The Mission of HopeTree Family Services is to provide Christian residential and support services to at-risk children and youth, and to adults with developmental disabilities

 Virginia Baptists began their campaign in 1887 to help Virginia’s children in need. Baptist ministers from across the state began rallying their churches to support the establishment of a Baptist orphanage. As a result, the Baptist Orphanage of Virginia was chartered on February 24, 1890, and a committee selected a site overlooking Salem, Va for this important new ministry. For 40 years, the Orphanage thrived through the support of Virginia Baptist churches.

Name Change

During the 1930’s and 1940’s Trustees of the Baptist Orphanage noticed a change in the children who came to the Orphanage. More and more often the children were not actually orphans; instead their families placed them with the Baptist Orphanage because of economic hardships. By the early 1950’s very few residents of the Orphanage were actually orphaned. To more accurately reflect the nature of their ministry efforts, the Board of Trustees voted to change the Orphanage’s name to Virginia Baptist Children’s Home in 1953.

Over the next three decades, the Baptist Children’s Home noticed yet another shift in the situations that brought children into care. Increasingly children came to the Home because of abuse or neglect rather than families’ financial difficulties. In response to this societal change, the Children’s Home developed new ministries to reach and heal not just the children, but their families as well.  By 1985, the Board of Trustees again recognized the need for a name change to reflect the Home’s expanded goal of healing the children in its care and their families. Thus, Virginia Baptist Children’s Home became Virginia Baptist Children’s Home & Family Services.

New Ministries

The services the Children's Home provides have evolved greatly over the past 20 years.  Six distinct programs are now in place to provide care to at-risk children and youth. Additionally, in 1992, the Children’s Home ventured in a new direction, a ministry that serves adults – the Developmental Disabilities Ministry.

Children's Home becomes HopeTree

With its expanded ministries, which now include DDM homes, foster families, alternative education schools, and other services, the Children's Home bears little resemblance to the Baptist Orphanage of the 1890’s. Therefore, another change began. A new name was needed that would be inclusive of all of our programs, open our doors to all denominations, and convey our statewide locations beyond our former, singular "home" title. Thus, HopeTree Family Services became our new name. Hope is short, strong and defines in one word the single greatest benefit we give those who come to us for care. For nearly 20 years, a tree has been part of our logo. A tree is a symbol of strength, shelter, endurance and vibrant life. Keeping the tree as our logo represents the sheltering comfort we provide as well as the strength of an organization that has thrived for over 100 years.

Our name has changed, yet the overall goal has remained unchanged: to provide quality Christian care to people in need.