History
With a dream and the support of a small group of like-minded individuals, the Rev. William S. McClanahan established the Lutheran Children's Home of the South in 1888. From its founding in Salem, Virginia, through the 1950s, more than 1,000 children from seven states and four synods lived at the Home. In the 1960s, the Home started serving an increasing number of children with behavioral challenges for shorter periods of time and began moving in the direction of "family rehabilitation" through case management, foster care and adoption.
In the 1980's to adapt to the changing needs of children and families, the Children's Home incorporated Lutheran Family Services of Virginia to provide community, church and home-based services, and Minnick Education Center, a separate corporation to educate children on campus and the community with complex needs. The Lutheran Children's Home Board established group homes, which operated throughout the state until 1983. Today Lutheran Family Services of Virginia is a respected provider of services in six regions and manages three Minnick Education Centers for children with complex needs.
