DePelchin Children’s Center
SPRING 2017
“These children must be cared for – we cannot desert them or fail them.” – KEZIA DEPELCHIN, 1892
1892
2017
DePelchin Turns 125 on May 2, 2017 In 1892, Kezia Payne DePelchin—a pioneering teacher, nurse and social worker—took a leap of faith and accepted into her care three orphaned infants for whom no other accommodations were available. Kezia cared for the children in two borrowed rooms at the home of a friend, relying on her personal earnings and donations from caring Houstonians. Within a few months on May 2, 1892, Kezia was able to move the children into a small, rented house, which she christened “Faith Home” as she would rely on her faith in God and the good people of Houston to support her cause.
“I suppose I will have to call it my ‘Faith Home.’ I’m entirely dependent on my faith in God and the good people of Houston to support it.” – KEZIA DEPELCHIN, 1892 This frame house on Washington Avenue served as the Faith Home from 1892-1899.
Kezia died within a year of opening her orphanage, but the Houston community embraced Kezia’s vision, adopted the home and helped it to grow. The young boys whom Kezia cared for at the house on Washington Avenue were the first of thousands to benefit from Faith Home, now DePelchin Children’s Center. Over the years, many have attempted to chronicle the dates and events that shaped Houston’s oldest family service agency, but the complete history of DePelchin Children’s Center is not easily put into words and can never be fully documented. It lives mainly in the memories and hearts of the children and families, who, during their darkest—and happiest—hours, have passed through its doors. Early fundraisers enjoy an afternoon with children at the DePelchin Faith Home.
inside 2 From the President 2 Share Your DePelchin Sotry 3 Donate in Honor of 125 Years 4 125th Birthday Celebration
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DePelchin Faith Home
to DePelchin Children’s Center
6-7 A Look Back at 125 Years