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Welcome to Boys Town
Thank you for visiting our exhibit at the Great American State Fair. It’s a glimpse of Boys Town’s legacy of healing and hope — but there’s so much more.
Boys Town has never stopped growing or finding new ways to help children and families. You can see it in the teens who find support to turn their lives around, in young patients who receive the specialized healthcare they need to thrive and in the research breakthroughs which make a better path forward possible for so many.
What we do here is life-changing for families in Nebraska and around the world. It’s all made possible thanks to people like you who share our belief — that every child deserves a chance to succeed.
From Nebraska Roots to National Reach
Boys Town is proud to be a national leader in the care of children and families since our founding by Father Edward J. Flanagan more than 100 years ago.
As one of the largest nonprofit, nonsectarian child and family care organizations in the country, today’s Boys Town offers:
- Cutting-edge health and medical care through Boys Town National Research Hospital and other resources.
- Internationally recognized research on neuroscience, behavioral health, hearing and balance, and speech and language issues.
- Life-changing services for children with severe behavioral problems through our Outpatient Behavioral Health and residential care programs.
We’ve grown beyond the Village of Boys Town, Nebraska, our national headquarters, into a network of nationwide locations that offer life-changing services to children and families.
Last year alone, Boys Town directly served more than 197,000 children and families in all 50 states. We trained 5,000+ teachers and improved school performance for 171,000+ students. Nearly 64,000 young patients received advanced healthcare supported by more than 25 pediatric specialties and 40 research labs, and our crisis teams prevented 459 suicides in progress.
Behind those numbers are stories of children who found help, families who found hope and futures that were forever changed for the better.
Unmatched Care, Life-Changing Results
Healing kids in body, mind and spirit was the heart of Father Flanagan’s philosophy. Boys Town National Research Hospital was founded to focus on children’s hearing, language and communication issues — areas that weren’t being addressed in pediatrics at the time. Now, 50 years later, we are internationally known in all of those areas and have expanded our care to treat the whole child, from their developing minds to their growing bodies.
When baby Remi was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), her parents weren’t sure of the next step. But the neurologists at the Pediatric Neurogenetics and Rare Disease Clinic at Boys Town National Research Hospital were able to explain Remi’s condition and start treatment right away.
When Amelia, Remi’s younger sister, was also diagnosed with SMA, her parents returned to Boys Town Hospital. Now, both girls are on track to meet every pediatric milestone.
Watch the video to hear about Remi and Amelia’s story and their family’s experience with Boys Town National Research Hospital.
Here When You Need Us Most
No one should have to face life’s problems on their own. Boys Town provides professional guidance and crisis support 24/7 for youth, teens and families nationwide.
Boys Town National Hotline®
Our 24-hour crisis line is staffed by specially trained counselors who listen, provide support, assess safety issues and offer additional resources when needed. If you are having thoughts of self-harm or are being abused, please call us. These serious issues are best handled in one-on-one conversations with our trained counselors.
Your Life Your Voice
The best years of your life can also be the most stressful. This website and mobile app help teens and young adults manage their everyday emotions and face stress, depression and anxiety with expert support and healthy coping skills.
Parenting.org
Parenting can be challenging and frustrating at times. That’s why we share our Boys Town Parenting Principles on Parenting.org. Here, you can find resources we have developed based on decades of real-world testing and practical research. We’ve got parenting guides, articles, videos, tools and parenting Q&As – all developed by Boys Town experts.
Visit the Village of Boys Town
When Father Edward J. Flanagan purchased the Overlook Farm in 1921, it became the new, permanent site of Boys Town. Over the decades that followed, schools, churches and homes were built, and tens of thousands of young lives have been transformed. When you visit the Village of Boys Town, you'll get an unforgettable glimpse into the history of an organization that has given new hope to so many at-risk children over the past 100 years.
Exciting News in the Sainthood Process
We are proud to share that Pope Leo XIV has declared Boys Town Founder Father Edward J. Flanagan Venerable, a defining moment in his journey toward sainthood.
This title recognizes that Father Flanagan lived a life of heroic virtue, and brings him one step closer to being recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
We are grateful for all who have supported and advocated alongside us on this journey.
“There are no bad boys. There is only bad environment, bad training, bad example, bad thinking.” – Father Edward J. Flanagan, Boys Town Founder
Get to Know Boys Town
Sure, you’re aware of Boys Town, but do you know Boys Town and the great work we’re doing? We’re a lot more than what you saw in the 1938 Academy Award-winning movie. To show you, we’ve put together a 5-day video series to describe our history, what we’re currently doing and our plans to continue our mission to save children, heal families, and strengthen communities long into the future.