Adriel School, Inc.
Adriel is a not-for-profit social service agency that originally began as an orphan's home of the Mennonite Church in 1896. Now a Mennonite Health Services affiliate, Adriel provides residential care, counseling services, victim/offender reconciliation and foster care placement in 26 Ohio Counties.
Adriel assists children and their families who are experiencing a range of adjustment and emotional problems. To accomplish this, Adriel is committed to providing the highest quality child care and treatment, finding ways to build and enhance family support systems, and working in the context of a spirit of Christian love, concern and gentleness which undergird the value of the worth and dignity of each individual.
The vision of the trustees and administration is that Adriel will continue to pursue its work with children and their families experiencing distress. A leader in the field of treatment for children and families, Adriel provides opportunities for children and their families to confront the turmoil and crisis, which beset them and return them to healthy, holistic functioning.
Adriel is accredited by CARF, licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and is a Teaching Family Association certified site. Adriel has offices in West Liberty and Archbold, Ohio.
History:
The beginnings of Adriel trace back to 1896 in Orville, Ohio. It was there that David and Ellen Garber were called to begin the ministry of the Mennonite Orphan's Home to care for abandoned children.
Four years after opening, the home was serving at capacity and the ministry needed more space. Since there was nothing available in the Orville area, the orphan's home began looking for alternative locations. Mennonites in West Liberty invited the Garber's to consider moving to Logan County, as a home was available for purchase for just under $2,000. The offer was accepted and the ministry moved to West Liberty, where it remains today.
Throughout the years many children were served in the Mennonite Orphan's Home. The number of children needing care was always greater then the number of beds available. Since administrators felt a home setting was always the best for the children being served, they began a process to place children in foster homes, which was progressive for those days. By 1905 the home served 122 children, 85 of which were in foster care. These foster homes were Mennonite families throughout the Midwest and as far away as Oregon.
Since the Mennonite Orphan's Home was a ministry of Mennonite Board of Missions, it was not only supported by local West Liberty congregations, but also by all congregations throughout the Mennonite church. In 1954 the name of the organization was changed to the Mennonite Children's Home. However, the the needs of children and their families were changing rapidly, so the Mennonite Church re-evaluated the purpose and goals of the Children's Home.
Working with educable mentally retarded children was recognized as an area of need and the Church decided to begin a program in that field. In 1957 the name of the organization was changed again to Adriel School Inc. A board member, Dorcas Kauffman, suggested the name, which is a Hebrew word meaning flock of God. Adriel School served youth with IQs between 55 and 80.
Today Adriel continues to serve children in much the same way it did over 100 years ago, believing that a home setting is the best place for a child. The five group homes in the West Liberty community model a family style of living for children ages 8-18 with a variety of emotional and psychological issues and lower IQ's. The foster care program continued to grow, allowing children from group homes to transition to foster families and eventually back to their homes as quickly as possible. Currently serving over 25 counties in Northern and Central Ohio, there are foster care offices in Archbold and West Liberty.
While the official name has remained Adriel School Inc., the ministry is, in actuality, a social service agency for children, rather than an educational institution. Local West Liberty Mennonite congregations continue to sponsor Adriel, as does the Ohio Conference, Central District Conference and Mennonite Health Services.
Most of the funding comes from fee-for-services, however a considerable gap exists between what county and state agencies pay versus the true cost of care. Donated dollars continue to come from Mennonite individuals and congregations in the region to help offset this difference and keep the hundred-year mission of Adriel alive
Contact person: Terri McGarry, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (419) 445-7215
Address:
Web Site: http://www.adriel.org/
| Last updated on March 1, 2010 |
