At Cardinal Hayes Home, Children Thrive Because They Are Loved
By ML Ball

Photos by Zandria Oliver

If you’ve ever wanted to meet a real-life angel, drive up St. Joseph’s Drive in Millbrook to the top of the hill and walk in the front door of Cardinal Hayes Home for Children (CHH). There you’ll find over 400 of them. From the 119 residents, to the devoted, compassionate staff who care for them, these are indeed angels, each and every one.

Originally a private home built by Oakleigh L. Thorne in 1925 for his daughter, the main building and 68 acres of land was donated by Thorne in the late 1930s to the Archdiocese of New York in memory of Cardinal Patrick Hayes. In 1941, Cardinal Hayes Home, then as now sponsored by Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, opened its doors, providing convalescent care to children discharged from hospitals who could not be adequately cared for at home. By 1960, CHH’s mission had shifted to serve neglected and abused children, primarily from New York City. In the 1970s, the focus changed again when a critical need emerged for residential programs to serve physically and developmentally disabled children.

To meet this need, CHH’s campus grew exponentially, due in large part to the efforts of the then-executive director, Fred Apers. In addition to the main building, Cardinal Hayes Home now includes six cottages on the Millbrook property and five community homes throughout Dutchess County. It offers two day habilitation programs, and many of the residents attend the Hayes Day School, serving 15 school districts. 

Although all of the children at CHH are disabled to some degree—some severely—in no way does that translate into an atmosphere of sadness or pity. On the contrary, joy, laughter, and genuine affection for the residents pervade every corner.

“The satisfaction that you get from them is more than any paycheck could ever give you,” says Mary Campbell, senior director of program operations. “We have a really good staff here—people who love the kids so much and want to make a difference in their lives. That’s what’s kept me here…53 years after I started.”

Executive director Mary Sontheimer agrees. “The staff cares for them like they’re their children, their family. Everyone’s room is decorated according to what they like, because this is their home. We go out of our way to make it that way. Many spend their entire lives here.”

At CHH, every aspect of an individual’s development and well-being is carefully assessed and monitored, and a personalized treatment plan is carried out by the dedicated staff which addresses the person’s full spectrum of needs: behavioral, neurological, psychiatric, dietary, medical, educational, social, and recreational. 

In such a challenging environment, what keeps the staff going? “Because every day, you’re making somebody’s life a little bit better,” explains assistant executive director Dan Davis. Mary Broe, executive assistant, adds, “You can see people thriving and doing things they couldn’t do before, in our little corner of the world up here on the hill.” Up on the hill, where the angels are. —cardinalhayeshome.org