New Therapy Helps Kids Heal from Trauma
As a globally recognized trauma-informed center of excellence, The Baby Fold stays abreast of the latest research and therapies for children and families. We have recently implemented a new listening therapy to help children heal from trauma. The body's nervous system and senses, including hearing, are impacted by traumatic experiences. Children who have experienced trauma become conditioned to focus on low noise frequencies (an angry voice) and high frequencies (a siren). This is a survival skill. Even after the child is in a safe environment, their nervous system may remain on high alert, tuning into higher and lower frequencies, yet missing the middle range where calming vocal tones are heard.

The ‘Safe and Sound Protocol' uses listening exercises to strengthen the middle ear. Using noise-canceling headphones, children listen to specially-filtered music for a series of sessions. The music is created to emphasize the middle range of hearing and gradually filters out very high and very low frequencies. Volume is also adjusted, causing the listener to slightly strain to hear the music. These listening exercises cause the muscles around the eardrum to tense and release, just like biceps do during a push-up. As the middle ear is strengthened and hearing is balanced again, children can begin to turn off their high alert signals and benefit from the soothing voices of parents and teachers.

Jennifer Walbridge, MSW in our Adoption Support and Preservation program, has been using this method with great success. Parents report more calm in the home, fewer outbursts, and more connection within the family. The Baby Fold is proud to implement the latest treatments to keep our kids and families safe and sound. 
Twelve Decades of Devotion: Journey Through the 1920s
This month we are exploring the roaring 20s as we continue to highlight one decade of service each month to celebrate our 120th anniversary. Throughout our history, our amazing community has supported The Baby Fold’s vital work. 'The Baby Fold Club' celebrated its first anniversary in 1920, hosting a jelly and jam shower. The club was comprised of 22 members, each paying $10 per year to support the agency's life-changing work. The club had no regular meetings, only gathering when dues were paid and special offerings were made to bless the children of The Baby Fold.

In September of 1920, an article in The Pantagraph highlighted how the value of the agency, located at 108 E. Willow Street, where Hammitt Elementary School is today, increased from $2,500 when purchased in 1910 to $40,000. At that time, the agency’s average monthly expenses were $700. Ten nurses were employed, each having a ‘family unit’ of 5-6 little ones in their care. Every 4 hours the babies were fed, each bottle labeled with a linen ribbon with the child's name. In 1921, the agency hosted an ice cream social on the lawn to raise funding needed to care for the little ones. The Pantagraph urged readers to come out and “Help the babies.”

From 1920 to 1926, the number of children and babies residing at The Baby Fold increased from 54 to 73, and the value of the home increased by $10,000. Over 6,000 items were laundered every week by 4 staff members, while 3 cooks prepared all meals, and 1 janitor milked 7 cows, cared for the chickens, and tended the garden to provide fresh milk, eggs, and vegetables for the little ones.

In 1926, an anonymous donor honored his late wife with a memorial gift to The Baby Fold, making it possible to add a four-bedroom hospital wing to care for sick children and babies in the home. The hospital addition was completed in 1927. Before the hospital, physicians performed tonsillectomies on children and staff alike at the dining room table. In addition to the hospital, further improvements were made in the 1920s including a Sunday school room, playrooms, and sun parlor. Each expansion allowed more little children to find a loving home and safe haven at The Baby Fold.

(Reference: The Baby Fold: An Investment In Humanity, by Elizabeth Glidden, 1992, and The Pantagraph)
New Years Day of 1927, The Pantagraph showcased one of The Baby Fold's many building expansions
Deaconesses, children, and babies all enjoyed the fresh air on The Baby Fold's lawn in this historic photograph
Tompie Asher, Baby Fold Superintendent from 1908 - 1935, was the first woman nominated for The Pantagraph's Community Service Award because of her selfless devotion to children
Twelve Transformative Programs: Healthy Start Highlight
To continue celebrating our 120 years of devotion to kids and community, we're highlighting one program each month. The Baby Fold’s Healthy Start Program started in 1997 and has a proven track record for breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect. While many mothers in the program had involvement with DCFS in their childhood, 95% of those who complete the Healthy Start program have no further contact with DCFS.

In this voluntary program, a Child Development Specialist makes bi-weekly home visits during the pregnancy and weekly visits during the first nine months of the baby’s life. We believe Mom is the child’s first teacher, and we bring many interactive ideas to help Mom and baby relate and bond. Our specialists become a trusted friend, a tie to other community resources, and a resource for so many “what do I do” moments. Not only do we help the mother relate to her child, but we also help the mother build a safe and economically viable environment for her family. We build safe, loving home environments, connect new parents to community resources, and remain a trusted source of support. No other program offers weekly home visits to parents with a range of supportive, educational, and resource links as The Baby Fold's Healthy Start program. With home visits continuing until the child is 5 years old, Healthy Start is building healthy foundations for children across Central Illinois.
 
