Our History
“I have begun my work. I have two boys, ages six and seven.”
This message—written by Oak Park’s Mary Wessels on a postcard addressed to a friend in 1897—is one of the few remaining records of Hephzibah’s beginnings more than a century ago.
Not long after Wessels sent this postcard, a local orphanage was destroyed by fire and she opened her home and her heart to a dozen more children. She named her fledgling children’s home “Hephzibah,” after her own mother.
Learn More about Hephzibah
Read the latest news and stories about Hephzibah.
2024 Hephzibah HeartPrint Award Winners
Care & Spare 2024 Raises Funds for Hephzibah
Fostering Matters: National Foster Care Month
Hephzibah Home Kids Gala
Helping the Community Helps Hephzibah!
It’s National Volunteer Week!
Your Donation Will Impact a Child's Life.
Upcoming Info Sessions