09/19/2026
Livonia Lions Club visited MCHS Family Services for a Program Dinner and Tour on Wednesday, Sept. 16. We shared a meal, learned about MCHS, and toured their historic facility on 6 Mile Road in Redford. What a fantastic evening!
The Methodist Children’s Home Society (MCHS) was founded in 1917 as a home for children orphaned by the Spanish flu epidemic. Two prominent Methodist ladies, Anna Kresge and Sophie Sprague, saw a need and addressed it. Initially housing 10 orphans, the facility moved twice, and the third (current) site opened in 1927 with generous contributions from the Kresge Foundation.
Initially named The Children’s Village, the beautiful Redford campus consisted of a Tudor-styled main building, a series of residential “cottages” complete with house mothers, a school, a pastor, and a chapel. MCHS was founded by Methodist donors but today is a non-sectarian non-profit, open to all faiths and cultures. Through the years, they have purchased and expanded the Redford campus to more than 80 acres, and expanded services provided in Detroit at their Pembroke Campus, and in Mayville, MI.
In 2022, MCHS officially changed its name from Methodist Children's Home Society to MCHS FAMILY OF SERVICES to reflect its expanded mission and programs. Their focus on aiding adoption, fostering, and serving at-risk youth has been a constant for more than 109 years.
Known for its foster care and adoption programs, MCHS currently supports about 300 children in foster care. Their residential programs shifted to boys and young men only in the 1990s. They currently have 16 boys in residential care, aged 12-17; these children are difficult to place due to complex histories which many times involve abuse, neglect, and trauma, with a loss of trust and faith in adults. MCHS can house up to 40 young men in their Redford and Pembroke facilities, but believes the best placement is for these youth to be in a home.
MCHS provides non-residential day services to boys and girls, and in 2020 opened their TIPS (Teen Infant Parenting Services) Program, which provides shelter, education, and transitional housing to young moms in a 16-unit apartment complex. They also provide supportive on-campus Independent Living residences for young men (15-19 years old) transitioning out of foster care.
In 2020, MCHS opened the Fostering Leadership Academy, a nonprofit public charter school in Redford focused on whole-child learning—supporting students’ academic, emotional, and social growth. Also in 2020, MCHS Residential Treatment became Michigan’s first restraint-free facility, and earned Crain’s Detroit Business “Best Managed Nonprofit” award for leadership during the Covid pandemic. In 2021, they took over the Fowler Center in Mayville, which provides a camp experience for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities.
MCHS recently acquired Holy Cross Foster Care and Independent Living Services, preventing the loss of vital services in Macomb, the Saginaw region, and northern Michigan. This allowed them to reach more young people with the stability, support, and opportunities they deserve. For more information on this fantastic nonprofit, follow this link: https://mchsmi.org/our-story/
The Lions are pleased to have supported MCHS Family Services and look forward to doing so in the future. How can the Lions and the community continue to help?
Follow their page: https://www.facebook.com/michiganmchs
They have fundraisers, including a gala in October. For more information, check out https://mchsmi.org/
They have an Amazon wishlist where you can choose to provide specific items: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/34RFETPZ2U9BW/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex
They have opportunities and special drives throughout the year. Find out more at: https://mchsmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/MCHS-Family-of-Services-2026-General-Wishlist.pdf
Also, donations can be delivered to the MCHS Family of Services main campus administration building located at 26645 W. Six Mile Road, Redford, MI 48240
