GENERAL QUESTIONS

• What is Boys Town?
• How many children and families does Boys Town care for each year?
• Has Boys Town expanded beyond Nebraska?
• How are Boys Town sites selected?
• How does Boys Town finance all of its work?
• Is Boys Town part of the Catholic Church?
• Who directs Boys Town today?
• What are some problems Boys Town youth face?
• Is Boys Town a lock-up facility?

Q. WHAT IS BOYS TOWN?  (top)

A. Boys Town, the original Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home, is a leader in the treatment and care of abused, abandoned and neglected girls and boys. For 90 years, the nonprofit, nonsectarian organization has provided these children with a safe, caring, loving environment where they gain the confidence to get better and learn the skills to become productive citizens. Boys Town continues to further its mission To Change the Way America Cares for Her Children and Families by partnering with communities, schools and other child-care organizations, and using proven technology to refine programs and services in order to meet the growing and more diverse needs of today’s children and families across the country.

Q. HOW MANY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES DOES BOYS TOWN CARE FOR EACH YEAR?  (top)

A. In 2007, Boys Town's Home Campus located in Boys Town, Nebraska provided help, healing, and hope to 3,087 children and 498 families from all over the country primarily through its long-term residential homes. That year, a record number of children - 51,198 - received help, healing and hope from Boys Town's youth care and health care programs in a dozen states and in the District of Columbia. More than 500,000 children and families were also helped through the Boys Town National Hotline, including more than 38,000 youth who made calls where hotline staff intervened to save the caller’s life or provide therapeutic counseling.  Nearly 900,000 more children were assisted through Child and Family Support Services last year

Q. HAS BOYS TOWN EXPANDED BEYOND NEBRASKA?  (top)

A. Yes. Boys Town operates sites in 14 states across the country, including Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Nevada, Georgia, Louisiana, Rhode Island, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Iowa, Nebraska and the District of Columbia. Boys Town National Headquarters and largest child-care facility are located in Boys Town, Neb., the historic village Father Flanagan built west of Omaha. Click here for a complete list of site locations and programs offered.

Q. HOW ARE THE BOYS TOWN SITES SELECTED?  (top)

A. Since first opening our doors in 1917, Boys Town’s mission has been to provide food, clothing, shelter, education, spiritual guidance and medical care to homeless, neglected and abused boys. Since 1979, this same care has been extended to girls.

Today, challenged by new problems facing youth and families, our work stretches far beyond the Village of Boys Town, Nebraska. We are committed to the goal of changing the way America cares for its at-risk children.

All services are provided regardless of race, color, creed, gender, national origin, or inability to pay. Our children come to us from every state in the Union and several foreign countries.

Q. HOW DOES BOYS TOWN FINANCE ALL OF ITS WORK?  (top)

A. There are three sources of income:

— Public Support, such as mail contributions, major gifts, wills, gift annuities and other donations, pays about 30 to 40 percent of the annual operating costs. Every dollar received is spent within 12 months on the direct care of children.

— Program Service Revenues, including state agency reimbursements, medical insurance and grants, pay about 25 to 35 percent of Boys Town’s annual costs.

— Interest, dividends and gains from Father Flanagan’s Trust Fund, established in 1941 by Boys Town's founder, help pay operating expenses and provide 30 to 40 percent of annual costs. This fund ensures Boys Town will be able to continue to help children in the future. The Trust Fund’s value varies with fluctuations in securities markets.

In providing full financial disclosure, Boys Town believes in what Abraham Lincoln said: "If you trust the American people, they will return the compliment."

Q. IS BOYS TOWN PART OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?  (top)

A. No. Boys Town is, and always has been, a non-sectarian home for troubled youth. Its director is a Catholic priest (to symbolize Father Flanagan), but it is run by a Board of Trustees who have various religious backgrounds. Boys Town has always prided itself on being non-sectarian, and it receives no funds from the Catholic Church, nor does it provide any money to the church.

Q. WHO DIRECTS BOYS TOWN TODAY?  (top)

A. On July 1, 2005, Father Steven E. Boes became the fifth Executive Director of Boys Town, and the fourth successor to Father Edward J. Flanagan since the founder’s death in 1948. He has been working with children throughout his more than 20-year career as a priest and is experienced in working with children from unique cultures and various faiths and spiritual backgrounds. Before coming to Boys Town, he directed St. Augustine Indian Mission, a school for Native American children in Winnebago, Neb. Father Boes succeeds Father Val J. Peter, who directed and greatly expanded Boys Town programs during his 20-year career.

Q. WHAT ARE SOME PROBLEMS BOYS TOWN YOUTH FACE?  (top)

A. If problems are not that serious, Boys Town is not an appropriate placement for a child. We admit a wide spectrum of girls and boys in trouble. Children at Boys Town usually come from an unstable home environment and face a wide array of problems such as physical or sexual abuse, or criminal activity. Most youth have had several prior out-of-home placements and been unsuccessful at school. A majority of the children who come to Boys Town are admitted through agencies such as juvenile courts or state social services.

Q. IS BOYS TOWN A LOCK-UP FACILITY?  (top)

A. No. Boys Town has no fences. Father Flanagan described our philosophy best when he said: "I am not building a prison. This is a home. You do not wall in members of your family."