Save St. Mary’s Home for Children in Savannah
Sister Mary Alvin Seubott of Saint Mary's Home with two of her resident boys Royce, left, and Quevon, and their pet dog Millie. (John Carrington/Savannah Morning News)
You can help keep seven children in their home.
St. Mary’s Home, a legacy in Savannah for the nurturing and development of children for 135 years, will be closing their doors. For the seven children who currently live at St. Mary’s on Victory Drive this means a change to their whole lives.
They will now have to move from their home, their care-givers, and the other children that have become their family and friends. It’s likely that they will have to change schools and their lives all together.
Over time, St. Mary’s, which was opened in 1877 by three Sisters of Mercy to help children who were abandoned or orphaned, has cared for children from many different circumstances- orphans, one-parent homes, abandoned children and dysfunctional homes.
Because of changes in federal and state laws, there have been a reduced number of placements of children in the home and with that a reduced amount of funding. These laws are affecting child care agencies that place children in-need into a new environment, focusing on foster homes and single family homes instead of group homes. While this does mean that St. Mary’s will not have any new children placed in their care, it does not mean that the children who currently reside there have to leave.
Of the seven children who live at St. Mary’s it will take approximately seven years for them all to graduate from high school. Seven more years of St. Mary’s Home existing in its current form and these children, who have found their safe haven, can continue on their paths uninterrupted.
Email savestmaryshome@gmail.com to find out how you can help prevent St. Mary’s from closing their doors on June 30.
Thanks to Casey Welsh of Just for Baby & More for providing this info.