Place to Call Home: The Amazing Success Story of Modern Orphanages

by Martha Carr

Jamie Foxx, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Angelina These are just a few of the famous faces who have gotten involved in the world crisis of homeless children. What is in the best interests of the child is once again a hot topic, and finally, with a twist. Orphanages are becoming part of the discussion again, but in a modern-day form.A Place to Call Home is the untold story of present-day orphanages - now called residential education facilities (REFs) and academies - and how they fit into the spectrum of choices for children who no longer have a family to return home to every night. Noted journalist Martha Randolph Carr tells the story of five residential education facilities from the heart of urban America to the plains of Texas.Go along with Carr on an amazing journey of discovery as she opens the doors of REFs and shows the cottages, resident couples, dining halls, gyms, flute lessons, bowling trips, hayrides, karate lessons, graduations, and many more glimpses into the lives of the thousands of children who now live and thrive in these places and call them home today. Learn how the tools for successful reinvention used in these academies can be adapted by anyone who is facing great changes such as divorce or career shifts. And get solid tips from each home on how every family can raise a happier, more confident, and independent child.As Carr learns about the families that are made in residential education facilities, she relates the moving story of her relationship with her son, Louie. She discovers that though they have been pulled apart, the secrets the homes have to share could become the road map to mending their troubled relationship and allow them to embrace the constant changes required to feel fulfilled and live without regret.Part study of modern-day orphanages and part memoir, A Place to Call Home shows us an effective solution for America' troubled families. In light of the demonstrable successes of REFs in helping homeless children, Carr questions why there should be any controversy about them, especially considering the decline in the number of available foster families. She argues that REFs are a less-expensive option for public money, providing wrap-around care and structure to the world's most vulnerable population. Furthermore, REFs have succeeded in sending more children to colleges and trade schools than from the general populace. Finally, she describes her own foundation, the Shared Abundance Foundation, a national college scholarship fund for children who have grown up in US residential education facilities, plus the Family Tree Project, which works to reunite the thousands of alumni of orphanages who cannot find each other. Small vignettes of REF alumni are included between chapters. A Place to Call Home is a compelling story of many dedicated people who are succeeding in providing a better life and a hopeful future for more and more homeless children.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Okay, I'm a late bloomer who's a big DC comics fan and spent my childhood summers on the Jersey shore but I was born under a wandering star and have lived in different parts of America ever since. That's enough about me. Need to feel inspired today? Looking for something to make you root for an ordinary hero? I'm all about that in everything I write.

I love a good tale that makes me wonder about things and I love a story even more that leaves me feeling inspired or like I'm capable of doing more than I realized. That's my goal with everything I've ever written. Some of the stories I tell involve twisting, turning thrillers and others have a lot of magic.

There's something to be said for getting lost in another world and coming out the other side feeling a little better about yourself or the possibilities in front of you. That's basically the best part of life in a nutshell, no matter what kind of story I'm setting out to tell.

Thank you for checking out my stories!

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lacks focus. It is supposed to be about orphanages, but it is mostly about free boarding schools for poor kids. Also, what was up with the story line about the author and her son? It had no place in this book. A good editor should have sorted this mess out.

[Jac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tl:Dr; what the fuck.

My note as I read the introduction: "this will be interesting, especially since it was written in 2007, right before the big legal changes against congregate care like Family First!"
My last note: "Fuck you, private money is still money".

---------------

This book is the authors personal therapy, telling the story of how she traveled around visiting homes for boys until she finally found one that could help her son (note: I don't believe she'd agree with this, it seems totally unconscious). She details everything wrong with her son and when he got arrested and failed a grade at school - is he OK with this book? Also WHAT THE FUCK she just read him all his required work until NINTH GRADE??? What a psycho.

Anyway. For some reason as part of this therapy she has decided to reclaim the word "orphanage" and use it to mean "(mostly religious, occasionally funded by an ancient crank instead) boarding schools with enough money that they don't have to charge much tuition". Weird flex but....no, not OK, fuck you. Some of these places don't even provide education so I'm not sure how they claim to be "residential education facilities" but whatever.

This book didn't even need an editor, just someone to read it and think "his job at the Foundation? You *just said* that he worked in construction." Or maybe pick up on the numerous ways that she says these places do better than foster care......through simple choices like only accepting kids with involved parents, haha so transferable! Stupid child welfare not thinking of that! And then contradicts herself again by saying they have a bunch of formerly homeless kids and that one kid whose dad showed up high....

She repeatedly claims that parents only use "I'll send you to a children's home" as a threat because people imagine children's homes are awful. What the fuck is wrong with her to not think there's anything wrong with "I will send you away to a nice place where I don't have to put up with you any more"?

In conclusion, the book argues that there will never be enough foster parents so child welfare should simply move to this proven successful and obviously scalable model where someone endows them with hundreds of millions of dollars and they stop accepting kids who don't want to be there - and the only reason they don't is *blind prejudice* (speaking of! Some of these places didn't even accept Black children until the *1990's*!!!!)

But I forgot to mention, WHAT THE FUCK, "St Joseph's Indian School"....switched from turning Indians into Americans to being a Lakota cultural boarding school? What? I'd like to know more. From a different author.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth a read if only to rethink what you know about residential education facilities, a.k.a. orphanages. Touched my heart and made me assign reading to my wife for the first time in our marriage.

[Tami Boesiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and informative commentary on residential education facilities. I found the author's personal story line woven throughout to be somewhat distracting, but it did provide an example of the many ways REFs can help families.