LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Elmcrest Children's Center upon the
occasion of celebrating its 165th Anniversary

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend those illustrious organizations of distinguished purpose that
have been committed to the pursuit of excellence and that bring great
pride to the citizens of our great State; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor
Elmcrest Children's Center upon the occasion of celebrating its 165th
Anniversary; and
WHEREAS, Elmcrest Children's Center was founded as the Syracuse
Orphans' Asylum by a group of women who actively sought to provide a
home for children that were parentless or abandoned; on May 10, 1845,
the Syracuse Orphans' Asylum, located at the corner of Onondaga Street
and Salina Street, opened its doors to 10 boys and five girls; and
WHEREAS, By 1847, the organization was already growing rapidly; it
began to serve children throughout Onondaga County and changed its name
to the Onondaga County Orphans' Asylum; to better provide for its grow-
ing number of children, the group moved to a new and larger location in
the Syracuse Academy on Fayette Street; and
WHEREAS, The organization moved again in 1884 to East Genesee Street,
where Armory Square now stands, and in 1922, made a final move to its
current location, a 146 acre-farm on Salt Springs Road; and
WHEREAS, The group officially changed its name when celebrating its
100th anniversary in 1945 to Elmcrest Children's Center; and
WHEREAS, Elmcrest Children's Center continued to act as an orphanage
into the 1960s, but as times began to change and the number of orphans
began to decrease, the organization turned its attention to assisting
troubled youth, and in 1980, began to refocus its efforts on providing
services to children with emotional, behavioral, and special needs; and
WHEREAS, Currently, Elmcrest Children's Center serves more than 1,500
children and their families each year by providing 16 support programs
for children with emotional, behavioral, and psychological disturbances,
developmental disabilities, and serious medical conditions; and
WHEREAS, In 165 years Elmcrest Children's Center has moved locations,
changed names, and expanded its services and staff, but the dedication
to providing high quality care to children and families has never
changed; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor and thank Elmcrest Children's Center for its 165 years of dedi-
cated service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Joseph Geglia, Executive Director, Elmcrest Children's
Center.