On August 23, 2024, United Way of North Carolina's Mission Advancement Specialist, Sara Carlson, toured the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford and conducted interviews with Kevin Otis, the Masonic Home's Administrator of 12 years and Brenda Dickerson-Daniel, the Executive Director of Granville County United Way, who's led the organization for 25 years.
The interviews offered an in-depth look into the histories of their organizations, their day to day efforts, the impact they have on their communities, and the valuable partnership they share. Carlson also got to interview two children who are residents of the Masonic Home, gaining insight into their lives in the cottages and how they feel the Masonic Home has set them up for success.
Taking a tour of the widespread, 23-acre campus via golf cart, Carlson was introduced to the living situations for children ages 0-18 in the cottages and for young adults aged 18-22 in the apartment dorms. Featuring a gorgeous church, refurbished gymnasium, refreshing pool, sports fields, an on-site SGA print shop and more, the Masonic Home offers an array of activities and engagement opportunities for the children and their foster families. Otis led the tour, providing an impeccable amount of knowledge and history to every stop we visited. Accompanying Carlson, Otis, and Dickerson-Daniel were Ed Bonilla (Director of Mission Advancement at UWNC), and Cortney Phillips, Community Support Coordinator at MHCO).
Operating for 151 years, the Masonic Home is filled with the histories of 11,000 children who got to have a more fortunate life by residing in the home when they had no where else to live. On campus holds two archival museum rooms containing artifacts, photos, and stories of life for the children since the 1870's, a true must-see if you ever come to visit.
During the interviews, you can feel how devoted Otis and Dickerson-Daniel are to their missions. The passion they bring to their work is evident, and getting to see the outcomes of their organizations' efforts firsthand was incredible.
You can check out the interviews, photos, and footage in the interview video on UWNC's YouTube channel.
####
Oxford, NC is home to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, North Carolina's first-ever children's home which opened its doors in 1873 to children in need. On its expansive campus stands the Community Support Center, a co-working space for Franklin Granville Vance (FGV) Smart Start, Baptist Children’s Home Foster Care and Adoption Services, Granville Education Foundation, Cradle to Class Parents as Teachers, and Granville County United Way.
Being able to work so closely together allows for a constant and collaborative approach to serving the families of Granville, Vance, Warren, Person, and Franklin counties.
For any organizations looking for meeting space, the Community Support Center offers comfortable and technology friendly spaces to meet their needs. To learn more about the Community Support Center, visit their page at https://mhc-oxford.org/index.php/community-support-center/.
####
Support the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford:
Support Granville County United Way:
Support United Way of North Carolina: