Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as a National Historic Landmark on February 4, 1985.
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History
Boys Town was founded on December 12, 1917, as an orphanage for boys, then called the "City of Little Men". It was founded by Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest working in Omaha, Nebraska at that time. The City of Little Men pioneered and developed new juvenile care methods in twentieth-century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide."
In 1943, Boys Town adopted as its image and logo a picture of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, captioned "He ain't heavy, Father, he's my brother." They felt it epitomized the importance of their residents caring for each other and having someone care about them. The saying inspired a song and album by The Hollies.
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National locations
Boys Town has grown over the years, providing care to children and families across the country. Boys Town's national headquarters is located at the "Village of Boys Town" in Nebraska. There are 12 regional headquarters across the United States, in California, Central Florida, North Florida, South Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Iowa, New England, New York, Nevada, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Facilities include the Hall of History, dedicated to the history of Boys Town; the restored home of Father Flanagan; the Dowd Memorial Chapel and the Chambers Protestant Chapel; and the Leon Myers Stamp Center. The latter provides historical stamp-collecting exhibits and sells donated stamps to provide support for Boys Town programs. It has a summer camp on West Lake Okoboji, located near West Okoboji, Iowa.
In popular culture
- The 1938 movie called Boys Town featured actor Spencer Tracy portraying Flanagan. It also starred Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull and Gene Reynolds, and its sequel, Men of Boys Town (1941) also featured Tracy and Rooney.
A 1986 movie named Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story featured Art Carney and Casey Siemaszko.
Scandal
In 2015, a former supervisor at Boys Town was convicted of having sexual relations with a minor. The offender was sentenced to five years' probation, subject to various terms and conditions, and the conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nebraska.
References
External links
- Boys Town official site
- Case studies of Boys Town, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
- William J Kozersky Stamp Company commercial site with pictures of Boys Town Christmas and Spring Seals by year
- NEBRASKA: Boys Town Bonanza, TIME, Apr. 10, 1972
- Education: Rebuilding Boys Town, TIME, Aug. 05, 1974
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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