A surprise welcome back

On Sunday, September 15^th, we celebrated Founder’s Day. The event was one of the last celebrations that have been planned this year to commemorate the establishment of Hillsides one hundred years ago. It was a family-oriented occasion, drawing many people who over the years have been associated with the agency. There were former staff members, community members, longtime volunteers, and of course, some alumni.

Hearing the recollections of those who actually lived at Hillsides is always interesting. For the older alumni their stay at Hillsides was a result of premature death or chronic illness that impacted their families, requiring them to take refuge in a nurturing place as they dealt with tragedy and loss. For the middle-aged alumni, their stories were of a place that gave them a second chance, having been disruptive in their homes and communities for various reasons. The most recent alumni returned to tell the stories of their reintegration with their families and communities and the challenges that they addressed to become independent and successful.

Meeting many alumni is wonderful, yet the one that stands out for me was a young man who only left our care about two years ago. I was actually surprised to see him, but was really moved by how happy he was to be a part of this important celebration. He had come to the celebration on public transportation from where he lives now in the San Fernando Valley. He greeted his former teachers and staff members with a robust embrace, a smile on his face and a warm greeting. As we talked, I was impressed by how important it was for him to make the considerable effort to be part of the celebration. It was his way of saying thank you and an indication of how proud he was to have been part of the Hillsides community. For a young man like himself, whose life is taken up with many challenges and his success is the result of great sacrifice and effort, this celebration was important. An important part of his identity is the care and support that he received at Hillsides.

Part of the celebration was a brief reenactment of the reception of the first child by the founder of Hillsides, Deaconess Evelyn Wile. The script was taken from her own writings that chronicled her tenure. She was a woman driven by a mission to make a difference in the lives of the children she served. I hope that she would be pleased that a century later her vision still inspires and we are faithful at fulfilling the mission she established.

The greatest tribute we can offer to Deaconess Wile is provided by all those who have been served by Hillsides over the years. Their success, their gratitude, their ability to give back as a result of all they received that is the lasting tribute!

To all those who participated in any way in this and  the many centennial celebrations, thank you for all you do to help us fulfill our great mission to create lasting change. 

Dream come true

As part of our centennial celebrations, we did some research on the founder of Hillsides, Deaconess Evelyn Wile. We discovered she was a true pioneer in her field and that although she died when she was only 49, in her lifetime she achieved much--certainly more than perhaps she ever imagined.

Evelyn Wile was born in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was, however, an adventurer and before settling in Pasadena traveled and worked in South Carolina, San Diego, New York, and Hawaii. This amount of travel was a considerable feat at that time. These travels seem to point to her professional development in the field of child care. With each stop in her journey, the deaconess grew in her conviction of what was best for children who for whatever reason were without their families. It is fair to say that she was not just driven by professional interests, but by a strong conviction that her work was indeed a calling rooted in her religious beliefs.  So strong was her commitment that she dedicated herself exclusively to those in her care.

Part of the legacy Deaconess Wile left to Hillsides is an ethic that persists to this day, embraced by subsequent leaders like my predecessor John Hitchcock who insisted that children, their well-being, and success comes first. All that she did was ultimately a refection of what was best for those she served. We see this in her insistence that the organization, although founded in East Los Angeles, find its permanent home in the countryside free from the stressor of the city. Another example was her commitment to conduct this important work in a less institutionalized setting than what was common in her era, favoring a more home-like cottage living environment.

 

As much as she was driven by a strong sense of mission, she was quite accomplished as an administrator and fundraiser. Documents that capture the early activities of the governing body indicate how savvy she was at securing some very influential members of the community to provide the financial support required to establish the organization. In the thirteen years during which she established and led the organization, she managed to lay the foundation for not only an array of services for those in her care, but also provided the vision for the organization that endures to this day.

Deaconess Wile measured her success when a child in her care had the confidence and ability to move on to independence. The same is true today. In addition to the success of creating a lasting change for all those we serve we also consider ourselves successful to the extent that we fulfill Wile’s dream of being an indispensible resource for very vulnerable children.

Deaconess Wile had many who shared her dream and lent their support to see it fulfilled. The same is true for us today. The recent 100 Faces campaign captured some of those who continue to help us fulfill the great mission of Hillsides to create a lasting change for the children, youth,  and families we serve.

All this will be celebrated in a very special way with our Founder’s Day event that will be held this Sunday, September 15, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM on the Hillsides Campus on Avenue 64. Please join us as we recall Deaconess Wile’s dream and our celebration of how it continues to be fulfilled in all we do.