2008 Marks the 125th Anniversary of Crossroad / The Fort Wayne Children’s Home 

A PROUD HISTORY: Crossroad was founded 125 years ago as an orphans’ home by predecessors to the United Church of Christ.  Founders purchased 57 acres with a farm house near Fort Wayne Indiana and hired The Rev. and Mrs. John Rettig as the first Superintendent and Matron.  Young Hermann Leisering was the first child we served.  He moved into the farm house with the Rettigs in October 1883 and many more young people followed. We served hundreds of orphans over the next decades.  Most people referred to us as the Fort Wayne Orphans’ Home in those early years.  We started using the name Crossroad (our d/b/a) in 1975.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s many children’s homes primarily serving orphans closed down because of changing needs in changing times.  In the early 1950’s our Board of Trustees was faced with many options. It was the beginning of a new era for us.  We began to offer services including psychological treatment and counseling. 

We also opened “Woodhaven” a home for unwed mothers that operated for 13 years.  More than 1000 babies were born to the young women on our campus and many of those infants were adopted by members of the United Church of Christ all over the Midwest.  Woodhaven closed in 1972 when the needs of unwed mothers and their families changed.

A PROUD PURSUIT of EXCELLENCE: Our name and our services have changed over the years but we have always been committed to providing quality programs and services for the children and families in need of our help. Today, the board, staff, and supporters proudly carry on the pursuit of excellence.

Crossroad is proud to be the only agency working with emotionally troubled children in Indiana and one of few in the United States that is accredited by both The Joint Commission and COA. (Council On Accreditation)  It is a major accomplishment.

Crossroad is proud to be a leader in measuring outcomes for young people, answering the question, “How do we really know that we make a difference, that we improve a child’s life?”  Crossroad was one of the leaders in the development of a copyrighted outcomes project through the Indiana state association, IARCCA.  It is one of the largest outcomes measurement projects underway in the United States among agencies that provide services to children.  This effort to measure outcomes accomplishes two important objectives – providing accountability and continually improving programs.  It is this continuing emphasis on quality that ensures that young people who come to Crossroad get state-of-the-art, not run-of-the-mill, care.

A PROUD MISSION: Our Mission: Crossroad creates promising futures for children in difficult circumstance by providing therapy, education, and family support services.   

Simply put, today, Crossroad is a treatment provider for emotionally troubled children ages 6 – 21.   About 75 children live on our campus at any given time, and we work with many others off-campus.  Children come to us from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and beyond.   

When children are troubled, they need a safe harbor that provides protection, helps them find a new direction and allows them to heal.  They need Crossroad: A place with 125 years of experience helping troubled children and their families.  A place with programs that prepare children for lives beyond their troubles.  A place with professionals who view troubled children not as problems to fix but as people to heal.

No two children face the same problems.  Even if they live in the same home, they experience their troubles individually and confront them in their own ways.  At Crossroad, each child’s needs are met with unique solutions.  Some children come to live while getting help.  Others visit us during the day.  Some receive help in their homes or other locations. 

A Proud Celebration:  2008 marks our 125th anniversary.  Throughout the year, we will be holding special events that we hope you will attend.  We will be sending your church family information on how you can celebrate with us.  You can also find anniversary events on our website at www.crossroad-fwch.org or by contacting us at 260.484.4153.  Thank you for all you have done to help thousands of kids over the years.  You are an important part of Crossroad.  Together we will create promising futures for children for another 125 years. Whatever it takes!

HISTORY A former resident recalls that Remember the Children, They Need Your Help were the words written on the sign above the entrance to the Fort Wayne Children's Home during the 1930s. The Home was already more than 50 years old at that time, having served many orphaned children. It has undergone many changes over the years, but the primary mission to help children in need has never wavered. In 1883, the Waisenhaus or Reformed Orphan's Home of Fort Wayne, Ind. was founded by the Reformed Church, a predecessor to the United Church of Christ. It was created as an "Asylum for the care, support, discipline, restraint and education of orphan children." The Rev. and Mrs. John Rettig, the first superintendent and matron, moved into Sunshine Cottage on a 57-acre farm with five orphaned children on Oct. 17, 1883. Children attended classes in a two-room school on the campus. Basic education was provided to all children from first through eighth grades. Some older residents attended Fort Wayne's North Side High School. The children engaged in practical forms of education, too. Boys worked the farm, which at one time totaled 100 acres, and the girls helped with the laundry, cooking and canning. During the 1930s and 1940s, the Fort Wayne Children's Home Band became an important activity for the children. They learned to play several instruments that were donated by the churches. The band became quite popular and traveled extensively in the summer months to play for churches all over the Midwest. It was given national press attention when it performed a concert at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933. Former residents have fond memories of their experiences with the band and its director, J. M. Henley. The changing needs of children and families have influenced the services provided over the years. In 1959, Woodhaven - a maternity home for teen-age mothers - was established and continued to operate until 1972. Woodhaven served about 1,400 unwed mothers and provided adoption services for nearly 1,000 babies. Counseling as a regular part of the residential program has been primary to the mission since the 1950s when Crossroad started providing programming for emotionally troubled children. Youth may attend Crossroad's on-site school or public school. The extensive programming development and the staff's professionalism also has included recreation therapy and religious life. Today, the health services department tends to medical needs and prevention education. Crossroad provides a variety of programs and continues to expand its services. Over the past 30 years, Crossroad has created a residential Diagnostic Program, opened the Intensive Treatment Center and established specialized treatment programs including both individual and group therapy for youth with serious, emotional needs. Services now include day-treatment, day-treatment education and home-based programming. In 2002, Crossroad expanded services for youth who are MR/DD (Mentally Retarded/Developmentally Disabled), medically fragile and youth ages 6 - 9. Services are now available for youth ages 6 - 21. Crossroad strives to create promising futures for children - whatever it takes. It will continue to meet the needs of a changing society. Despite many changes, Crossroad's mission continues to be serving children in need. Everyone involved with the Home - board members, churches, administrators, friends, volunteers and staff - have always sought to Remember the Children, They Need OUR Help. With the help of many supporters, Crossroad will continue to "Create Promising Futures for Children -Whatever it Takes" far into the future!