Here is a story from a man I talked to at the orphanage on how the orphanage saved his sister’s and his life and his name was John. John said, “When I was 6 years old my sister and I were in a really bad poverty area and my parents couldn’t take care of us anymore, so they sent us to St. Joseph orphanage to get a well-structured life”. He is a counselor at this orphanage because he wants to give back to the people that saved his life in the time, he needed them most. Elaine Billow a worker at this orphanage said this, “Always be there for them no matter what kind of day they are having”. She said this because she deals with all kinds of kids everyday and deals with their emotions every day that is why she said this. The orphanage added family therapy not that long ago because they wanted the parents and children to talk through their differences without hurting each other.
I asked Elaine billow these two questions: How do these kids go about there day and How does it affect her as a worker in the orphanage Here is her answer to the first question,“ The kids who got to school at St. Joseph orphanage no longer live there; they live with their own families or with foster families. The ids who go to school at St. Joseph’s are those who have been discharged from their neighborhood school because of behaviors issues and are in need of intense mental health services. The school day at St. Joseph’s starts 7:30 AM and the kids are served breakfast when they arrive. After breakfast they participate in academics and gym time up until lunch around 11:00 AM. After lunch the kids go to “Group” where they receive mental health therapy. Dismissal is at 2:00 PM”. Her answer to the second question is, “Working at St. Joseph Orphanage has both a posotive and negative effect on me. I enjoy working at St. Joseph’s because I have the opportunity to work with these kids and hopefully make a difference in their lives. These kids need someone to listen to them, to be kind and understanding, and someone to help them get back on the right track. On the negative side it is very difficult to witness, on a daily basis, so many kids suffering and in need of intense therapeutic services”.
The orphanage was started in 1829 by the sisters of clarity. It was named St. Joseph Asylum before it was changed to St. Joseph Orphanage because of behavior issues the children have in the school they previously went to. The original location of this building was on Sycamore Street in downtown Cincinnati but they wanted to expand the orphanage to the westside of Cincinnati and so they moved it to Monfort Heights. Today, they serve 10 counties across southwest Ohio and offices in Cincinnati.
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