Parade Beneficiary
Ozanam began in 1948 when it became apparent to a young Kansas City social worker that there were very few places in the Kansas City area where emotionally disturbed adolescent boys could be given the kind of longterm care, educational opportunity and guidance that they needed. So, this individual, with the help of several volunteers, began to accept custody of boys referred to him by local church-related social services and the juvenile courts, and he began to offer them the kind of help they needed in his own home. The name Ozanam was selected for the new home from the name of a 19th century social worker whose boys’ homes in the city of Paris began in much the same way.
In a little over a year’s time, the Director and six boys who comprised the Ozanam Home proved to be too much for the small apartment which was their home. A larger house was located in Independence, Missouri, and this was the Ozanam Home until 1950.
In 1950, big changes took place for Ozanam. The small house in Independence, as before, was literally
outgrown by the 16 boys and staff of the Home and once again, new and larger facilities were necessary.
This time, the newly formed Ozanam Boys Home Association and the Ozanam Women’s Auxiliary decided
to relocate with an eye to the future, when additional expansion would surely be called for. A 40-acre
location, with a rather large house formerly used as a residential care home for the aged, south of Martin
City, Missouri, was selected. In time, the Home was incorporated as a private institution for the care of
emotionally disturbed boys, elected its first Board of Directors and held annual meetings of its membership.
In January of 1998, Ozanam and four other organizations (Spofford, Marillac, Gillis and SOS services) formed
a parent corporation named Cornerstones of Care. This is a separate corporation consisting of nine officers
and an 8-member Board of Directors with equal representation from the five organizations. Cornerstones
of Care provides the opportunity to combine resources, create a greater array of services, and develop new,
unduplicated programs and services.
In June of 2002, Ozanam made another significant change as it began to accept adolescent females into its residential treatment program, which likewise provided the opportunity for female placements in the educational day treatment program as well. Today, Ozanam offers an individually planned treatment program for each child and family. The agency has grown from a single program service agency to a multiprogram service agency. These programs include:
- Intensive Residential Treatment for adolescent males and females ages 12 – 18 (60 beds including 10 designated specifi cally for the treatment of sexual abuse)
- Campus Group Home for boys ages 14-18 (12 beds)
- Campus Day Treatment Program for adolescent males and females ages 10 – 18 (52 students)
- Transitional/Independent Living Program (Pathways) - Supervised and scattered apartments for up to 50 youth, ages 18-21 (with programs in both Kansas City and Wichita)
- School Consultation Services (Behavior Intervention Support Team or BIST)
From the beginning Ozanam’s goal has been to help children and families reach their full potential so that they can become productive members of our society.
