission and the results are stronger families all around our community.

For more information, visit www.phfs.org.