Epworth Children & Family Services, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)

General

• Mission:

Epworth’s Mission: To help youth and families find strengths, break through obstacles and build brighter futures.

We would like to request a grant of $10,000 from the Lawrence Foundation.

• History:

In 1864, when railcars brought unwanted Civil War orphans to this area, William Markham responded by creating the Central Wesleyan Orphanage to care for and educate these children. Over time, several other Methodist-affiliated organizations emerged in the St. Louis area. In 1909 the Epworth School was established to provide residential care for adolescent girls. In 1927 the Methodist Orphans Home opened and was the first professional child welfare services agency in the St. Louis area to employ trained social workers. By 1975, these Methodist organizations merged with a unified mission to offer a wide array of services to children, youth and families in need.

In 1968, three junior high school students established Youth Emergency Service (YES) to help a growing number of runaway and homeless teenagers reunite with their families. Since merging with Epworth in January 2000, YES has provided uninterrupted emergency shelter services for over 200 at-risk youth annually.

Each of Epworth’s four originating organizations was established to respond to the needs of youth for the betterment of the entire community. Approximately 2,000 youth and families now receive services from Epworth each year. As demonstrated throughout its history, Epworth’s culture is one of growth, perpetually seeking new opportunities and treatment methods to improve the quality of life for at-risk youth and their families.

• Year established:1864

Registration

• Organization type:Grantseeker
• Country of registration:United States
• Year established:1864
• Tax Determination Letter:Received Determination Letter
• IRS Section:501(c)(3)
• IRS Subsection:None

Web Listing

• Guidestar listed:Yes
• Charity Navigator listed:No
• Give.org listed:Yes
• Charity Watch listed:No