Helping Hand Home for Children- A 133 Year Legacy
Early one fall morning in 1893, a newborn baby was discovered at Austin’s railway station. It was at this place on an ordinary day that an extraordinary event took place, setting in motion a series of events that have transformed the lives of thousands of children for over a century. Word spread quickly to women in local churches, and they immediately took the child into their homes and named her Mary Austin. Little did they know that their compassionate response was giving birth to a unique organization whose dedication to the care of abandoned, neglected, and abused children would maintain a constant presence in the Austin community.
Over time, as orphans were placed in individual foster families rather than group homes, Helping Hand Home shifted its focus exclusively to healing severely abused and neglected children. As the children’s numbers and needs grew, the Helping Hand Society’s fundraising efforts grew as well. Style shows and luncheons were the mainstay of the Society’s early fundraising, leading to the first Helping Hand Debutante Presentation in 1939. In the more than eighty Presentation Galas that have followed, the Austin community has passed down the tradition of supporting the Home from one generation to another.
The Crystal Ball celebrates a legacy of Austinites dedicated to the mission of healing and transforming the lives of children in need.
For more than 130 years, Helping Hand Home has served children and families who have experienced complex trauma. We want every child we serve to feel safe, seen, and loved. Our mission is to bring hope and healing to children and families through a continuum of trauma-informed, therapeutic care, including residential, foster, adoption, and support services. We seek to enrich, educate, and empower through loving care, professional treatment, and innovative evidence-based services that heal.
Thanks to community support, we are able to fulfill our mission of healing the most vulnerable children and restoring them to healthy families.
Hope Happens Here® thanks to you!
Since 1893
Participating in The Crystal Ball
Participation in The Crystal Ball is by invitation only. Participants may be nominated by eligible Helping Hand Society Members or identified through past involvement or support of the mission of Helping Hand Home.
For questions about participating in The Crystal Ball, please contact Helping Hand Home Event Manager, McKenna Blissit, at [email protected]