Bethany for Children & Families

Bethany for Children & Families is a nonprofit social service organization serving eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Services include: foster care and in-home counseling; day treatment for adolescents; after-school programming for Medicaid-eligible youth; prevention education and counseling services for families; supportive living services for adolescents; adoption; oral health services; furniture and household item distribution; and housing for homeless youth and families. Bethany was founded in 1899 by Gottlieb and Annie Germann a harness maker at the Rock Island Arsenal who found an abandoned baby behind his woodshed. In its early years Bethany was primarily a custodial facility for children whose parents either could not or would not care for them. Most of the care at the time focused on the provision of food shelter clothing and education for the children. The organization was incorporated as the Union Mission and later changed its name to Bethany Home. The corporate name was changed to Bethany for Children & Families in 1997.

The mission of Bethany for Children & Families is keeping children safe, strengthening families, and building healthy communities.