NORMAL, IL, June 29, 2022 — Flag flown over U.S. Capitol Building, now flying over The Baby Fold campus in Normal, IL.
In honor of The Baby Fold’s 120th anniversary, the agency is sharing its history across 12 decades of program expansion and facility construction. Sam Guillory, Director of Development shares “It’s truly an honor for The Baby Fold to be celebrating 120 years of helping children and families in central Illinois. We are digging into our archives to share fascinating stories from our earliest beginnings as an orphanage in 1902, to the multi-faceted agency we see making an impact in the community today. Our founders simply could not have imagined the number of lives they’d eventually touch with their timeless mission.”
The Baby Fold historical timeline includes decades of response in meeting the needs of the community, including the agency’s move to a larger Willow Street location. Guillory notes “It’s hard to believe that today, children are running and playing in the very same courtyard as children did in 1910, when The Baby Fold moved from its first home on North Street.”
Today, the courtyard at Willow Street now displays a special flag, recently flown over the United States Capitol Building in honor of The Baby Fold’s 120th anniversary. The flag complements another national memento, a single clay brick from The White House in Washington, D.C., gifted to The Baby Fold in 1951 by then Congressional Representative Leslie Arends of Melvin, IL. The brick was mounted on the interior wall of The Baby Fold’s nursery at the time, its bronze plaque reading, “Original White House Material, Removed in 1950.” It remains on display today at the same location, now Hammitt Elementary School.
As The Baby Fold continues its year-long celebration, the public is invited to learn about their 120 year history in the community at www.thebabyfold.org, through a monthly e-newsletter featuring history across the decades, on social media, and as highlighted during The Baby Fold’s upcoming Festival of Trees holiday event and fundraiser, taking place this November.
The Baby Fold has been serving children and families since 1902. The Baby Fold serves over 1200 individuals every year through 12 life-critical programs including foster care, adoption support, special education, autism programs, early childhood initiatives, crisis intervention and more.
