A Brief History of Sipe's Orchard Home

Sipe's Orchard Home was founded in 1943 by Mr. and Mrs. V.O. Sipe (left) to provide care for neglected, abused, or homeless boys. V.O. assembled a board of community leaders to guide the formation of this new enterprise. Many of those founding board members' families continue to be leaders in both business and charitable interests of the Unifour area.

The home admitted its first boy in July of 1945. Like most children's homes of the 1940s, Sipe's was a working farm. The boys kept busy feeding chickens, milking cows, picking peaches, or other chores. Many of the boys remember Sipe's long-time superintendent, John Odom. For over thirty years, "Pop" Odom was a significant influence on many young men's lives. (Click here for one homeboy's remembrance.) Sipe's has maintained its roots as a small-scale home for children through five decades, though societal changes have caused shifts in the home's programs and population. Sipe's began as a home for boys who simply needed a place to stay. During the 1970's and 1980's, more boys came who needed therapy for behavioral problems. Programs evolved, and the staff grew to include specialists in behavioral care.

Over the years, Sipe's has evolved to meet the changing needs of children in our society. The Home accepted only boys for nearly 50 years, but in 1993, Sipe's began admitting pre-adolescent sisters of current male residents. The goal was to help keep families together. In May 1995, Sipe's opened the Hazel T. Houston Cottage for the care of teenage girls. This was the first major program expansion in many years. The cottage's construction was made possible through the generous support of Dewey A. Houston. The new millenium ushered in further changes for Sipe's. In order to care for increasingly disturbed children, Sipe's obtained licensing through the Department of Mental Health to provide residential treatment. "Cottages" became "treatment centers" in which highly trained staff members provide an array of therapeutic services for the children. In 2002, Sipe's opened the doors of a day treatment program for preschoolers in the new Tyndall Center. For the first time, Sipe's has three- and four-year-old children on the campus for day treatment. This intense, early intervention helps parents and children learn early in a child's life how to deal with emotional and behavioral problems in a positive and constructive way.

Today, family-centered services are a major focus for the Home. Virtually all Sipe's children have living family members, and, though many of these children will never live permanently with their families, their family members and family connections are important to a child's emotional balance. The professional staff at Sipe's works with the child as part of a family system to bring families together and clarify existing family relationships.

Today, children do not come to Sipe's to live out their childhood. They come here because they cannot cope successfully with their lives. Sipe's staff work with the children, their families, and the referring agencies to provide individually tailored treatment programs for each child. With the successful completion of that program, children are happier, better adjusted, and ready to re-enter their homes and communities.