Boys Town Washington

Tom Rosso, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Board Member; Kichelle Coleman, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Treatment Foster Family Services Director; Salvatrice Murphy, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Assistant Treatment Foster Family Services Director; Lyn Corbett, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Executive Director; and Mr. George O'Brian, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Advisory Committee Member cut the ribbon, officially opening the site's new Lanham, Md., offices.

Maryland Treatment Foster Family Services Moves Closer to Home

Boys Town Washington, D.C.'s Treatment Foster Family Services Program is growing to meet the needs of families. On May 24, the program opened its new office in Lanham, Md., bringing it closer to its foster children and families.

"This new office will bring Boys Town's 24-hour support for foster parents closer to home for many of our families," said Lyn Corbett, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Executive Director. "Making that support easier to access for our foster families increases our already high standards for quality care."

Treatment Foster Family Services, which began at Boys Town Washington, D.C., in 1993, provide care to infants through 21-year-olds, who need additional attention and treatment than provided by a traditional foster care placement. Boys Town recruits and trains foster parents, enabling them to take children into their private homes and provide treatment in supportive and nurturing environments. The organization's newest program, Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care, provides foster homes to youths with serious problem behaviors.

At an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new offices, Boys Town staff honored a longtime friend and one of Father Flanagan's former youth, Monsignor Joseph Ariano, dedicating a conference room in the new facility in his name. The newly named "Ariano Room" was a fitting honor for the man who allowed the program to operate out of a room in his home for more than 10 years.

Kichelle Coleman, Boys Town Washington, D.C., Treatment Foster Family Services Coordinator, presents Monsignor Joseph Ariano with the plaque that will hang in his honor in the newly designated "Ariano Room."

"Even at the age of 86, I suffered a little disappointment this morning. When I heard rumors that something was being dedicated to me, naturally I thought it was be a highway," the Monsignor joked with staff members. "However, I am delighted and would have been delighted to have anything dedicated to me… even a chair."

Monsignor Ariano remains one of the most influential advocates for Boys Town Washington, D.C. He says he continues to be "inspired by the dedication and willingness in working with individuals at Boys Town who care about children so much."

Guests at the event included Boys Town youth and staff, members of the site Board of Trustees and members of the Maryland Advisory Committee, neighbors and special friends. Boys Town Washington, D.C., extends great appreciation to all of the attendees and a special thank you to Shoppers Food & Pharmacy for their donation and support.