Christ's Home Legacy Dinner Will Feature Bryan Cutler
It was John Bryant, chief executive officer of Christ's Home, a ministry to provide care to children in several counties that dates back to 1903, who had the idea of asking Rep. Bryan Cutler, recently re-elected speaker of the house for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, to speak at the organization's 2021 Legacy Dinner. "(Cutler) is very well respected (by his colleagues)," said Bryant. "We have asked him to speak about what it's like to be a person in a position of civil leadership who is a Christian."
The Legacy Dinner will be held at Christ's Home Community Center, 800 York Road, Warminster, on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m. This year's theme is "What Does It Mean to Be 'Salt & Light'?" Tickets may be purchased at https://christshome.givecloud.co/legacy-dinner-2021 or by calling 215-956-2260 or emailing info@christshome.org.
Cutler has an interest in the mission of Christ's Home and a personal concern for children, having lost both parents to ALS while still in high school. The community where Cutler lived in Peach Bottom played a significant role at that crucial time. "The community wrapped their arms around his family," said Vernon Wright, chief development officer with Christ's Home. "That was a driver for (Cutler) to serve the community." Cutler eventually pursued a law degree specializing in health care. More than 15 years ago, he ran for the legislature.
Christ's Home was founded in Philadelphia by Dr. Albert Oetinger; his wife, Catharine; and Katharina Krausslach. The Lancaster County campus was donated to the organization by Charles F. Leader in 1935. Leader and his wife, Cora, purchased the house in the late 1920s, and Leader donated the house and grounds to Christ's Home in memory of his wife following her death. Leader also left funds to Christ's Home. Within a year of the organization's receiving the bequest, 12 preschool children were living at the house. According to Wright, the home initially helped struggling parents dealing with issues of poverty, but children without parents came to the home as well. "In our first 35 years, it was all preschool kids, but in the 1970s, we started sending children to Pequea Valley schools," said Wright. Caregivers, often single women called matrons, lived in the cottages. Married couples with their own children also provided care. "It wasn't shift work. It was a family-style approach," noted Wright.
Wright noted that by the end of the 1990s, the organization had begun to work with Bucks, Montgomery, and Lancaster counties to provide services to the children and youth agencies through contacts. "It was a blended model initially because we didn't push out the private placements," said Wright. Most children remain at the home less than 18 months. Less than five years ago, a program for teenage mothers opened in Paradise. The Teen/Mother/Baby program supports girls who have made a parenting plan and helps teach them parenting skills.
Bryant explained that only about $0.75 of every $1 of care Christ's Home provides is reimbursed by contracts so it is necessary for the organization to hold fundraisers like the banquet to cover the gap.
Leave a Review