A rather  boring day today. We left Omaha about 10:00am and made almost 400 miles of Interstate driving before settling down near St. Charles MO. But given that there was little walking it was good for my aching knees. Tomorrow we will visit the picture puzzle super-store and then likely make a dash for home.

Since not much happened today I thought I would give you a little more about Boys Town.  Here is the info on the sign in front of the history center. It does a pretty good job of providing a short-hand version of the history of the place. This picture to the right is that famous saying I quoted yesterday.

A warm welcome to the Boys Town Hall of History. This museum is a cherished place for us at Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home.   It houses our precious memories of the earliest days when we were a small shelter for a few homeless boys from the streets.   It graphically depicts our joys and sorrows, our trials and tribulations, as decade by decade we have welcomed homeless, neglected, abused, and handicapped children.   We have changed with the times.   Today we care for boys and girls, for high risk inner-city youth, and for children with speech and hearing handicaps.  

Our story is one of struggle, growth, and change.   But what has not changed since 1917 has been our deep trust in God, our love for the young, and our goal-to impart the values of family living to generations of troubled young people whose own families failed them.   We are proud of these efforts and hope that they may inspire you, our visitors, to believe as we do that there is no such thing as a bad boy or girl.

One of the billboards in the center talked about even in the 1930s they stood strictly against segregation. They welcomed everyone.  Around 1980 they changed from a dormitory type living to more of a family centered approach.  They currently house about ten kids in a family unit headed by a very well-trained husband/wife and often kids. To the right is one of those houses. There are probably fifty of them on the campus.

I pray that Boys Town continues to be funded into the future. They certainly fill a need..