Click here to meet some of our Healthy Start graduates or click here to view a slide show from a Healthy Start Literacy Party. You can give local Moms and babies a Healthy Start in life by making a gift through our secure online giving portal and typing ‘Healthy Start’ in the comment box.
Celebrating National Women's History Month
The Baby Fold’s history is paved with epic stories of heroic women dedicated to the wellbeing of children. In honor of National Women’s History Month, please enjoy some of those stories: 
Nancy Mason moved to Normal in 1865, just after the Civil War, wanting her children to receive a college education at Illinois State Normal University. She built a two-story, 9-room home at 309 North Street, where today sits a parking lot between ISU’s Watterson Towers and the Alamo II. Nancy was known locally as a faithful servant, “a kind, motherly lady, whose acts of charity and good deeds are known to the people of the twin city.” In 1899, she opened her home to the local deaconess women who operated the Deaconess Hospital, now known as Carle BroMenn Medical Center. On May 1, 1902, the home was officially recognized by the State of Illinois as a not-for-profit, with the name “Mason Deaconess Home for Aged.” The deaconess women soon welcomed abandoned and orphaned children into their safe haven, and the home was commonly known as the “baby fold”, in reference to Jesus as the Good Shepard. On the morning of December 18th, 1902, Nancy Mason passed away in her loving home at 309 North Street; she could not have imagined the countless lives she would eventually touch with her generous estate gift. Today, The Baby Fold's Mason Hall honors Nancy’s generous spirit and houses our Human Resources, Finance, and Quality Improvement departments. 
Nellie Randle, born in Oregon on June 1, 1878, was The Baby Fold’s first full-time superintendent. She was a natural caregiver, raising her 7 siblings after their mother died at a young age. After graduating from nursing school, she felt called by God to serve at the Mason Home in Normal. She brought with her a mere ten dollars and The Baby Fold’s first child, Baby Harry, who was found in a Chicago basement. When Randle arrived at the home in 1905, there was no bathroom or furnace and cooking was done on a coal range, burning a corncob to start the fire. In just 7 months Randle made significant updates, including adding a furnace, bathroom, and gas stove. In August of 1907, the agency’s annual report showed great progress, including $1,961.15 in donations. During that year, the home welcomed 59 children; 39 were under 2 years old and 17 were less than 1 month of age. In 1908, Randle was hospitalized with pneumonia and was later diagnosed with tuberculosis. She never returned to The Baby Fold, but later moved to India and married a missionary. Today, in honor of our first superintendent, Randle Hall is located at The Baby Fold’s historic Willow Campus within Hammitt Elementary School.  
Dr. Lucy Rider Meyer was a physician and Chief Superintendent of the Chicago Training School, which trained and assigned superintendents to The Baby Fold, including Nellie Randle and Tompie Asher. Meyer’s generosity was instrumental in Randle’s success. Meyer won five dollars from an Ivory Soap contest after submitting the following jingle, “The air for the wing of the sparrow, the bush for the robin and wren; but when Ivory makes the lather that washes a million men.” Meyer wanted to use the award for a good cause, and in turn, announced her own contest. She would give the full five dollars to the student who gave the best three-minute speech about her new work, with the student body judging. Nellie Randle presented a compelling presentation, quoting scripture, and won the five dollars, which was used for milk and medicine for Baby Harry. 
Tompie Asher was sent to Mason Home as a temporary replacement after Nellie Randle's unexpected departure. Asher’s ‘temporary assignment’ lasted 27 years. She fearlessly lead the agency through the first World War, the Great Depression, pandemics, and more. Asher was born in Missouri on April 10, 1868, and was a schoolteacher before coming to the Mason Home. She was committed to serving as many children as possible without The Baby Fold going into debt. When she arrived at the home in 1908, one of her first orders of business was settling all debts and operating on a cash-only basis. After moving the agency to Willow Street she continuously expanded to serve more children, adding additional rooms and spaces only after securing the funds. After new rooms were added, Asher welcomed the community to donate furniture and items to furnish the new space. In 1928, Asher was the first woman nominated for The Pantagraph’s Community Service award. Nominations poured in, recounting Asher’s selfless devotion to children. One nomination read, “Hundreds of these little ones would never have known a mother’s love had it not been for Mother Asher,” and another asks, “Can a greater service be rendered in a community than that of caring for helpless, homeless children?” We think not. Finally, in 1934, the prestigious award was bestowed upon Asher. The following year, Asher announced her retirement and settled in a small home on The Baby Fold’s farm. Tompie’s namesake, Asher Hall, now houses our Development and Public Relations department, overlooking a Hammitt Elementary School Playground.

(Reference: The Baby Fold: An Investment In Humanity, by Elizabeth Glidden, 1992, and The Pantagraph)