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When Miss Ettie Lee started the first group home for at-risk youth in 1950, she maintained that she wanted to serve these at-risk kids for 1,000 years! Well, 63 years since starting the agency, Ettie Lee's mission remains strong - even amidst the all-to-common atmosphere of shrinking funding. The past several years have been rough, and this past year we have had to make tough decisions to remain the resource that Ettie Lee created for the at-risk children we serve.
These tough decisions have included the taking out of service and ultimately selling three group homes which correspondingly necessitated the need to eliminate 47 staff positions.
In the indefatigable spirit of Miss Ettie Lee, the staff at our current residential programming and foster family/adoption agency, have come together to fulfill the mission of Ettie Lee. Even with shrinking funding, we have had the opportunity to increase the number of children that can be served through our foster family agency and have improved the Intensive Day Programming for Ettie Lee's residential youth. These services have resulted in a record number of graduates and positive reunifications. This is what Miss Ettie Lee intended and we are committed to the mission.
Sincerely,
Terri Varnum
President & CEO
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