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.
Reflections on Hephzibah healing and support
Hephzibah Home’s healing powers: Hope and Love
Helping Foster Families Flourish
Intact Family Services: Providing families what they need to flourish
Hephzibah Forever Families
It’s all in the Hephzibah family
Your Donation Will Impact a Child's Life.
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