The Reverend Robert Mize Jr. founded Saint Francis Boys’ Home in 1945 in Ellsworth, Kansas, to serve 12 adolescent boys who needed a second shot at life. Today, Saint Francis Ministries serves 9,000 children, youth, and families in six states, through a broad range of programs and services. A lot has changed in the last eight decades, but SFM has always remained dedicated to the communities in which we work and live.
Saint Francis kicked off its yearlong 80th anniversary celebration on September 3 with a day of volunteer service by senior leadership – the first step in its “80 Years, 8,000 Hours” initiative. The campaign shines a light on the many ways SFM employees serve their communities, both during and outside of work.
The goal is to complete 8,000 volunteer hours by the end of the fiscal year in June, and staff are already off to an impressive start. So far, Saint Francis employees have contributed 779 hours of service, most supporting local churches and schools. Others, however, have delivered blankets and quilts to the Rosebud Lakota Reservation in South Dakota and helped provide free heart and orthopedic surgeries to people in Libya.
To encourage participation, SFM offers each employee eight hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) for community service. The Marketing and Communications team has also created a form on the Saint Francis website for employees to log their hours – whether completed during work hours or on personal time – so that every act of service counts toward the goal.
By sharing their stories through the form, employees can help demonstrate the many ways Saint Francis staff are making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve. We’re grateful for our friends, advocates, and partners in the life-affirming work to bring healing and hope to children and families.
