About Orchards and its History
Serving 15 Michigan Counties
Over 60 years ago Orchards Children’s services was established by the Greater Detroit Section of the National Council of Jewish Women. The founders recognized the need to improve the lives of children. This small, courageous group of women dared to question how things had been done. They believed that practices of the past were insufficient. They dared to challenge the status quo and begin something new. The founders of the Orchards looked back and plotted a course to move forward. It is doubtful that even those remarkable people who had the vision and courage to develop a new course could have foreseen the Orchards Children’s services of today.
The growth and progress that has been achieved by our organization over the past half century has been truly remarkable. The programs that have been created are often heralded as ground breaking. The children we serve routinely demonstrate positive improvement in every facet of their young lives. Others wonder how we manage to continually grow and prosper during times that challenge so many other organizations. The answer is simple; we use the blueprint prepared by our predecessors and we continue to move forward. There is no one person who can be credited with our growth and perpetual forward motion; it has been the work of a dynamic team composed of hundreds of board members, staff members, volunteers and supporters.
As Henry Ford once said, If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. Orchards is indeed successful because our team continually moves forward together. Every action taken, every plan developed, is and has been done by members of the Orchards team. All of the years of experience have prepared us for the future. It is with humility and a profound sense of appreciation that we thank everyone who has been a part of the Orchards Children’s Services. We will always look back fondly and remember how we arrived at this point. Today we look forward with anticipation of a brighter tomorrow for our organization