In an earlier post I said that the season had started. Well, as of September 1, it has really taken off! One of the fun things about offering both religious and secular figures for Christmas celebration is the great variety of people and organizations we deal with.
Recently, I spoke with and we subsequently received an order form Boys Town in Boys Town, Nebraska. Well the name sounded interesting, so I googled it. The full name of the institution is Father Flanagan’s Boys Home in Boys Town Nebraska. This was originally established in 1917 by Father Edward Flanagan as home for orphaned and abandoned boys. Today, Boys town directly cares for over 27,000 boys and girls annually in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Boys Town programs include education, residential homes emergency shelters, foster care, family counseling and a medical research hospital. At the 900 acre home campus in Boys Town, Nebraska 550 girls and boys in grades 3-12 live and attend school.
Father Flanagan and Boys Town became internationally famous as a result of the 1938 movie Boys Town for which the star, Spencer Tracy, won the Academy Award and a second Academy Award Statue was created and given to Father Flanagan at the suggestion of the movie star. For a concise story of Boys Town and the good they do, please see the Mackinac Article